The 2010 Fan Expo Experience!
Aug. 29th, 2010 11:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
newnumber6So, Fan Expo. I will begin at the beginning. One March day in 1978, in a military base in BC, a young baby was born who... wait, that's too early. I'll just start with today. The preparation and journey: I woke up at about 5 am (about is appropriate, because my TV came on at 4 and I sort of dozed in bed, the TV not letting me get into a deep enough sleep that I'd oversleep but giving me a few more Zs than I otherwise would have), did a bit of early internet browsing, shaved, showered, dressed (jeans and my Blue Sun t-shirt... Firefly reference). Left about 6:45am. On the subway, I tried to play that game "let's see if I can guess somebody else is going to the same place I am". I made a few guesses, but they all seemed to turn out wrong as they left the subway at different points (there was one guy who I guessed who might have been right... cause he got off not far from the right stop and then I later thought I saw him or someone like him). Anyway, once I reached Union station, I got my first 'hit'. Acouple of people in comic shirts. So I followed them a little bit (till they made a detour to the bathroom, then I found my own way). Went up the Skywalk which supposedly lead there according to FanExpo's instructions, but discovered halfway through a group coming back from that direction so I followed them and, eventually (with a lot of searching), we found the line.
The Line: But, I lucked in. The line was fairly short at that point. Maybe 20 people ahead of us in the line we were in (there were separate ones for people buying tickets that day, people who'd already bought tickets, and people who had the deluxe passes and were there the day before who had an armband that said "I've already been here".. and VIP lines and stuff too, I guess).
Anyway, that was the primary reason I came early. I though that I would be in the 'buy tickets' line, and then the 'wait to get in' line, and that the 'wait to get in line' started at the end of the line of people who already had tickets.
I don't know why, but that didn't quite happen. Not only did the line I was in split into two/three, putting me only eight people back of my particular one, we were also let in pretty early, and I was one of the first 10 or so people to buy tickets (woot, cash only line!).. and somehow, the people who had bought tickets were directed to line up directly at the entrance. So, that day, I was one of the first dozen or so people to get in, at least as far as I could tell, even ahead of the people who'd already bought their tickets (again excepting VIP package people perhaps). Sure, I spent 2 and a half hours in line... but that was all before they started moving. Technically I'd have waited that long even if there was no line at all (and I brought a book), so I count it as a total win on the wait time... and I was not without fun. We were outside and I kept looking for places that, if this were a Left 4 Dead location, Smokers might snipe from, or a Boomer might hide out to vomit.
The Celebrities: Once in, I thought first I'd go for the celebrities. Maybe if I was lucky I'd catch someone early and not have to wait at all. I was half successful. The problem was, my mental map of the area was backwards, so I went to the exact wrong place to look for the celebrities, then did a tour of the edge and finally found them. Actually, the first celebrity I saw was on the-way, Tamoh Pennikett (Helo from BSG). He was giving an interview in one of the booths, and I actually walked basically right beside him before I noticed, but I didn't want to interrupt, and I wanted to find the autograph area, so I moved on. Summer Glau was already there, and here line was about 20 people deep, only a couple minutes in. Knowing my best opportunity when I saw one, I got in line. Had a mildly pleasant line-conversation with another Serenity fan (who was a multi-dayer and had gotten most of her autographs the day before). She mentioned that Dean Stockwell had very little line, which surprised me. Felicia Day and Tamoh Pennikett both showed up for theirs while I waited in line. Felicia walked right past me, though I didn't have my camera ready.
Summer Glau:
What I wanted signed: My Firefly DVD boxed set. Already signed by Sean Maher (Simon) and Morena Baccarin (Inara).
What I paid: $35. Yeah, a bit steep, but she's one of the few I'd pay that much for. If the photo op wasn't at a totally inconvenient time, I'd shell out the $40 for that, too.
What I said: (All of the 'What I said' in this entire report are "I said something along these lines, with stuttering, slipping up on word choices, awkward pauses, and occasionally speaking too fast)
Her: "Hi, how are you."
Me: "Fine, how are you?"
Her: "Good."
Me: "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm a very big fan. Would you sign this?"
Her: (looks at the book I stuffed in the DVD case.) "What's this?"
Me: "Oh, that's just a something to keep the box stable."
Her: "To keep it stable."
Me: "Yeah, because I didn't want to bring the DVDs along with it, just in case."
Her: "Oh, I see. Did you just want the signature."
Me: "Yeah, that would probably be for the best, since I'm trying to get everybody."
Her: "I'm sure you will." (signed, while I took a picture).
Me: "Thank you, it was a pleasure to meet you."
Then I shook her hand and slid to the side. (She has a very tiny seeming hand, I felt
afraid I would crush it).
What I wanted to say: "Marry me."
"You know, Morena Baccarin commented on that too. I had no idea it was so unusual." (about the book being in the DVD case)
"I want you to know that you're one of the only people I'd buy a photo op with, but I'm only here for today and I don't think I can last until 6, so maybe if you're here another year." (or in the hopes she'd offer a quick one on the spot on my camera, even if I had to pay.)
