Boomer Destinations: Planet Comicon Kansas City
By Tim Trudell
When the first “Iron Man” movie premiered in 2008, I was as excited as any young person. Like a lot of fellow Boomers, I grew up reading comics – Iron Man, Batman, Thor, Spider-Man and Archie, among them. The Fantastic Four was my favorite.
The Fantastic Four was actually credited with saving Marvel Comics, at a time when Stan Lee was ready to shutter the company. Can you imagine what we’d have missed if Lee had closed the business?
Marvel’s superhero movies rank among the most successful in box office history and have been fan favorites.
Planet Comicon
That support carries over to comicons, especially in the Midwest. Comicons initially focused on comic book culture, attracting fans and artists. They’ve grown to include celebrities and vendors focused on the genre. Cosplay – people dressing as their favorite comic, movie or pop culture character – has become popular with fans.
The cool thing about comicons is they appeal to people of all ages – Boomers and every generation after. Planet Comicon in Kansas City is the largest in the Midwest, and ranks among the best in the country, attracting up to 75,000 people to downtown’s Bartle Hall over a three-day weekend. This year’s Planet Comicon is scheduled March 27-29.
Boomers aren’t just attending with their grandchildren. They attend on their own, or with friends. They even dress in costume as some of their favorite characters, Yosemite Sam, Batman, Maleficent and more. It’s great seeing people older than 50 dressing in costume, showing that you can be a kid no matter your age.
Younger people embrace classic movies and television series, cosplaying characters from the original “Star Trek” to Indiana Jones and “Star Wars.”
Visitors will find impressive booths featuring science fiction, horror, comedic and anime memorabilia. Among fan favorites will be a Midwestern-based Ghostbusters group and the 501st Legion of Star Wars reenactors, as well as several prop creators.
Neal Haze of Iron Brothers of Topeka bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Stan Lee, even dressing as the comics legend. Haze had the honor of meeting Lee once. Haze doesn’t restrict himself to appearing as Lee; he has attended Planet Comicon as Nebraska’s own Buffalo Bill Cody.
Classic Celebrities
While cosplayers make for fantastic people watching opportunities, celebrities are a major draw to Planet Comicon. Icons such as William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd, Henry Winkler and Ann-Margret have attended the pop culture convention.
Ann-Margret began her professional singing career at downtown Kansas City’s Muehlebach Hotel. She even lied about her age, a common thing among actors, but this time it was to appear older rather than the Hollywood standard of “playing younger than you are.”
Winkler led a trio of “Happy Days” alums, along with Anson Williams and Don Most, engaging fans during a celebrity panel. Fans have an opportunity to ask the actors questions, as well as listen to their interesting, and often humorous, stories.
Boomer celebrities expected to attend this year include:
- William Shatner (Star Trek, TJ Hooker)
- Priscilla Presley (Naked Gun, Dallas)
- Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters)
- Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos)
- Joe Staton (DC and Marvel Comics artist)
- Jim Starlin (Comics writer)
- Mark Bagley (Marvel Comics artist)
- Dan Jurgens (Superman comics writer and artist)
- Al Milgrom (Comics artist and writer)
Memorabilia
The third aspect of Planet Comicon includes vendors hawking their wares, which is an entertaining part of Planet Comicon KC. Watching people line up to check out buying the latest in “Star Wars” light sabers, masks and more, as well as finding that elusive comic book edition or picking up a new themed T-shirt is entertainment, itself.
Among the marketers attending Planet Comicon this year will be Omaha’s Krypton Comics, Amazing Imaginarium and Origami Giant.
The Kansas City Planet Comicon kicks off on Friday from 1-8 p.m. Saturday’s hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday’s con runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online.
Originally located in Overland Park, Planet Comicon KC moved to Kansas City’s Bartle Hall in 2013, having outgrown the facility after 14 years. Planet Comicon KC is celebrating its 27th anniversary in 2026.
Comicon Tips
A few recommendations and suggestions if you plan to attend Comicon:
- Park in the garage at Cosino’s, a few blocks from Bartle Hall. Save your parking ticket to get validated at Cosino’s on your out from the comicon in order to save money.
- Dining options are plentiful. While Planet Comicon has a few concession stands and food trucks, you may want to grab lunch at one of the downtown establishments. Consider hopping aboard KC’s streetcar and heading to Lula’s for southern comfort food or to City market for ethnic dining, as well as Minsky’s Pizza, a personal favorite of mine when in Kansas City.
- Accommodations are available downtown, but I recommend considering staying across the Stateline in Kansas City, Kansas, where rates tend to run a tad less expensive, or near the airport at the northwest side of town. Regardless, you’ll enjoy your stay in Kansas City.
