Although gaming and merchandise were huge on Saturday, the Hot Topic Main Stage seemed to dominate the show. Following up a strong Friday where the likes of Edward James Olmos, Stan Lee, and the cast of Sharknado got the crowd buzzing, Saturday featured many guests that are rare appearances at a pop-culture convention. The day started off with the Mattel team making sharing updates in their various lines as well as giving some exclusive announcements to Comikaze fans. Attendees seemed particularly excited about the announcement of an Intergalactic Skeletor figure for August of 2014. Later in the day, Archaia brought Alyssa Milano to the stage for a discussion of the work she has inspired, Hactivist. The book being released by Archaia next year centers around the story of an individual with computer hacking skills like none other-and all for good. She also revealed a cool Easter Egg that you can find in our video of the panel. The panels kept the stars coming all day long and concluded with an impressive cosplay contest. If you missed any of the panels, take time to view them on YouTube.

Within earshot of the main stage, vendors continued selling with artist alley appearing particularly crowded. While exclusives continued to draw crowds, the Matty Standor figure was left sitting on shelves with a big surplus for Sunday. Meanwhile, the Funko Stan Lee sold out early. In speaking to a few vendors, new comics seemed to be selling well while while vintage books were not moving as well. Several toy vendors reported big days. One new-toy exhibitor said it was one of his busiest days of a year where he exhibited at many cons.

We listed cosplay as a strength of last year's Comikaze Expo and Saturday made us positive that it would continue that way for another year. Whether it was on the exhibit hall floor or on the Hot Topic Main Stage or the front concourse, cosplayers were everywhere. One photographer took it upon himself to organize large groups on the front stairs into group photo shoots that were impressive in scope and quality.

With the first two days of the con done, we still have one more days of fun at Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo. This show has never taken Sunday lightly in the past and it is likely that trend will continue tomorrow as some big guests are still in attendance. Watch here for more coverage during and after the con, including wrap-up videos where we go "Under the Con," panel footage, photo galleries and detailed analysis of what we're finding throughout the show.

Friday, November 1st saw the opening of this year's Stan Lee Comikaze Expo. Last year it attracted more than 50,000 attendees to the Los Angeles Convention Center and all signs leading up to the event seemed to indicate that this year's show would be even bigger. In only it's 3rd year of existence, Comikaze managed to put together a guest list that includes both con rarities and con all-stars like Weird Al Yankovic, Alyssa Milano, Louie Anderson, Elvira and of course, Stan "The Man" Lee himself.

Unlike the prior two years, where the show maintained a standard Saturday-Sunday format, this year Comikaze has grown to include a full seven hour Friday that allowed attendees access to geeky goodness early Friday afternoon.

Upon the opening of the doors, many in the crowd searched for some of the show's more popular exclusives. Not surprisingly, one such item came from Mattel. Fans were excited to see "Matty" make a rare convention appearance with their exclusive Standor figure from the Masters of the Universe Classics line. This figure was available at the Comikaze Expo exclusive merchandise booth (1710) and quickly had a very long line. Another very popular booth item was in the Funko POP! line where collectors hunted a Peter Parker variant and the Stan Lee Comikaze variant.  Another hot find was the Stan Lee rift on Mars Attack card at the Topps booth. Prints were for sale at $20 each and fans were even given a free card with the image as swag. 

Friday wasn't just about sales. Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo also featured a steady supply of entertainment with nearly 50 panels. Smaller rooms were filled with mostly fan-led presentations on topics that ranged from discussions of vampires in pop culture to tips on how to turn your nerd love into a profession. Although the smaller rooms allowed fans to discuss their favorite topics, the panels that really drew interest were on the Hot Topic Main Stage. Like last year, the main stage sits in the center of the exhibit hall so fans never have to stray far from the floor to see highlights. This year the stage opened with a Batgirl stunt show. Other highlights of the Hot Topic Main Stage for Friday included a Sharknado panel, an Edward James Olmos spotlight, a geek fashion show and a reunion of the cast from Fangasm. Despite the many programming highlights, few could compare to the Generalissimo himself (Stan Lee) taking the stage for an announcement that he is joining forces with the Walt Disney Company on an upcoming graphic novel. Stan Lee shared with the excited crowd news of Zodiac coming to the Disney family. Ever the showman, he teased the crowd with promises of movies  & television shows to follow in this Zodiac universe.

With large aisle ways and fast badge registration, there were few bottlenecks at the show. With a star-studded Saturday on-deck, the con looks ready to handle the crowds.
We still have two more full days of fun at Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo so watch here for all the coverage during and after the con, including wrap-up videos where we go "Under the Con," panel footage, photo galleries and detailed analysis of what we're finding throughout the show.