"I'll give almost everything you're in at least a look. In fact, I'm going to be watching 'The Cape' solely because you're in it, so I hope it's good!"
"If there's ever a sequel to Doctor Horrible you should really be in it. You could be Ninja Ballerina. Or Ballerina Ninja." (This refers to my idea of all the Firefly actors being not-so-heroic heroes in the Horribleverse.
What I almost lost: My bank card. While dragging out my wallet for the cash to pay for the autograph, it slipped out. I didn't notice it until I was in line for Dean Stockwell. Luckily, as soon as I finished him I darted back and saw it right at the foot of the table.
Felicia Day (The Guild, Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-Long-Blog):
What I got signed: Nothing. I was going to get my Doctor Horrible DVD case signed, but the line was like crazy long. There were more people waiting for her than for Tamoh Pennikett, and that dude was in BSG and Dollhouse. I was really surprised. She also was going to charge $25, at least according to a sign I saw later in the day (there was no price sign on her table when I was nearby, it's possible she only decided to charge after seeing how many people she got). However, as much as I like her, she was not one of the stars I would be willing to pay for, at all. (I'll rant a bit more on that later). I did keep going back (before I saw that she charged) to see if the line let up, but it never did.
How much I (would have) payed: $0, or $25, depending on how you interpret the question.
How long I (would have) waited: Judging by the line, if I got in at the best of times, about the same time I'd have waited for Summer. So 20-30 minutes.
What I said: Nothing of course.
What I wanted to say: "Marry me."
"I really liked you in Doctor Horrible. You had any news on the sequel?"
Dean Stockwell (Al from Quantum Leap, Cavil from BSG, numerous genre guest-starring roles):
What I got signed: One of the few pieces of QL memorabilia I own, a novel. Specifically, Angels Unware, by Ashley McConnell (which deals with Sam leaping into the life of a priest who... I don't know, it's been forever since I read it, but one of the key selling points was that one of the main characters was in the episode where Sam leaps into a single mother, and she was a 4 or 5 year old child who saw Sam as Sam and could see Al (and Al memorably sung her a lullaby). She's a troubled adult in the novel.
How much I payed: $30. Again, steep, but he's so strongly associated with my childhood that I don't mind it.
How long I waited: Like, not even 5 minutes. It was practically criminal how short his line was. It's DEAN FREAKING STOCKWELL, PEOPLE.
What I said:
Me: "Hello, it's a real pleasure to meet you, Quantum Leap really meant a lot to me as a kid, and ever since then you've been one of my favorite genre stars."
Him: "Oh, that's nice," (or something like that, but sincere like).
At this point I pulled out the novel, and his 'Handler' (is that the right term? The volunteer people who assist and take the money and such) (Edit: Somebody told me it was actually his wife. If so, well, you go Dean... although according to Wikipedia, he's not presently married, and she looked a little young to be one of his previous wives.), was like "Oh my god," while he was like, "What's this?" and she explained how she read that book like twice, and it was one of the better ones. (She was kinda cute, too). He asked where I wanted to sign it, on the cover. I think I said something about having had it for a long time.
Me: "You can sign it whereever you want."
There was a bit more discussion about the book, can't remember the specifics, but Dean Stockwell said something along the lines of, "I never got any of these," and she mentioned how they're all pretty much out of print now, collector's items.
Anyway, after that, he signed, I shook his hand, thanked him, told him what a pleasure it was, and moved off (to retrieve my bank card).
What I wanted to say: "Marry me." (getting sick of that joke yet? Too bad.)
"I remember when I was young I had an operation on my eye, and I did my best to be strong so they'd let me out of the hospital as fast as I could, because I wanted to watch a new episode of Quantum Leap. And I did, despite having my eye all stitched up."
The others I didn't see, and didn't really plan to unless fate smiled upon me:
James Marsters: At one point I could have seen him for only about a 5 minute wait, but again, $40 for a signature and no personalization triggers my "haven't I paid enough to get in here? haven't you been paid enough? You get people paying for a special breakfast for you, get people paying for your concerts, and now you want $40 for your autograph on a box/piece of paper/photo too? I like you dude, but no" instinct. I didn't bring anything to have him sign anyway, so that would have been an extra fee for the picture (I think some celebrities throw in the glossy picture if you order the autograph and don't have something specific you want signed, but I'm pretty sure his sign said the pictures are extra). But I'd have liked to tell him that I enjoyed his work.
Tamoh Pennikett: Seemed to have a very short line, but again I think he charged (didn't see the exact fee, but there was a sign). I'd have liked to tell him he was my favorite human character on BSG, though. Most of them I found unlikeable. Cylons too, actually. But I liked the characters like Helo and Athena/Boomer who tried to bridge the gap and get over their prejudices.
Michael Dorn: I'd have liked to say 'Qapla!' Even though he's almost certainly sick of hearing it.
Lance Henricksen: They were handing out facehugger cardboard cutouts at a booth at the con (they were everywhere), and once I got one, I would have liked to get him to sign it. I couldn't even get a good look at his line or prices though and I wasn't THAT interested.
There were a few others there... the guy who played Colossus in X3, Suresh from Heroes, people from the old Batman TV show, but none of them even really warranted a wait.
