CONVENTION REVIEW: TERRIFICON 2022

Last weekend from Friday July 29th through Sunday July 31st I had the pleasure to travel once again to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT to attend the 2022 edition of Terrificon presented by Mitch Hallock.

The overall theme for this year’s Terrificon was the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man and boy did Mitch knock it out of the park. The con was literally turned into a scavenger hunt as fans traveled through Artists Alley attempting to complete the autograph list of the more than two dozen Spider-Man related creators. This was a very fun quest!

It’s tough to pick who was the biggest creator in attendance with such luminaries as John Romita Jr., Mark Bagley and Gerry Conway topping the list for Spider-fans but Terrificon had something for everyone. Lines were long to see many favorites with Jim Shooter’s table constantly abuzz, Jerry Ordway and Dan Jurgens always busy and even C.B Cebulski, current editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, reviewing portfolios on Saturday and Sunday of hopeful artists.

Personally, I’m a fan of the editors. The unsung heroes that get our favorite comics to us in a timely manner. I had great conversations with former Marvel editors Jim Salicrup, Terry Kavanagh, Howard Mackie, Larry Hama, Carl Potts and the aforementioned Jim Shooter.

While not the main focus at Terrificon,  there were still plenty of celebrities to be seen, whether it was your favorite voice actors like Batman Kevin Conroy or Superman Tim Daly or the AEW wresting contingent led by veteran Dustin Rhodes. Actors such as the Soprano’s Joe Pantoliano, Cobra Kai’s Sean Kanan and the OG Buffy herself, Kristy Swanson, all made appearances. .

Tons and tons of vendors, lots of opportunities to pick up merchandise,  fill those holes in your collections whether it’s comics, action figures or POPS. A large gaming area for the kids to stay busy with Rock Band or Smash Bros. (My son was here for hours).

Panels every hour on the hour all weekend long. This year split into two rooms. Panel room A for the celebrities panels and Panel room B for comics. It was a great, orderly way to keep the rooms straight and pick what you wanted to see. It’s also a great place to rest your tired feet around 3 or 4 o’clock.

Lots of cosplayers this year, though I think there weren’t as many as previous years. But for the second year and a row there were definitely more families with young children which I thought was a very encouraging sign for the future.

My big day was Saturday as I was able to bring my friend, Marvel writer Don McGregor of Black Panther and Killraven fame, in for the day to visit old friends. This is where I got to see alot of love from the crowd as Don was recognized by fans and creators alike and soon became inundated with photo requests.  This day meant alot to me on a personal level and I know it was the same for Don.

Terrificon 2022 is in the history books and we can now start the countdown for Terrificon 2023. Mitch puts on a fantastic show every year. This year was no exception. Terrificon is consistently the best east coast con and I’ll stand by that statement.

Kudos, Mitch! See you next year!