The record size of led to some interesting scenes inside the Colorado Convention Center last month — like when a pregnant woman waiting for an autograph from went into labor.
“After her water broke, Stan Lee asked for her to come to the front of the line so she could get her autograph before she went to the hospital,” said Sam Fuqua, executive director of Pop Culture Classroom, which programs the event.
Denver Comic Con’s attracted more than 114,900 people in 2016, making it one of the biggest pop-culture gatherings in the nation.
“We use total attendance, which is different than ticket sales, and what we’re finding is that other cons have different ways of accounting for that,” Fuqua said when asked about where his event ranks.
The June 17-19 event at the Colorado Convention Center was also the largest consumer convention in Colorado, and one of the largest in the Rocky Mountain region. Only Salt Lake City and Phoenix have similarly themed events to rival Denver’s.
Adding to the bustle is the fact that Denver Comic Con took place on the same weekend as , a festival the Con partnered with beforehand. After the Con opened with , it featured more than 300 hours of panels with artists, celebrities and industry voices, as well as a number of panels devoted to LGBT issues.
“We had a group wedding to conclude the con on Sunday afternoon that featured 10 different couples with a variety of relationships, including same gender couples and a trans couple,” Fuqua said. “That was new this year, and we hope to to continue to celebrate the diverse communities that all come under this comic-con umbrella.”
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Brittany Ching dressed as a character from “Avatar” at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Meaghan Croghan peeks through her X-Men “Juggernaut” costume helmet at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Maggie Ammons dressed as the character “Red” from the game Transistor from Supergiant, adjusts her transistor prop at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Comic Con fan Justin Dreher sports a Batman tattoo on his leg at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center on June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Sarah Sanchez dressed as a female Ghost Rider at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Gary Reynolds looks at a virtual reality comic book through cardboard VR googles designed by students at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Photo by Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Sean Brown, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design instructor looks at conceptual drawings for a virtual reality comic book at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Artist Naomi Haverland works on a chalk drawing at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Renee Gardner dressed as comic character Atomic Wonder Woman, left, and Megan Royer dressed as Lego character Princess Unikitty at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Cyndi Murphy, dressed up as Alice in Wonderland, chats with her husband Jimmy dressed as “Anger” from the Inside Out movie at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Don Clever dressed as movie character Beetlejuice, checks outs a comic book at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
John Malcom, center, dressed as video game character Asriel Dreemurr walks down an isle at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Jason Love dressed up as “Hodor” Hold the Door character from Game of Thrones, left, and Carlos Masis dressed as Deadpool at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Leia Spencer, 3, sleeps right through the commotion of Denver Comic Con being towed around in a wagon by her father Garret at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Rob Gleichmann dressed up as ”Him” from the Power Puff Girls at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Kenzie Bentzinger dressed up as “Raven” from Teen Titans outside of Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A “Twi'lek Bounty Hunter” Star Wars character heads up the escalator to the Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
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Brittany Ching dressed as a character from “Avatar” at Denver Comic Con at the Colorado Convention Center June 16, 2016.
Guests in 2016 included the aforementioned Lee (making up for his ) in what was billed as his second-to-last comic book convention appearance, “Game of Thrones” star Lena Headey and “Karate Kid” star Ralph Macchio, among dozens of others.
As the largest programming event for the nonprofit Pop Culture Classroom, Denver Comic Con devoted the biggest chunk of its show floor — more than 9,000 square feet — to youth programming and education. And despite occupying 500,000 square feet at the Convention Center, the Comic Con literally had to work around another convention.
“Because of the high demand at the Convention Center it’s been challenging year-to-year to get the same dates and spaces,” Fuqua said. “They’re really good about trying to work with us, but this year there was a bill collectors convention right in the middle of all our programming. I kept walking by the big Mile High Ballroom in there and seeing signs for it. It was kind of weird.”
Fuqua said he and other organizers are working to balance new and familiar programming for the 2017 event, which will return to the Convention Center June 30-July 2, with tickets on sale this fall.
“It went well this year and we got positive feedback from attendees, so we’re just trying to learn from that to provide a better fan experience. It’ll be very difficult to top Stan Lee, though. An icon like that doesn’t come around very often.”
