Comic Con Revolution 2026
I’ve attended Comic Con Revolution in Ontario California since it was a seedling sci-fi/fantasy convention back in 2017, when they had only a few celebrities autographing, and a very sparse Exhibit Hall. CCR had slim pickings that first year, but it had great potential; a sci-fi/fantasy convention in the heart of the Inland Empire of SoCal, just blocks away from Ontario International Airport. In just a couple of years, the convention from Atomic Crush Events (under co-founder Drew Seldin) began to explode.
This was the Ontario Convention Center the afternoon before Comic Con Revolution.
Now, thanks to local and far-away fans (ran into a guy from Tennessee), this little Comic Con that could has blossomed into a genuine treat for fans. In addition to an Exhibit Hall and Artists Alley packed with wares for sale, there is an annual car show outside, adjacent to the parking lot, with replica cars from “Knight Rider,” “Jurassic Park,” and other movies, including “Herbie the Love Bug,” and “From Dusk Till Dawn” (quite the contrast!) Fan cosplay has blossomed as well, with legions of fans suited up as Star Wars stormtroopers, Ghostbusters, anime characters and various superheroes inside and outside the grounds.
In addition to cosplay, fans, merch and exotic vehicles, there was some major talent on deck this year, including the cast of the reimagined “Battlestar Galactica” (2003-2009), with the show’s two Oscar-nominee leads Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, along with Katee Sackhoff (“Starbuck”), Grace Park (“Boomer/Sharon”), James Callis (“Gaius Baltar”) and Tricia Helfer (“Six/Gina”). Needless to say, this booking really sparked my attention, since BSG was, and is my favorite TV show of the current millennium. It was the last ‘appointment TV show’ my friends and I used to gather around watch every week in each others’ homes. Miss those days…
In addition to the BSG cast reunion, there was also cast members from various incarnations of DC’s “The Flash,” as well as the 1990s-defining series “Beverly Hills 90210.” However, I only met Ian Ziering from “90210,” as I remembered him from a taping I attended 12 years ago of the long-defunct SyFy series,”The Wil Wheaton Project.” Ziering had great comedy chops as he spoofed his then-upcoming starring role as “Finn” in the cult-movie “Sharknado.”
The Exhibit Hall and Autograph Area
The convention center’s Exhibit Hall is used primarily for sales of comic books, lightsabers, toys, and other cool collectibles, as well as a few sugary confections (my wife always finds some new chocolate she loves). There are also charity cosplay and fan group meeting spaces, too. In the last few years, a large portion of the Exhibit Hall has been reserved as an autographing area for celebrity attendees and fan queues. The former autograph room across the hall in the convention center’s ballroom is now Artist’s Alley, a large space for the sale of fan-made wares.
You can spend an afternoon in CCR’s Exhibit Hall and barely scratch the surface. If I were younger, and still in my ‘collector’ phase, I’d probably go home with a few armfuls of stuff each year.
A colorful display booth for a new graphic novel series called “The Adventures of Sunset & Meteor,” which included a photo op with one of the books’ two main robot characters (don’t ask me which–haven’t read it yet).
I’ve seen this particular Hulk statue many times over the years, including San Diego Comic Con, over a decade or so ago.
Someone should’ve taken a minute or two to brush out poor Chewbacca’s tresses; as is, he looks more like Andre the Giant’s ‘Sasquatch’ from “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
Spaceships from the the original “Battlestar Galactica” and the rebooted version, as well as a Spinner from “Blade Runner,” the title ship from “The Orville” and others.
Boundaries are clearly marked in green taped queues for the Autograph Area, which is now smack dab in the middle of the Exhibit Hall. The longest lines I saw were for the cast members of Battlestar Galactica, The Flash and WWE Wrestlers.
To the left, you see actor Brian Austin Green (“The Sarah Connor Chronicles”)…chatting with former “Beverly Hills 90210” cast mate Ian Ziering as their autographing areas were being set up. Actress Jennie Garth was out of frame to the right, while actress Gabrielle Carteris was out of frame to the left. I generally don’t like to lurk too close to the celebrities, unless I intend to get an autograph or engage in brief conversation. In this case, I did walk over and tell Ian Ziering how much I enjoyed his 2014 appearance on “The Wil Wheaton Project,” where he spoofed his role in the then-upcoming “Sharknado” TV movie, which became an instant camp classic and spawned multiple sequels.
