On Sunday February 23rd, I went to the Amazing Aloha Comic Con at the Hawaii Convention for the first time. Amazing Aloha Comic Con has become a 20 year brand and brings comic book legends and pop culture to Hawaii. It brings independence and mainstream with talents from the Hawaiian Comic Book Alliance. In addition to vendors and collectibles, there are activities, panels, autograph signing, and photo-ops. There are also interactive competitions and merchandise for sale. This was the best and memorable weekend of my life! It was a lively atmosphere with many people wearing costumes of their favorite superheros.
I flew to Honolulu on Saturday, February 22nd 2020 to spend time with my cousins before the Amazing Aloha Comic Con. Once at Comic Con, most of the space is made up of vendors selling superhero collectibles including books, shirts, plushies, stickers, pins, hats, and much more! It was well organized and the staff was helpful and always willing to point out directions and relate information about the signing times for the special guests’ schedules. The special guests I wanted to meet are Annie Leblanc, Brooke Butler, Lilia Buckingham, and Indiana Massara. These teens, who are the future of tomorrow, are actresses, singers, teen choice award nominees, and social media influencers. I became aware of these four girls by watching them in Chicken Girls on Brat, which is a digital media network with original programming for a teenage audience on Youtube.
The day before the Amazing Aloha Comic Con I went to Walmart to get some local favorites for my favorite guests. From home, I brought Chocolate Macadamia Nuts for Annie. From Wamart, I bought three Hawaiian-flavored pancake mixes and wrote personalized letters to each of the four girls. The next day, I was beyond excited, but nervous at the same time. My outfit of the day was a red romper with tan sandals, a little bit of makeup, and a low braid.
Once at the convention center, we went to the check-in table to receive our wristbands before we started to look around at all the different vendors. The autograph/photo op time for Annie, Indiana, Lilia, and Brook was at 10:30.. The moment I saw them come out, I was so excited and starstruck that I had the opportunity to meet the people I had been watching on my screen for the past three years. First, I went to Annie Leblanc’s table which had her younger sister, Hayley, her mother, Katie, and manager, Matt. Second, I went to Brooke Butler’s table which had her mother, Nicole. I remembered a scene where Brooke, who played Ellie Mack, was eating Salt and Vinegar chips and she was very impressed. Brooke took a picture of me and posted the picture on her Instagram Story. This was a fan experience I would remember forever. Third, I met Lilia Buckingham, who plays Autumn on Brat Chicken Girls as a cheerleader and a daughter of a well-known race track owner on Dirt. I gave her the pancake mix and her reaction was ‘’I love pancakes!’’ She decided to read the letter later. Lastly, I met Indiana Massara who is an Australian-American actress and singer. During the time I was able to spend time with her, she noticed my red romper since red is her favorite color. I asked her to sing one of her well-known songs ‘’Smoke in my eyes’’. Out of all of these girls, Indiana Massara is my spirit animal because she is always hyped up and fun to be around.
This was my first Amazing Aloha Comic Con experience and I would rate it at an 10/10 for overall experience.
