Established in 2013, Eternal Con is quickly becoming Long Island, New York’s premier Comic book and Pop Culture convention. Growing each year since its introduction, 2015’s edition was once again held at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York, this time with more vendors, over 7,000 to be exact; new media guests, and more events for fans to indulge in. Held on the weekend of June 13th and 14th, the turnout exceeded 2014’s as fans of all ages arrived early dressed in costumes, ready to browse the three-level 150,000 sq. ft. area.
As fans entered the main room of the Cradle of Aviation Museum they were immediately taken in by vendor tables that had everything from Comic books, toys, and T-shirts. Standing out with unique products to stimulate the attendees, one vendor even sold custom The Walking Dead T-shirts, another that sold custom blades, and others that brought out the kid in all with some of their favorite rare vintage action figures. While the variety of products to consume was plentiful, the fun did not stop there as fans were able to meet and engage small press publishers, Comic book publishers, and get a closer look at some of Long Island’s most talented creators of art, as well as fantasy literature.
If purchasing some cool new toys for one’s collection or discovering new Comics/books was not enough, the media guests were both diverse and intriguing to fans of a broad range of genres from Sci-Fi, to music, to pro wrestlers. Among this years guest list was original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series cast members such as Austin St John, David Yost, Walter Jones, Karan Ashley, and David Fielding. Kids growing up in the ’90s have fond memories of this Sci-Fi Action series, which lasted between 1993 and 1996. Fan had the perfect chance to take photos with the stars and get their memorabilia from DVD’s to Power Ranger helmets signed.
For the movie fans, there was Star Trek: The Next Generation star Marina Sirtis, Farscape’s Gigi Edgley, Vernon Wells (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior 1981, Weird Science 1985), and Eric Roberts (Runaway Train 1985, The Dark Knight 2008). Humble to be there with the fans, each guest gave them undivided attention, letting them know they appreciate the support. Then on the music end of the spectrum, very special guest, Ramones legendary drummer Marky Ramone was in the house signing autographs and talking with fans about his new book Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone. Satisfying the W.W.E. fan, generations of the wrestling organizations most important figures were on hand such as Jake The Snake Roberts, Long Islander Mick Foley, Chyna, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Greg The Hammer Valentine. That was not all though, prankster Jerky Boy Johnny Brennan, AMC’s Comic Book Men Ming Chen along with Rob Bruce were on hand, among many others. Clearly a major draw for many of those who come out to a convention of this type, a media guest list can make or break an event, and this colorful list of guests surely was a winner for all.
Keeping fans interest, beyond adding to their own collection, there was also special events held throughout the weekend including a Q & A session with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers cast members in the IMAX Theater. Fans took this opportunity to ask all their dream questions about the iconic series. Plenty of insider information was exchanged, making it a worthy addition to fans’ Eternal Con itinerary. Other highlights for those looking for something more than the typical was the fact there was even a film festival going on within Eternal Con with a bunch of Sci-Fi related films premiering all throughout the weekend.
Overall, Eternal Con III was a well-planned event with enough to keep attendees spending their whole day wandering the area, and still not having enough time to discover it all. With focus on Comics, books, movies, and television, the organizers did a fine job of balancing the theme out evenly, though in future years it would be exciting to see more movie related guests. Three years in Eternal Con has already built a strong name for themselves, and as it continues to grow, it will become among the elite themed conventions in North America.
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