A Short Rant on Autograph Fees: Like I said, we all paid a fair bit to get in there in the first place. I don't begrudge
them some fee for their time, but it seems excessive, and with two caveats that they (FanExpo or the celebs themselves) can do that would make it go down a lot easier.
1) The fee should be up front and listed in the advertising/guidebook. I don't want to go to a convention, or wait a significant time in line, and wonder if I'm going to be willing to pay the fee. That does not inspire good feelings in people. The guidebook in fact said 'most autographs are free but some celebrities charge extra'. From what I could see, MOST charged extra. Stop lying.
2) I see the reasoning for the fee in terms of helping to manage the excessive lines and time of popular people, and people who want 5 different autographs, but I think a general policy of 'you get one, personalized autograph for free, just for showing up and waiting in line. Anything more than that (or if you want an unnamed one so you can sell it on ebay), you pay' would engender a lot more good will.
And of course, I have nothing at all against celebs selling glossy photos, at any price, for the purposes of them being signed. That to me is completely fair. It's not usually what I want (I like something that's personal to me being signed) but for a few I'd consider it.
After I was done with the autographs, I wandered the floor mostly for the next few hours. I did finally get up to meet Adrian Alphona, the main artist on Runaways (while it was awesome). So, let's do it celebrity style:
Adrian Alphona (Runaways):
What I got signed: A sketchbook he sold at the con for $10. I shoulda brought one of my comics, but in my bag it likely would have gotten bent with all the other awkwardly sized stuff. But $10 was a cheap price for a book of sketches and an autograph. The sketches were nice, but there was nothing in it that made me inner fan squee, it was just nice work and I wanted to help support him. I felt completely unbothered doing that even though autograph fees for actors and such bother me on such a fundamental level - at least he WAS offering something beyond just the experience and a signature.
He signed it to me by name, the first time it was done. It was also the first time I'd gotten an artist's autograph or even spoken to one (well, unless one spoke to me accidentally without me realizing who he was).
What I paid: $10. I was tempted to get a commission, which were $20 for a quick sketch/head and shoulders, or $50 for a full one, fairly reasonable prices I thought for an artist of his calibre.
How long I waited: Depends on where you count. If you count from the time I decided to speak to him to the time I got the chance, about 30 seconds (or maybe about 5 minutes, but that was due to too many people flowing through at my first chance). If you count the time I wandered back and forth looking for him and wondering if he actually was the one I was looking for, maybe an hour or two. But I was doing other stuff too.
What I said:
Me: "Are you Adrian Alphona?"
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "I just wanted to say how much I loved your run on Runaways."
Him: "Oh, thanks." We shook hands.
Me: "This (the sketchbook's) only $10?" (he nodded). "Yeah, I think I'd like to get that."
Him: "Who should I make it out to?"
(I told him my name, and he signed the cover).
Me: "I'm tempted to ask for a commission, but I don't think I'd be here long enough to pick it up."
Him: "Oh, well, there's always the quick sketches for $20."
Me: Maybe, but I think maybe I'll try to catch you another time. But it was really nice meeting you."
What I wanted to say:
"You know what, I would like a commission. I want Chase, with a huge laser, doing something awesome. Oh, and if you could make him look like a reanimated zombie, that would be cool."
or
"Are you familiar with Firefly? I'd like a drawing of Molly Hayes, wearing one of those Jayne hats and a Blue Sun shirt like I've got on now, doing something awesome with her strength." (In Chase's case I'd leave the awesome up to him. In Molly's, I'd really like to think of something specific awesome, but I didn't have any specific ideas just then. Lifting Serenity would be funny, except for scale issues. I dunno. If anybody has any ideas, I'm open, maybe I'll get it next time." (You know, if he offered to mail it (even with me paying extra for postage) or some sort of e-mail thing... I probably would have taken him up on it).
Also:
"Hey, are you working on anything else now? I haven't seen much of your work in comics for a while."
and maybe, if I was exceptionally bold,
"You know, there's a Toronto Science Fiction author Karl Schroeder, who does a series of novels set in a planet-sized ball of air with wood-built cities that spin for gravity and such. I met him this summer and he mentioned he'd worked out a deal for some kind of comic adaptation, but that he just had to find the right artist and I didn't mention it at the time but I wish I did, cause I think you'd be perfect for it. Since his characters spend a lot of time in weak or no gravity, I imagine they'd be tall and thin, which you seem to do quite well, and you're also good at backgrounds. You should look into that if you don't got anything else on your plate."
and "Nice work there." (He was drawing Old Lace, Gert, and some guy I couldn't identify at that point (it was still a bit sketchy), but possibly Chase).
Most of the rest of the time I wandered around without much of note happening. I accidentally cut in line for the DC free stuff but then learned the line started way back away, and so I just abandoned it. The free comics and Green Lantern/Flash rings might have been cool, but only if the line was relatively short. I almost bumped into Tommy Tellerico (from Reviews on the Run and Electric playground in years past, though he's on his own stuff), talking to one of the other reviewers. At first I wasn't 100% sure it was him, then I heard him shout "TRON!"
