ACE Comic Con Boston Was Cancelled...Now What?!

Last week, ACE Comic Con announced that their Boston show was cancelled and moved to October.

Sigh.

To be honest, I saw it coming. When COVID-19 came to America, I knew that I was going to end up missing out on one of my most anticipated comic-cons to date. To preface, I completely understand why it was cancelled. Comic-cons involve a lot of touching and brushing shoulders. Contact at comic-cons are a given. When the spread of this virus revolved so much around contact, cancellation was for the better.

It started out with ACE Comic Con announcing two weeks before the comic-con that attendees were no longer allowed to make contact with the celebrity guests. This meant that only no-contact poses could be done during photo ops and that you could not exchange gifts with the celebrities during the autograph sessions. While fans were upset - I'll admit, I was too - it was only the first sign that the convention was going to close down.

Quite frankly, I'm happy it's no longer going on. While I'm someone who is considered "not at risk" due to my age and health, that doesn't mean everyone who was attending was also "not at risk". Am I disappointed? Definitely. Do I understand why this is happening? Absolutely.

As the line goes, it's always better to be safe than sorry!

ACE Comic Con Boston was going to have an insane line up, featuring headlining guests like Tom Hiddleston, Chris Hemsworth, Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Chris Evans, and so many more. In fact, this comic-con had three major fandoms it was dipping into: Marvel, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. This comic-con truly had something for everyone.

After announcing the comic-con's cancellation, ACE promised to distribute refunds to everyone for everything they bought, whether that was entry tickets, photo-ops, or VIP passes. The comic-con group announced they would be rescheduling their Boston event to October but it doesn't seem like the same guests will be attending. It was a very disappointing day but there was a bright side that came out of this.

Beyond the cancellation, ACE Comic Con has proved to me that they truly care about the people involved in their conventions, particularly the artists. While it was disappointing for comic-con-goers to miss out on meeting their favorite celebrities, I believe it was more disappointing for the invited artists to miss out on premiering and selling their art at this event. Many artists build their schedule around these comic-cons but now that this event is no longer happening, what are they going to do?

One artist, Erin Lefler, came up with a unique and fun solution: virtual comic-cons. These virtual comic-cons help artists still show off their art to the public. Through live streams and online store openings, artists have the chance to display their comic-con exclusive pieces while also connecting with guests who were planning to attend ACE.

Not only is this a way to stay in the comic-con spirit, it's also a wonderful way to support your favorite artists. Remember, comic-cons are sometimes the biggest form of both profit and exposure for these artists. Being able to still hold their "booths" and "tables" online helps these artists continue doing what they love: creating art to put a smile on your face.

ACE Comic Con has helped boost these virtual comic-cons through retweets, likes, and promotions across their social media pages. This company clearly understands how devastated many people were and they wanted to do their best to reach out and help them.

In order to help cheer people up, ACE Comic Con has taken to blowing up their social media pages with comic-con themed posts. For example, on Friday, March 20th, 2020 - the original starting date of ACE Comic Con Boston - ACE tweeted out a viewing party link for everyone to watch Chris Hemsworth's panel at ACE Comic Con Midwest. While it may be nothing like really sitting there and listening to Chris Hemsworth drawl in his Australian accent about Thor, it's still a way to spread good vibes and excitement for the next event to come.

As someone who was really looking forward to getting my favorite Mysterio fan art signed by Jake Gyllenhaal and giving Tom Hiddleston my custom-made Doctor Robert Laing Funko! Pop, it's hard to sit here and think about the fact that I could've been meeting my favorite celebrities right now. It's harder to sit here and think about all of the art, cosplays, and memories that I missed out on. But thanks to the wonderful artists and team of ACE Comic Con, I'm able to enjoy a different kind of comic-con experience from the safety of my own home.

In a time like this, it's important to remember that cancellations may be difficult to handle but it's better for everyone. This keeps everyone healthy and protected and it will only make the next ACE Comic Con even bigger and better to make up for this loss.

So how can you get into the comic-con spirit? Visit Erin Lefler on Twitter at @Butternutgouach and ACE Comic Con on Twitter at @ACEcomiccon to immerse yourself in these awesome virtual comic-cons.

Many of the artists and creators have opened up their virtual shops with comic-con unique pieces! Visit ACE Comic Con's Exhibitors and Creators pages to scroll through all of the amazing faces that were appearing this weekend and connect with them. You never know what kind of amazing art you'll end up finding!