By At the intersection of pop culture, fandom and creativity lie events such as Comic Con Revolution—a convention where attendees express their individualism and love for all things “comic books and pop culture.”
The eighth annual event occurred on May 17 and 18 at the Ontario Convention Center. It featured a “Smallville” reunion, cosplayers, dozens of vendors, artists and multiple panels covering comics and anime.
Drew Seldin, Mike Scigliano and James Ross are the brain trust behind Comic Con Revolution, and for this year’s convention, Seldin said the event would showcase talent from all facets of pop culture.
Seldin name-dropped artists such as voice-over actor Nolan North, who played Nathan Drake from the “Uncharted” series, and actors including Tom Welling and Brandon Routh, who both played Superman in various iterations.
Seldin also mentioned the multitudes of attendees and professionals donning full cosplay regalia.
“So, you know, there’s really something for everybody,” Seldin said.
While the “Smallville” reunion was one of the main draws of the Inland Empire convention, Comic Con Revolution also featured smaller panels filled with interesting topics.
John Barrowman, actor, author and singer, was part of a lengthy panel focused on his career and accomplishments.
Barrowman talked about one of his best-known roles as Captain Jack Harkness, a fan favorite character from the BBC shows “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood.” American fans might recognize him as Malcolm Merlin from the CW’s “Arrow” television show, a topic that was also discussed.
Barrowman also spoke candidly about coming out as gay.
When answering a fan question about his coming out experience, Barrowman said he came out after an HIV scare, and during that time, LGBTQ+ people became “pariahs.”
“I’ve never been apologetic about who I am…I’ve never had the insecurity, because my motto, ‘If you don’t like me, f— off. I don’t need you.’ Right?” Barrowman said. “If you don’t agree with me, I don’t need you to agree with me. I just need you to respect me.”
He said instead of avoiding a bad situation or escalating a problem, people should try to connect and understand each other through conversation.
Over in the convention’s ballroom, the artist alley was filled with booths for both big and small names.
Notable Comic and artist community members were in attendance, including Cesar Flores and Marv Wolfman, creator of characters such as Blade and “The New Teen Titans.”
The convention’s biggest event is its yearly Cosplay Revolution Costume Contest.
Tawni Franzen won first place at Comic Con Revolutions 2025 cosplay contest. She was dressed as the Sonic the Hedgehog character Tails. Photo credit: Juan Calvillo
This year’s event featured people cosplaying as Disney characters, including Jessie from “Toy Story 2,” Jinx 2.0 from “Arcane” season two and Tails from the “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise.
The winner of the night was Tawni Franzen, who cosplayed as Tails.
Franzen’s costume had multiple features, including a touchpad meant to resemble the character’s popular “Miles electric” pad and a pair of articulated tails attached to a harness she wore under a coat.
“So they’re made in a certain way that segments basically going all the way down,” Franzen said.”It allows it to basically flow as you move, instead of being stiff.”
Franzen said it was her favorite thing she made. The entire unit, with both tails included, weighed five pounds.
While not all attendees participated in the cosplay contest, many did cosplay as their favorite characters.
Leya Collins, a resident of Hemet and member of the Western Science Center, cosplayed as Princess Leia from “Star Wars.” She was operating the Center’s booth at the convention and was excited to cosplay as the iconic princess.
Shakia Lambert, from Rancho Cucamonga, and her sister, Chastity Jones, born in Long Beach but living in Realto, were both at the convention.
Lambert was cosplaying as Belle from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” She said Belle was her favorite Disney princess growing up.
“I love her too because we are both librarians. We have a love for books. A love of knowledge. A love for the arts,” Lambert said.