I didn't make any of the panels this year. DC Universe panel started at 11, and the first time I asked what time it was, it was 11:06. The Marvel panels were Shadowland at 2pm, a Daredevil centric event I don't give a damn about, and "Pint of C.B." general questions panel at 3:30, and, well, I got home at about 3:30, so you can guess I didn't make that one. Was just too tired. Didn't get much in the way of swag, either, unfortunately, just the cardboard alien thing (which was an ad, but an inventive one and cool, so I'll count it, even if it did get damaged), and a whoopie cushion advertising G4 for some reason. Well, it was free. Kinda wish I noticed the DC swag earlier, I think I passed by there when there was very little line, I just didn't realize the stuff was free and not for sale stuff.
I met![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
liabrown briefly, as well as her husband, making her (I believe) the only person on my flist to have ever met the elusive newnumber6. Anyway, she just appeared right in front of me and I had some idea of what she looked like so I took a chance and asked if she was she (after seeing her media badge which helped confirm it, since she does reporting for comiXfan).
I took a fair bit of pictures, and got one "Hey, Blue Sun! classic!" comment on my t-shirt. Talked very briefly with a few other people, either answering questions or asking them if I could take a picture. So on a social interaction level, although I didn't make any particular 'connections', I said a fair bit of what I wanted to, to celebrities, and had some small interactions so... I'd call it a win, and I'm not depressed on that score like I was the last two times I went (perhaps because I didn't have my hopes insanely high and went in expecting not to manage to talk to anybody at all). Sure, I didn't meet the geek girl of my dreams, either, but again, not expecting it. I was also able to be randomly nice - saw a person talking to friends pull something out of his pocket and as he did, a $5 bill came out and landed on the floor. None of them seemed to notice it so I pointed it out.
At about 2 was when I decided, Okay, I'm getting kind of tired, I'm just going to head home. I had a coupon for a free burger (when you buy fries and a drink) at Licks, and figured that would do for my meal on the way home. Twas a homeburger, with cheese, Guk sauce (their special sauce), ketchup, relish, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, hot peppers, and pickles. It was pretty big and very tasty, and I don't know if it was just eating all that much at once after not having eaten since the night before (and so consequently probably eating too fast), or a bunch of other stuff, but I felt all bloaty and uncomfortable on the way home when I wanted to just nap a bit and be refreshed. I did eventually get to nap, but it took a few hours of being tired first.
Behind the final cut... the photos! Not many, and I kinda suck as a photographer (but in my defense, it was my first day ever using the camera, I borrowed it from my brother). Also a bit of discussion about the costumes I saw but didn't photograph. (Photos fixed now. Had to reupload everything to a less sucky image server. Man, when did imagevenue start to SUCK SO MUCH? Seriously, it didn't used to be this bad).
Felicia Day, while I was standing in line for Summer Glau (and before I figured out how to zoom).
Tamoh Penikett, also taken from the Summer Glau line. Nice of him to pose for a non-photo-op picture.
Felicia Day again, a little closer.
That guy in the background is the guy who plays Suresh on Heroes. Jsut wanted a quick shot of him and it was the closest I got all day.
Summer Glau, from a few spots back in line.
Summer Glau again, as she signed either mine or the person's right after me, I can't really remember for sure.
Michael Dorn, taken from Dean Stockwell's line.
Julie Newmar (Catwoman from the old Batman), taken from Dean Stockwell's line, and very close. The funny thing was, I didn't know who she was when I took the picture, just that she seemed like a celebrity. So I took it and then immediately after I did I saw the sign behind her and said, "OHHHHH".
Dean Stockwell. A bit too close-up to look his best. Sorry Dean, I had the zoom on too high.
James Marsters (taken a bit later in the day from everyone else, he wasn't there when I got the others).
My first cosplay picture, Rogue...
Black Cat, two because after I took the first one she posed directly towards me so I couldn't not take a second.
Deadpool.
Batman and Catwoman
Phoenix and Harley Quinn, costumes quite well done, but I think these people go to a lot of cons in these costumes.
Venom, who almost got in the way of my third attempt to get the next shot (my last two, unposted, shots were ruined by somebody walking at the exact wrong time), and was the only one with the grace to apologize about it even though he came a second too late/early to ruin it. See people, even villains (and ones for whom the lack of ability to see clearly would have been a perfectly valid excuse) have courtesy! ;)
The shot he almost ruined. Catwoman was also there I think but I had my zoom on too tight.
Okay, I lied. I am in one of the pictures. Or at least ,my foot is. I don't even remember taking this, I probably meant to turn the camera off to conserve battery power, but hit the 'take picture' one instead. So glory at the wonder of my shoe and bottom pant-leg.
Kick-Ass and Power-Girl. There were two Kick-Asses that I saw, his was the better one (though the costume was a little loose on him).
Just a wide shot from the second floor of the first floor.
The Sorceress from the old He-Man cartoon and Boba Fett share a tender moment. Skeletor hired him to capture her, but instead, she captured his heart!
I got TWO Cassandra Cain batgirls. This one was the first. Pity some of the details on the mask and costume didn't come through so well in the picture, there were stitches and everything. Also, that car IS the Batmobile (but I didn't plan it that way, I saw her, followed her, and this is where I managed to ask her for a photo).
