The first-ever Madison Comic & Pop Culture Expo (MadEx) produced by Nerd Street—a prolific supporter of comic-cons across the country—took place on September 14-15 at the Alliant Energy Center. As we received the great honor of press passes, we shall pass onto you all the glory of our experience.

We arrived fairly early to catch How To Be A Power Author With Three-Act Stories, a wonderful panel with authors Ben Wolfe and Darby Harn. They offered some interesting perspectives on the three-act structure of storytelling, such as the concept of ‘doors of no return’–i.e., major choices or actions made by the characters that cannot be undone—separating the acts. There was also time for questions at the end, wherein Wolfe and Harn gave some sage advice on entering the industry and the craft in general. 

Hearing the perspectives of such successful self-published authors was an illuminating experience, and not one that happens often as the narratives many of us are fed when it comes to publishing are centered almost entirely around catching the attention of a big publishing house. It was both refreshing and encouraging to see that so many authors are thriving independently, something that was prevalent even on the convention floor. We saw numerous authors and comic artists—including Drew Brockington, the creator of the CatStronauts series!–in the exhibitor hall, where the bulk of the convention was.

Within the vendor hall there were many different booths and places to explore, as well as voice actor signings and some (questionably priced) concessions. At the back of the hall there were concession stands and a few food booths, one of which was the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company. The ice cream was pretty good, and the food from the concessions was about what one would expect from convention food. (If you plan on attending MadEx next year, we would recommend bringing sandwiches or making alternative plans for lunch. There aren’t many food places near the Alliant Energy Center, so some form of transport for lunch may be required.)

The majority of the vendor hall was a beautiful monument to nearly any piece of media you could think of. There were a number of amazing fanartist selling stickers, prints, and even woven blankets! They straight-up looked like tapestries. It was amazing, and we have no idea how they were made. Maybe someone out there is in the business of weaving ridiculously high-quality fanart blankets. It’s a beautiful mystery.

Outside of the fanart realm, another common offering was 3D printed animals and dice, of which there were multiple different stalls. Prop weapons were also a common feature, with several vendors offering absolutely sick bladed weaponry that we were not allowed to touch because we are minors. There were multiple Master Swords, and it was very cool.

Another notable feature was a vendor we noticed when we first walked in, who had a large garden of Funko Pops, ranging from Naruto to Freddy Funko to Real Actual Human Being Snoop Dog. It is no exaggeration to say that we were beset on all sides by Funko Pops. It was to say the least, a large variety to pick from.

We also stumbled upon a table that was chock-full of Pokémon plushies. While Pokémon plushies were a fairly common sight through the convention, the sheer variety of them was staggering, with numerous variations of popular Pokémon and a number of ones that we didn’t even know existed. They had a Farigiraf! They had two Chandelures! As someone with several favorite Pokémon that are nearly impossible to find plushies for, MadEx, and conventions in general, are a godsend.

There were also several vendors with unique plushies in general, the highlights being CrochetingAce, who had some lovely crocheted shrimps, and Quacksune Miku from Daisy Ducks. Overall, MadEx had an absolutely lovely crowd of vendors that made walking the convention floor a delightful experience! And that’s not even mentioning all the absolutely stupendous cosplayers we saw—seriously, comic cons are the best place for people-watching. 

At one point, we took a little break on a bench and failed to eat popcorn correctly (it was in a weirdly narrow box and was spilling all over the place). During this short period of time, a nearby Big Man (of Splatoon 3 fame) and Wisconsin Hatsune Miku (!!!) walked past and bore witness to our shame.

In terms of cosplayers there were a large variety of media, however certain costumes or shows tended to be more popular. The most was Genshin cosplayers (at least FOUR separate Scaramouches), followed by Bungou Stray Dogs and Dungeon Meshi. However, not everyone was dressed up so if you don’t want to cosplay you don’t need to! We actually got to talk to some of the cosplayers thanks to me repeatedly asking to take photos with them.

We got to talk with Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil) and also got to take a photo of Falin and Marcille (Dungeon Meshi). Wisconsin Hatsune Miku, in Packer’s regalia and holding a Culver’s bag, bears mentioning once more as our personal favorite.

In conclusion, MadEx was a wonderful experience with amazing panelists, vendors, and cosplayers in attendance. Comic cons provide a fantastic environment of communal excitement that can be difficult to find offline, and we are beyond overjoyed that Madison now has one of its own. We are both very excited to attend next year’s convention, and highly recommend it to our readers!