Marking to official start to this year’s Fan Xperience, a press conference was held yesterday at The Grand America Hotel. Adam Simon started the conference off with an introduction to Rob Prior, a world-class ambidextrous artist. Prior dually wielded his paintbrushes and toothbrushes creating a painting of Batman, while Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker announced his latest proclamation to declare that Jan. 29, 2015 will be henceforth known as Salt Lake Comic Con’s Day of Heroes. After the proclamation was signed, Prior revealed his 12-minute painting, which will be donated to Operation Under Ground Railroad (OUGR). Mark Pellegrino, Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Glen Morshower, Nichelle Nicholas and Alaina Huffman made special guest appearances for the press conference. As the press conference came to a close, I got a 2-minute Kung Fu lesson from author Ric Meyers, who explained to me Kung-Fu is about disarming your opponent, not fighting them. When I gave him a confused look, he said “Look them in the eyes and say, ‘you look troubled, can I buy you a beer?’” I’m not sure if his technique would have the same outcome coming from me, but the way things are looking for Fan X this week, I have a feeling I wont need to use it. The hype of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology being integrated into the convention’s wristbands has so far proven to be as convenient as promised, aiding in the smooth entrance to the convention. With over 150 hours of panels, cosplayers roaming, photo ops and a floor of local and national artists and vendors, 2015 is looking to be a good year for Fan X.

Check out our photo gallery for more photos from Fan Xperience 2015!