By Dorian "Spin Dash" Bell

Whenever a new convention debuts it is always in the back of the coordinators mind if their endeavor will be a success or failure. Thankfully Mike Federali can put his mind at ease as his comic convention Tidewater Comicon was a resounding success this last Saturday.

With the hope of bringing a legitimate convention to the tidewater area of Virginia Beach, Federali and those on his team set forth to bring the best mixture of comics and geeky interests to the people of Virginia, and I must say as someone who attended they did not disappoint. This convention had a little something for everyone no matter what the fandom you belong to and I heard nothing but good things from the con-goers I spoke to. All who attended left with smiles on their face and bags carrying the days acquisitions.

To say there was something for everyone is not just a clever line but the truth when it came to this event. Whether it was comics you were on the hunt for or collectibles, original art or simply to show off your latest cosplay, this was the event to be at. Never had I seen such a spread of comics for sale in one place and never did I encounter so many silver age gems. I saw books that I never thought I would see such as first issues of Submariner and Iron Man to the debut of Daredevil and even an X-Men issue 2. I myself walked away with issues from the Dark Phoenix Saga and an Avengers issue 57 the first appearance of the Vision. That was an issue I have wanted for a while and is getting harder to find what with Vision slated to appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The comic vendors were knowledgeable and easy to work with on deals; I even had a 20 minute conversation about Superior Spider-Man with one of them.

Not only where there tons of comics, but the guests were a delight to speak to as well. From big names such as Ethan Van Sciver (Flash: Rebirth, Green Lantern), Reilly Brown (Deadpool the Guantlet) and Drew Moss (Crow: Pestilence) to Virginia con staples such as the Lacey Brothers Lee and Bert and Dan Nokes. Original art and signed prints were flying off the tables as were creator owned independent books such as Primal Paper Comics Red Knight and Jason Crawley's Tomb of Terror. Literally I can't say enough about all these great guests, they were personable and took time to talk to everyone who came by their tables.

At an astonishing three thousand plus attendees Federali and his team should be very proud of the hard work they put into this event and rightfully so. This is an event that people will talk about and I am glad that I was a part of it.

Once again this was a convention for everyone as there were comics, prints, art, statues, toys and podcasts dedicated to them all and even Doctor Who. Yes even the Whovians where fully represented as were the Ghostbusters fans with the Virginia Ghostbusters. No matter what your taste was this was the con for you and I can't wait for the next one.

Spindash is the evil leader of Cobra an organization plotting to take over the comic world! Spin has been a fan of comics since his first one Masters of the Universe #1 when he was 3. The self-proclaimed world's biggest Sonic the Hedgehog Comic and Howard the Duck fan, Spin hosts Panel 2 Panel and reads as many comics as he can.