Stars of “The Flash,” past and present, including Tom Cavanagh and John Wesley Shipp. Shipp first played the Flash on the sadly short-lived 1990 TV series, which I did watch a few episodes of back in the day. Most of “The Flash” actors on deck were from the CW series, which lasted a total of nine seasons (!!) from 2014-2023. My only brush with “The Flash” came from the crossover episodes that ran on the CW’s “Supergirl,” which ran from 2015-2021, and was one of the few superhero shows I followed.
Other stars from “The Flash” who were on hand for autographs that weekend included Grant Gustin, Tom Cavanagh, Danielle Panabaker, David Ramsey, Katrina Law, Carlos Valdes, and Caity Lotz. That is a HUGE lineup for a little ol’ sci-fi con in the Inland Empire of SoCal…
Battlestar Galactica Returns to Earth
CCR offers limited numbers of wristbands to control the number of attendees for their larger panels. Usually, I’m scared off by long lines, but “Battlestar Galactica” was my main reason for attending, so I got in the wristband line for this noon panel as soon as it formed early Saturday morning. The line was surprisingly quick and well-organized too, so I got my wristband right away.
The “Battlestar Galactica” cast reunion panel was moderated by Christian Bladt (far left) and Diallo Jackson (far right) from “The Geekscape” podcast. On the couches from left to right are actors Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Grace Park, Katee Sackhoff and Mary McDonnell.
Olmos repeatedly stated that “Battlestar Galactica” was his best TV work ever (and he’s done a lot of TV, including “Miami Vice”), and he is very proud of the series and its legacy. He also warned the audience about the dangers of AI, as well as China’s latest generation of fully articulate humanoid robots–very much like BSG’s Cylons. He compared the show favorably to two great sci-fi films he’s starred in, “Blade Runner” and “Blade Runner 2049.”
Tricia Helfer (“Six” “Gina” et al) said she was a novice actress at the time, coming from a modeling career, and she soon found herself playing multiple versions of Six, which she compared to identical twins being raised apart from each other, with separate attitudes and reactions. Her role of Gina, for example, suffered horrific sexual abuse at the hands of the Pegasus crew, which in turn made her very vengeful. Her role as the “robot lady” offered her a tremendous range to play, and she rose to the challenge.
James Callis discussed playing a very different version of the Baltar character, as played by John Colicos in the 1978 original, and how he tried to introduce humor to his version through his interactions with his invisible “Head-Six,” played by Helfer.
Grace Park, Katee Sackhoff and Mary McDonnell share a good laugh. McDonnell got in a bit of wicked political commentary when she compared Laura Roslin, who was forced to lie on occasion, to the current US president–who is best known for his ceaseless lying. McDonnell got spontaneous applause (which I admittedly helped to kick off), and she jokingly mimicked a mic drop.
Note: During my stay at the convention, I noticed the three actresses, along with James Callis, were staying at the same hotel as my wife and I, and I saw them leaving each morning at roughly the same time we did. Naturally, I didn’t approach them, because you never pester celebrities in public. That’s a serious convention no-no. Everyone deserves privacy and personal space.
Sackhoff discussed how Olmos coached her during her emotional scene with him in season 1’s “Act of Contrition.” He told her she needed to really “listen to the words” he was saying, and feel their impact. Sackhoff, who was only 21 at the time, said that was the first time she truly felt the emotions of a separate character, and it deeply shook her up. Afterward, Olmos walked up and said to her “Now you’re acting.” Sackhoff also recalled when she learned her character was male on the original series, which led to her giving Starbuck a masculine swagger in the pilot miniseries, which, in hindsight, she feels was the wrong approach. At that exact moment, someone’s Siri loudly chimed in with “Something went wrong. Please try again,” and without missing a beat, Sackhoff said, “Exactly!” The audience roared.
Framed by moderators Bladt and Jackson, Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Grace Park, Katee Sackhoff and Mary McDonnell pose together for a group shot after the panel. Seeing them onstage together again reminded me how much I love and miss this show. This was the last series my friends and I would make time to watch together at each others’ houses every week. It was special. There hasn’t been a show quite like it since.