Spider-Man and Rorshach, team up with... some other guy. To the left of the other guy was some anime girl I didn't recognize, but this was the best angle I could get and the only ones I really wanted, anyway.
Invisible Woman (she was also in the last few pics, but, well, her powers were on). There was a good Ms. Marvel not far from her but somehow I didn't get her.
Hanging out with Harley Quinn turned White Phoenix into DARK PHOENIX! Oh Noes!
I don't know who this is, but it's the tallest costume I saw there. The sword I assume is mostly for balance, since he's gotta be walking on some kind of stilts.
As I was making my way to the exit, I found myself following a cute Andorian girl (who was also looking for it). Best picture I could snap.
The second Cassandra Cain, with Huntress. This one's mask off and looks fairly appropriate, but I've seen her in other photos before - I think she specializes in being Cass. (I think her friend also is a more or less regular cosplayer but I think she changes up who she is from con-to-con.). I got a couple of pictures of them and in one, a suprise, but universe-appropriate guest shows up (who I didn't notice until I was snapping the picture).
On my way out, I saw the car from Back to the Future...
And, my last picture of the day, and a poigniant reminder, Zombies are People Too.
Taken the next day, but still pictures, my swag:
The Adrian Alphona sketchbook, the G4 whoopie cushion, and the Fan Expo guidebook. Yes, my TV is very dusty, I'm sorry. The book just happened to be there.
The two things i got signed.
The little cardboard Alien facehugger.
And one of the cats reacts to it (he stared at it for about 2-3 minutes before finally taking a look. The other cat just freaked out when it got even close... he must have seen Aliens before).
Among the costumes I didn't photograph: Steampunk people, though there were some nice ones. I don't think they were as used to getting asked as the comic characters, since I rarely saw them standing and posing (and prefer not to ask myself unless it's somebody I really want).
There was a Captain Hammer, but I wasn't ready with my camera and lost him.
There were a few Doctor's (The Doctor, from Who) of various incarnations, but they're hard to do well, I know who they're going for but they still mostly just look like guys (or girls, in at least one case) in funny outfits rather than specific characters. Likewise, a few Firefly fans and a fair number of Jayne hats but I don't know if that really counts as cosplay.. no one looked specifically like a character. There was a Hellgirl (I don't follow the comics/cartoon enough to know if that's an actual character or if she was just a girl dressing up as a female version of Hellboy... either way, well done and I admire the commitment, but no picture.). On the way out I saw a very nice Bill from L4D, but by that time I'd put my camera away and he was walking in the opposite direction. Almost wanted to hand him my tictacs and say, "Pills here!" An Asgardian/Wiccan from Young Avengers (ze only Young Avenger I saw). Plenty of others I'm not remembering. Oh, there was an excellent Batgirl, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow team I THOUGHT I had but I must not have. There were actually a couple decent Poison Ivys.
Also, kids. Some of them were awful cute, but I always feel weird photographing kids. There were plenty of little Batmen/Batgirls/Spider-Men/Spider-Girls (there was one in particular that made me smile, a Spider-Girl costume that was pretty much just a classic blue-red spider-man costume, except there was a pink skirt over top... I don't know, somehow it worked). I was mildly surprised there was no Hit Girl, at least not that I saw. I figured somebody would do it, even if an adult. A couple kid-vampires. One Batman had two kid robins, one boy and one girl. All the costumes were pretty good, as con costumes went. I wanted to say, "Recruiting the sidekicks younger and younger, huh?" but he'd probably heard it before. Oh, and there was one spectacular Aang I didn't get a picture of. He was bald (or had a very good skin cap), and had the movie-style arrow tattoo). I don't approve of the movie in general, but gotta admire the kid's committment.
No Runaways cosplayers, alas! At least not that I saw. That's another thing I should have asked Adrian Alphona, if he saw any of them. There were a few girls who could have been Molly, I guess, but she doesn't really have a costume so it'd hard to say if anybody's trying to be her and not just some anime girl I don't know, with an animal hat.
The Line: But, I lucked in. The line was fairly short at that point. Maybe 20 people ahead of us in the line we were in (there were separate ones for people buying tickets that day, people who'd already bought tickets, and people who had the deluxe passes and were there the day before who had an armband that said "I've already been here".. and VIP lines and stuff too, I guess).
Anyway, that was the primary reason I came early. I though that I would be in the 'buy tickets' line, and then the 'wait to get in' line, and that the 'wait to get in line' started at the end of the line of people who already had tickets.
I don't know why, but that didn't quite happen. Not only did the line I was in split into two/three, putting me only eight people back of my particular one, we were also let in pretty early, and I was one of the first 10 or so people to buy tickets (woot, cash only line!).. and somehow, the people who had bought tickets were directed to line up directly at the entrance. So, that day, I was one of the first dozen or so people to get in, at least as far as I could tell, even ahead of the people who'd already bought their tickets (again excepting VIP package people perhaps). Sure, I spent 2 and a half hours in line... but that was all before they started moving. Technically I'd have waited that long even if there was no line at all (and I brought a book), so I count it as a total win on the wait time... and I was not without fun. We were outside and I kept looking for places that, if this were a Left 4 Dead location, Smokers might snipe from, or a Boomer might hide out to vomit.
