I took a few hours off of work this weekend to head down to Sioux Falls with my #1 daughter to check out the 2022 version of Siouxpercon, South Dakota’s own convention of comic enthusiasts and pop culture. I wanted to go check out and support my local comic book shop in Brookings, who was one of the featured exhibitors, and to see what else might be there. My oldest has a thing for the funco pop-figures which she collects from time to time, and wanted to check out their selection, so off we went.
According to the Siouxpercon website, “The vision of SiouxperCon is to engage individuals, cultivating their interest of comics and various popular art forms through workshops, panels, seminars, exhibitions and hosting conventions.” The event has started to come into it’s own, in comparison to some of the “cons” across the country in terms of it’s level of interest and activity, as the event was anticipated to draw between 6-8000 spectators this weekend for the various forums, autograph signings and events.
While parking could be a bit of a challenge, as it shared a parking lot with a band competition next door, I found it completely accessible, and quickly got through the ticket line, and was able to head straight into the exhibition hall, to where Brookings Books & Comics was located. At $15 a ticket, it is inexpensive entertainment which is appropriate for older kids and adults. Especially adults for some of the evening events.
My daughter quickly picked up a Funco pop-figure collectible for my youngest for Christmas (shhh), with her favorite Marvel TV character at the moment.
The entire event hall seemed almost heavier on toys than it was on comics, as I only noted 4-5 booths with what I wanted to pick through. But, in many cases, the selection wasn’t bad. I was after some mid-value books that I might add to my collection that I was having trouble chasing down on-line, as well as doing a little impulse buying. Vendors had a good selection, and if you were careful, you could find prices in line with values. My daughter snapped a photo of me figuring out what I had to have..
I did manage to walk away with a couple of those books I was ogling on the wall. No, not the $1400 Batman or $2000 Spider-man comics. I grabbed a graded one that I keep getting outbid for on at ebay, as well an ungraded one that’s more challenging to find. And a grabbed an inexpensive impulse buy or two that caught my attention.
As I mentioned, in comparison to previous years, the event is starting to come into it’s own. There were a fair degree of outside vendors in attendance, including the staff from Dakota News Now, who had a booth located just at the entrance of the exhibit hall. But, speaking of sponsors, for every Dakota News Now, Black Hills Federal Credit Union, and Sioux Falls Plumbing you have sponsoring, you have Native Nations Cannabis, and a head shop or two.
While some of those sponsorships are for adult evening events, it does skew things in a more adult direction at times, especially with a few of the costumes and furries that were running around while I was there. Just something to keep in mind when deciding what time to bring the kids over.
The Siouxpercon event runs until 5pm today at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.