Heroes and Villains Fanfest blew into the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey last weekend like a flash! The fanfest (HVFF for short) was a two day event just minutes from NYC, giving fans a preview of NYCC which arrives to the Javits Center in early October. HVFF featured the stars of the CW’s Arrow-Verse (Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow), as well as stars from other superhero shows on TV such as Fox’s Gotham and ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fans had opportunities to interact with their favorite celebrities, get autographs, take photos, and watch star panels and Q&As.
HVFF bills itself on their website as “Not just fandom, it’s family.” And I have to say, they live up to that slogan in spades. I’ve never been to a convention where the guests are more inviting and talkative with their fans. Sure, there is the downside of waiting longer than normal occasionally on a line, but those feeling melt away when the star of your favorite TV series takes legit time to get to know you. Between their panel discussions and photo-op sessions, the stars engaged thousands of fans in one on one meet and greets for autographs and selfies. On Saturday, my wife and I met Arrow stars David Ramsey (Diggle) and John Barrowman (Malcolm Merlyn) and both were incredible. I even joked with Ramsey about his time on Dexter, and Barrowman was cool when I brought up a certain infamous line from a certain “shark movie” he did… just Google it.
The highlights for us were meeting Carlos Valdes who plays Cisco on The Flash, getting to take a selfie with my personal favorite Superman, Brandon Routh, and interviewing Bruce Wayne himself, David Mazouz from Gotham.
Along with the celebrities, the Expo Center hosted over 30 vendors selling everything the geek fan could want. Funko Pop toys, posters, original artwork, comics, and collectibles… you name, they had it. Both days also featured star panels where the guests took to the stage to entertain fans with stories and field questions. Everyone had a really good time with the sign language interpreters, especially Gotham‘s Drew Powell and John Barrowman. Sunday afternoon featured the main attraction, as Arrow himself, Stephen Amell took the stage. His autograph and photo lines were off the hook. Amell is a crucial part of HVFF and serves as a headlining attraction across the country.
If you can’t get tickets for Comic Con, or feel overwhelmed with 4 days in midtown Manhattan, HVFF is an awesome event, perfect for young kids and cosplayers alike. HVFF continues trekking. They’ll be in Atlanta, Georgia the weekend of November 18th-19th next. You can find out more at their website Heroes and Villains FanFest and follow them on social media @heroesfanfest.
Find more on HVFF 2017 right here if you missed it.
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Wish I’d gone! John Barrowman for sure!! Next year.
Comment by Kristin Conner — September 20, 2017 @ 10:13 pm