The Celebrities: Once in, I thought first I'd go for the celebrities. Maybe if I was lucky I'd catch someone early and not have to wait at all. I was half successful. The problem was, my mental map of the area was backwards, so I went to the exact wrong place to look for the celebrities, then did a tour of the edge and finally found them. Actually, the first celebrity I saw was on the-way, Tamoh Pennikett (Helo from BSG). He was giving an interview in one of the booths, and I actually walked basically right beside him before I noticed, but I didn't want to interrupt, and I wanted to find the autograph area, so I moved on. Summer Glau was already there, and here line was about 20 people deep, only a couple minutes in. Knowing my best opportunity when I saw one, I got in line. Had a mildly pleasant line-conversation with another Serenity fan (who was a multi-dayer and had gotten most of her autographs the day before). She mentioned that Dean Stockwell had very little line, which surprised me. Felicia Day and Tamoh Pennikett both showed up for theirs while I waited in line. Felicia walked right past me, though I didn't have my camera ready.
Summer Glau:
What I wanted signed: My Firefly DVD boxed set. Already signed by Sean Maher (Simon) and Morena Baccarin (Inara).
What I paid: $35. Yeah, a bit steep, but she's one of the few I'd pay that much for. If the photo op wasn't at a totally inconvenient time, I'd shell out the $40 for that, too.
What I said: (All of the 'What I said' in this entire report are "I said something along these lines, with stuttering, slipping up on word choices, awkward pauses, and occasionally speaking too fast)
Her: "Hi, how are you."
Me: "Fine, how are you?"
Her: "Good."
Me: "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm a very big fan. Would you sign this?"
Her: (looks at the book I stuffed in the DVD case.) "What's this?"
Me: "Oh, that's just a something to keep the box stable."
Her: "To keep it stable."
Me: "Yeah, because I didn't want to bring the DVDs along with it, just in case."
Her: "Oh, I see. Did you just want the signature."
Me: "Yeah, that would probably be for the best, since I'm trying to get everybody."
Her: "I'm sure you will." (signed, while I took a picture).
Me: "Thank you, it was a pleasure to meet you."
Then I shook her hand and slid to the side. (She has a very tiny seeming hand, I felt
afraid I would crush it).
What I wanted to say: "Marry me."
"You know, Morena Baccarin commented on that too. I had no idea it was so unusual." (about the book being in the DVD case)
"I want you to know that you're one of the only people I'd buy a photo op with, but I'm only here for today and I don't think I can last until 6, so maybe if you're here another year." (or in the hopes she'd offer a quick one on the spot on my camera, even if I had to pay.)
"I'll give almost everything you're in at least a look. In fact, I'm going to be watching 'The Cape' solely because you're in it, so I hope it's good!"
"If there's ever a sequel to Doctor Horrible you should really be in it. You could be Ninja Ballerina. Or Ballerina Ninja." (This refers to my idea of all the Firefly actors being not-so-heroic heroes in the Horribleverse.
What I almost lost: My bank card. While dragging out my wallet for the cash to pay for the autograph, it slipped out. I didn't notice it until I was in line for Dean Stockwell. Luckily, as soon as I finished him I darted back and saw it right at the foot of the table.
Felicia Day (The Guild, Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-Long-Blog):
What I got signed: Nothing. I was going to get my Doctor Horrible DVD case signed, but the line was like crazy long. There were more people waiting for her than for Tamoh Pennikett, and that dude was in BSG and Dollhouse. I was really surprised. She also was going to charge $25, at least according to a sign I saw later in the day (there was no price sign on her table when I was nearby, it's possible she only decided to charge after seeing how many people she got). However, as much as I like her, she was not one of the stars I would be willing to pay for, at all. (I'll rant a bit more on that later). I did keep going back (before I saw that she charged) to see if the line let up, but it never did.
How much I (would have) payed: $0, or $25, depending on how you interpret the question.
How long I (would have) waited: Judging by the line, if I got in at the best of times, about the same time I'd have waited for Summer. So 20-30 minutes.
What I said: Nothing of course.
What I wanted to say: "Marry me."
"I really liked you in Doctor Horrible. You had any news on the sequel?"
Dean Stockwell (Al from Quantum Leap, Cavil from BSG, numerous genre guest-starring roles):
What I got signed: One of the few pieces of QL memorabilia I own, a novel. Specifically, Angels Unware, by Ashley McConnell (which deals with Sam leaping into the life of a priest who... I don't know, it's been forever since I read it, but one of the key selling points was that one of the main characters was in the episode where Sam leaps into a single mother, and she was a 4 or 5 year old child who saw Sam as Sam and could see Al (and Al memorably sung her a lullaby). She's a troubled adult in the novel.
How much I payed: $30. Again, steep, but he's so strongly associated with my childhood that I don't mind it.
How long I waited: Like, not even 5 minutes. It was practically criminal how short his line was. It's DEAN FREAKING STOCKWELL, PEOPLE.
