Pop Culture Paradise in Florida

Last week, from Dec. 9 – 11, comic book fans assembled for the three-day convention celebrating geek culture, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center.

Paradise City Comic Con, organized by Super Conventions, invited a vast array of notable guests, including professional comic book artists, celebrities and household name creators. At Paradise City, attendees shared their admiration for anime, cosplay, cartoons, comics and video gaming, among other interests.

The convention center hosted various vendors and artists who showcased their items for sale or commission.

“I am here to network with artists,” said Andrea Saavedra, a digital illustrator. “I do freelance work, so most of my work hours are in-house. Being here in the Artist Alley gives me a great chance to showcase my work and connect with others.” Saavedra has created illustrations for notable Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games (MMORPGs), Legendary Games and Pathfinder. With her enthusiasm in science fiction, she plans to continue creating concept designs for video games.

Cosplayers strut down the runway showing off their elaborate designs based of their favorite characters at the Extravagant Costume Competition. Cosplayer Mattie A. dressed up as Frisk from the popular indie game “Undertale.” “I decided to attend Paradise City because I [have not] been to one in a while. I am here for a fun and educational experience. There are many panels I am interested to go to because they focus on my interests in the video games and cosplay.”

Paradise City Comic Con left South Florida a taste of geek culture that will surely come again next year and many more to come.