There’s a comic and anime convention in Myrtle Beach? XCON IV? There were 3 previous XCON conventions also in Myrtle Beach? These questions ran through our heads as the Ohso Team attended XCon IV on Oct. 22-23 at the Spring Maid Beach Resort. The thought of having a local convention is actually very cool and the place was filled with some nice surprises. Many guest say that XCON III was bigger, but to me it looks like a good turnout.

Venue
The venue (Spring Mad Beach Resort) is a pretty good place to set up any type of event. For XCON IV this place has been home and the place did its job for the convention. Location on the other hand is different. For an anime and comic book convention it’s really not a notable place and should be as close to the heart of Myrtle Beach as possible. To know that XCON V will be heading to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center is a big relief.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere is just what you would expect at a comic book or anime convention. There are designated areas for games, events, food, and vendors. The vendor’s area was impressive. Not only was there a good turnout of artists and comic book vendors, but many came from outside South Carolina. You also get the excitement of seeing others dressed up as their favorite characters or look-a-likes (aka cosplaying).

Guests
There were many special guests attending the convention. Animator and voice actor C. Martin Croker (voices of Zorak and Moltar from “Space Ghost Coast to Coast”, “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”) was there signing autographs and selling authentic character cells. Custom vampire fangs were being made by make-up artist Greyson Wolf, best known today for work in “True Blood” and “From Dusk Till Dawn”. The list of guests also included Dr. Bob Boan, Pete Koch, Dirk Strangely, Shane Moore and more.

Special Events
The schedule pretty much summed up what was going on when it came to special events. Saturday’s schedule was good even though there were a few gaps that that left some people with nothing to do (if something didn’t interest you of course). Overall Saturday’s events were pretty good. People enjoyed themselves and rarely noticed anyone leaving unless they had work. The IMAX back to back showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 & 2 for $10 was a very special treat.

Sunday’s attendance was not as big as Saturday, leaving some venues to start packing up a little early around 3:30PM. People were still enjoying themselves with card games, console gaming and various role playing games. Sunday did have a schedule and kept people busy as well.

Staff/Service
The staff was excellent at the XCON IV. Very friendly, helpful and always suggested things for people to do or where to go if they seemed lost. (Southern) Hospitality was included. The convention was also very safe in the security department from our point of view. Lots of children and teenagers attended as well.

The Ohso team really enjoyed our visit at XCON IV and we would like to thank Corsair Comics and all the great people we met while we were there. Overall the convention was a great experience for the Grand Strand. We want to see XCON V next year break the records at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. You may even see Ohso doing more than just being the local online press.

See you there!