What I said:
Me: "Hello, it's a real pleasure to meet you, Quantum Leap really meant a lot to me as a kid, and ever since then you've been one of my favorite genre stars."
Him: "Oh, that's nice," (or something like that, but sincere like).
At this point I pulled out the novel, and his 'Handler' (is that the right term? The volunteer people who assist and take the money and such) (Edit: Somebody told me it was actually his wife. If so, well, you go Dean... although according to Wikipedia, he's not presently married, and she looked a little young to be one of his previous wives.), was like "Oh my god," while he was like, "What's this?" and she explained how she read that book like twice, and it was one of the better ones. (She was kinda cute, too). He asked where I wanted to sign it, on the cover. I think I said something about having had it for a long time.
Me: "You can sign it whereever you want."
There was a bit more discussion about the book, can't remember the specifics, but Dean Stockwell said something along the lines of, "I never got any of these," and she mentioned how they're all pretty much out of print now, collector's items.
Anyway, after that, he signed, I shook his hand, thanked him, told him what a pleasure it was, and moved off (to retrieve my bank card).
What I wanted to say: "Marry me." (getting sick of that joke yet? Too bad.)
"I remember when I was young I had an operation on my eye, and I did my best to be strong so they'd let me out of the hospital as fast as I could, because I wanted to watch a new episode of Quantum Leap. And I did, despite having my eye all stitched up."
The others I didn't see, and didn't really plan to unless fate smiled upon me:
James Marsters: At one point I could have seen him for only about a 5 minute wait, but again, $40 for a signature and no personalization triggers my "haven't I paid enough to get in here? haven't you been paid enough? You get people paying for a special breakfast for you, get people paying for your concerts, and now you want $40 for your autograph on a box/piece of paper/photo too? I like you dude, but no" instinct. I didn't bring anything to have him sign anyway, so that would have been an extra fee for the picture (I think some celebrities throw in the glossy picture if you order the autograph and don't have something specific you want signed, but I'm pretty sure his sign said the pictures are extra). But I'd have liked to tell him that I enjoyed his work.
Tamoh Pennikett: Seemed to have a very short line, but again I think he charged (didn't see the exact fee, but there was a sign). I'd have liked to tell him he was my favorite human character on BSG, though. Most of them I found unlikeable. Cylons too, actually. But I liked the characters like Helo and Athena/Boomer who tried to bridge the gap and get over their prejudices.
Michael Dorn: I'd have liked to say 'Qapla!' Even though he's almost certainly sick of hearing it.
Lance Henricksen: They were handing out facehugger cardboard cutouts at a booth at the con (they were everywhere), and once I got one, I would have liked to get him to sign it. I couldn't even get a good look at his line or prices though and I wasn't THAT interested.
There were a few others there... the guy who played Colossus in X3, Suresh from Heroes, people from the old Batman TV show, but none of them even really warranted a wait.
A Short Rant on Autograph Fees: Like I said, we all paid a fair bit to get in there in the first place. I don't begrudge
them some fee for their time, but it seems excessive, and with two caveats that they (FanExpo or the celebs themselves) can do that would make it go down a lot easier.
1) The fee should be up front and listed in the advertising/guidebook. I don't want to go to a convention, or wait a significant time in line, and wonder if I'm going to be willing to pay the fee. That does not inspire good feelings in people. The guidebook in fact said 'most autographs are free but some celebrities charge extra'. From what I could see, MOST charged extra. Stop lying.
2) I see the reasoning for the fee in terms of helping to manage the excessive lines and time of popular people, and people who want 5 different autographs, but I think a general policy of 'you get one, personalized autograph for free, just for showing up and waiting in line. Anything more than that (or if you want an unnamed one so you can sell it on ebay), you pay' would engender a lot more good will.
And of course, I have nothing at all against celebs selling glossy photos, at any price, for the purposes of them being signed. That to me is completely fair. It's not usually what I want (I like something that's personal to me being signed) but for a few I'd consider it.
After I was done with the autographs, I wandered the floor mostly for the next few hours. I did finally get up to meet Adrian Alphona, the main artist on Runaways (while it was awesome). So, let's do it celebrity style:
Adrian Alphona (Runaways):
What I got signed: A sketchbook he sold at the con for $10. I shoulda brought one of my comics, but in my bag it likely would have gotten bent with all the other awkwardly sized stuff. But $10 was a cheap price for a book of sketches and an autograph. The sketches were nice, but there was nothing in it that made me inner fan squee, it was just nice work and I wanted to help support him. I felt completely unbothered doing that even though autograph fees for actors and such bother me on such a fundamental level - at least he WAS offering something beyond just the experience and a signature.
He signed it to me by name, the first time it was done. It was also the first time I'd gotten an artist's autograph or even spoken to one (well, unless one spoke to me accidentally without me realizing who he was).
What I paid: $10. I was tempted to get a commission, which were $20 for a quick sketch/head and shoulders, or $50 for a full one, fairly reasonable prices I thought for an artist of his calibre.
How long I waited: Depends on where you count. If you count from the time I decided to speak to him to the time I got the chance, about 30 seconds (or maybe about 5 minutes, but that was due to too many people flowing through at my first chance). If you count the time I wandered back and forth looking for him and wondering if he actually was the one I was looking for, maybe an hour or two. But I was doing other stuff too.
