Best of the Cons 2010

Check out more photos from this year's conventions in "50 Awesome Cosplays of 2010."

From internationally known events like San Diego Comic-Con and Anime Expo to smaller, single-franchise conventions like Power Morphicon and MacrossWorld to non-con events like the L.A. screening of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, there was no shortage of fan gatherings in Southern California this year. Below, we've compiled our picks for the Best of the Cons.

Shannon Cottrell

Homer Simpson at San Diego Comic-Con

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Most Improved Convention
Long Beach Comic Con

Liz Ohanesian

Terrance and Phillip at Long Beach Comic Con

​ When we went to Long Beach Comic Con for its inaugural event in 2009, there wasn't a whole lot to see outside of autograph signings. This year, though, LBCC's exhibit hall was filled with more artists and indie comic creators than we expected. It was a nice surprise and we're looking forward to see how the convention will grow next year.
See more photos in "Long Beach Comic Con."

Best Convention Party
The Yoshiki Foundation Party @ MAX

Shannon Cottrell

Yoshiki with Stan Lee at The Yoshiki Foundation America party, July 1, 2010

​ MAX was a one-day fan event at Club Nokia featuring the premiere of Japanese horror film Kai-Ki: Tales of Terror from Tokyo, a performance from Erina Mano and a maid cafe. The event ended with a huge party for X Japan fans. The bash had an H. Naoto fashion show featuring the designer's collaboration with drummer Yoshiki, a special acoustic set from members of X Japan and closed out with a film shoot for a new video from the band.

Best Artist's Alley
DesignerCon

Shannon Cottrell

The Sawdust Bear booth at DesignerCon

​ It would be hard to compete with DesignerCon as this one-day event is all artist alley. This year, Bwana Spoons offered portraits of classic Kenner Star Wars toys and Free Humanity had a booth filled with Star Wars street art. But it wasn't just Star Wars at DesignerCon, we found adorable monsters from Sawdust Bear, super cute plush designs from Tea Miller and so much more.

See more in "DesignerCon at Pasadena Convention Center"

Best Music Performance
Voltaire @ Comic-Con

Shannon Cottrell

Voltaire performing at Queen Bee's during San Diego Comic-Con

​ The Dragon*Con crowd knows all about Voltaire's convention performances, as he plays there every year. At San Diego Comic-Con, the witty singer doesn't perform inside the convention proper, he typically arranges a show sometime that weekend. This year's show at Queen Bee was a cab ride away from SDCC's Gaslamp Quarter digs, but it was worth the trip. If you ever want a night of goth-geek humor mixed with good tunes, go see Voltaire.

Read more in "Comic-Con Interview: Musician/Artist Voltaire is a Convention Renaissance Man."

Most Fan-Friendly Convention
MacrossWorld

Shannon Cottrell

MacrossWorld 2010

​ MacrossWorld is a very small convention created by and for fans of the legendary anime Macross. Held in one room at UCLA this year, it's also a convention void of commerce. Instead of merchant booths, the room is filled with Macross collections. It's a convention geared towards bringing together friends who met on the MacrossWorld forums. This year's event celebrated the tenth anniversary of the web forums as well as character Lynn Minmay's birthday with a special performance from singer-songwriter/Macross star Mari Iijima.

Read more in "MacrossWorld Convention Celebrates Its Tenth Anniversary (and Lynn Minmay's Birthday) at UCLA."