Look At the Amazing Costumes You Missed at Boise’s 2022 Gem State Comic Con

Over the last few years, Boise's struggled to hold onto a mainstream comic convention. That's why cosplayers and other guests were so excited to see Gem State Comic-Con return to Expo Idaho. 

In 2017, the Nampa Civic Center hosted the incredibly successful Treasure Valley Comic-Con. The first year con attracted 4,000 attendees and featured guests from Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, The Flash, Different Strokes, Shameless and more. The next year, a national convention announced they were coming to Boise the week after Treasure Valley Comic Con's 2018 dates. They decided the yield and let that convention do its thing.

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The national convention was Wizard World and they hosted their event at the Boise Centre in Downtown Boise. Guests included William Shatner, Jason David Frank, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ron Perlman and more. Their event was also well attended and they planned to come back in 2019. The 2019 dates were announced and tickets went on sale, but the convention ultimately ended up refunding customers and canceling the Boise show. Many believe it's because it was planned for the same weekend as the gold standard for pop culture conventions, San Diego Comic-Con.

Gem Sate Comic-Con originally planned its first event for April 2020. After postponing it several times due to COVID-19, they hosted their first event in April 2021. The convention survived to see year two. The second annual event was held at Expo Idaho on Saturday, April 9! Didn't get to go? Here's a look at the great cosplay costumes you missed.