I’d met most of the cast over the decades at other conventions, including Edward James Olmos (“Adama”), Mary McDonnell (“Laura Roslin”), Katee Sackhoff (“Starbuck”), and James Callis (“Baltar”), and I’d seen Grace Park at San Diego Comic Con, but I’d never seen Tricia Helfer in person, nor have I seen so many of the cast together like this in nearly 20 years, so this was special. It also didn’t hurt the convention was only 20-odd minutes from where I live, so I couldn’t pass this up.
The Art of Stop-Motion
Also attended The Art of Stop-Motion panel, hosted by talented voice actor/impressionist Jamie Costa (who does killer impressions of Robin Williams and Alec Guinness), along with Raymond Montemayor (“Star Wars: The Toys Awaken,” the upcoming “Home Solo”) whom I’ve met and followed over the years at a few conventions, along with Jax Navarro (PlasticAction.com), Zach Moore (StopMotionZach.com), and Lance Anderson (NovaToymation), all of whom are wildly talented stop-motion animators in unique and creative ways.
These artists reify the dreams we all had when we played with our toys as kids (and some of us as adults) by bringing life to the otherwise inanimate denizens of our toy shelves. Though the panel was rescheduled by the convention and moved up a half-hour earlier, people eventually found it, and it all worked out. It was a real treat to see their work.
Cosplay
I say this every year, and yes, it’s still true--cosplayers are the heart and soul of any sci-fi/fantasy/comic book convention, and CCR had plenty of local and not-so-local fans who came from all over with a nice variety of old and new cosplays; from Captain Hook to Grogu. Enjoy!
From “Peter Pan” and “Hook”: Captain Hook and his sidekick Smee arrive at the convention by hook or by crook.
From “Jurassic Park”; velociraptor wrangler poses with Mr. Hammond. Love the amber-encrusted mosquito in the cane. The raptors were cleverly concealed hand puppets.
From “The Nightmare Before Christmas”; Jack and Sally in-between holidays, taking a break.
“The Shadow” (based on the 1930s radio play and 1994 movie) and “The Phantom” (based on the 1930s comic strip and 1996 movie).
A really well-made Doctor Octavius, aka “Doc Ock” cosplay from “Spider-Man 2.”
Black Panther lives! The cosplayer had an amazing pair of gloves, too.
The Joker and Harley Quinn cosplayers from “Batman.”
The Mandalorian(s) and Grogu arrive–a timely reminder their movie opens May 22nd, 2026. This is the way.
A fur-suited cosplayer, with a cosplay uniquely theirs; very imaginative.
Summing It Up
Running a lot smoother than in previous years, the nine years of experience accrued by the Comic Con Revolution team at Atomic Crush Events is clearly paying off. When I arrived on Saturday morning, there was none of the usual hordes at the gate slowly trickling in past unwieldy, disorganized line management (CreepIECon take notes…). Instead, the crowd simply flowed right in, with zero drama. Lines were moving very briskly. Even the queue to get my wristband for the Battlestar Galactica reunion panel moved along without incident. Granted, the autograph lines took as long as they took, but that’s up to the celebrity and their visitors, not the organizers. To be honest, I wish all conventions–big or small–ran as well as Comic Con Revolution 2026 at Ontario.
Granted, there was a technical glitch on Sunday that adversely affected a panel I attended, but myself and other attendees seemed to find their way into the right room, thanks to posted signs, though perhaps organizers could make an intercom announcement next time (?). At any rate, this year’s CCR had a great talent lineup, ran very smoothly, and standard weekend badges hovered between $40-$50 (buy early), with kids under 12 still entering for free. The VIP Jetpack Jules weekend passes (which offer line shortcuts, and other VIP benefits) are more expensive, of course, but I’m perfectly fine with my steerage tickets, thanks.
Considering today’s rising gas prices and costs of living, Comic Con Revolution at Ontario remains a decent-priced sci-fi/fantasy convention experience for the whole family. Until next year…
All 114 of my Comic Con Revolution 2026 are in this link to my Flickr album page.