What I said:
Me: "Are you Adrian Alphona?"
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "I just wanted to say how much I loved your run on Runaways."
Him: "Oh, thanks." We shook hands.
Me: "This (the sketchbook's) only $10?" (he nodded). "Yeah, I think I'd like to get that."
Him: "Who should I make it out to?"
(I told him my name, and he signed the cover).
Me: "I'm tempted to ask for a commission, but I don't think I'd be here long enough to pick it up."
Him: "Oh, well, there's always the quick sketches for $20."
Me: Maybe, but I think maybe I'll try to catch you another time. But it was really nice meeting you."
What I wanted to say:
"You know what, I would like a commission. I want Chase, with a huge laser, doing something awesome. Oh, and if you could make him look like a reanimated zombie, that would be cool."
or
"Are you familiar with Firefly? I'd like a drawing of Molly Hayes, wearing one of those Jayne hats and a Blue Sun shirt like I've got on now, doing something awesome with her strength." (In Chase's case I'd leave the awesome up to him. In Molly's, I'd really like to think of something specific awesome, but I didn't have any specific ideas just then. Lifting Serenity would be funny, except for scale issues. I dunno. If anybody has any ideas, I'm open, maybe I'll get it next time." (You know, if he offered to mail it (even with me paying extra for postage) or some sort of e-mail thing... I probably would have taken him up on it).
Also:
"Hey, are you working on anything else now? I haven't seen much of your work in comics for a while."
and maybe, if I was exceptionally bold,
"You know, there's a Toronto Science Fiction author Karl Schroeder, who does a series of novels set in a planet-sized ball of air with wood-built cities that spin for gravity and such. I met him this summer and he mentioned he'd worked out a deal for some kind of comic adaptation, but that he just had to find the right artist and I didn't mention it at the time but I wish I did, cause I think you'd be perfect for it. Since his characters spend a lot of time in weak or no gravity, I imagine they'd be tall and thin, which you seem to do quite well, and you're also good at backgrounds. You should look into that if you don't got anything else on your plate."
and "Nice work there." (He was drawing Old Lace, Gert, and some guy I couldn't identify at that point (it was still a bit sketchy), but possibly Chase).
Most of the rest of the time I wandered around without much of note happening. I accidentally cut in line for the DC free stuff but then learned the line started way back away, and so I just abandoned it. The free comics and Green Lantern/Flash rings might have been cool, but only if the line was relatively short. I almost bumped into Tommy Tellerico (from Reviews on the Run and Electric playground in years past, though he's on his own stuff), talking to one of the other reviewers. At first I wasn't 100% sure it was him, then I heard him shout "TRON!"
I didn't make any of the panels this year. DC Universe panel started at 11, and the first time I asked what time it was, it was 11:06. The Marvel panels were Shadowland at 2pm, a Daredevil centric event I don't give a damn about, and "Pint of C.B." general questions panel at 3:30, and, well, I got home at about 3:30, so you can guess I didn't make that one. Was just too tired. Didn't get much in the way of swag, either, unfortunately, just the cardboard alien thing (which was an ad, but an inventive one and cool, so I'll count it, even if it did get damaged), and a whoopie cushion advertising G4 for some reason. Well, it was free. Kinda wish I noticed the DC swag earlier, I think I passed by there when there was very little line, I just didn't realize the stuff was free and not for sale stuff.
I met
liabrown briefly, as well as her husband, making her (I believe) the only person on my flist to have ever met the elusive newnumber6. Anyway, she just appeared right in front of me and I had some idea of what she looked like so I took a chance and asked if she was she (after seeing her media badge which helped confirm it, since she does reporting for comiXfan). I took a fair bit of pictures, and got one "Hey, Blue Sun! classic!" comment on my t-shirt. Talked very briefly with a few other people, either answering questions or asking them if I could take a picture. So on a social interaction level, although I didn't make any particular 'connections', I said a fair bit of what I wanted to, to celebrities, and had some small interactions so... I'd call it a win, and I'm not depressed on that score like I was the last two times I went (perhaps because I didn't have my hopes insanely high and went in expecting not to manage to talk to anybody at all). Sure, I didn't meet the geek girl of my dreams, either, but again, not expecting it. I was also able to be randomly nice - saw a person talking to friends pull something out of his pocket and as he did, a $5 bill came out and landed on the floor. None of them seemed to notice it so I pointed it out.
At about 2 was when I decided, Okay, I'm getting kind of tired, I'm just going to head home. I had a coupon for a free burger (when you buy fries and a drink) at Licks, and figured that would do for my meal on the way home. Twas a homeburger, with cheese, Guk sauce (their special sauce), ketchup, relish, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, hot peppers, and pickles. It was pretty big and very tasty, and I don't know if it was just eating all that much at once after not having eaten since the night before (and so consequently probably eating too fast), or a bunch of other stuff, but I felt all bloaty and uncomfortable on the way home when I wanted to just nap a bit and be refreshed. I did eventually get to nap, but it took a few hours of being tired first.
Behind the final cut... the photos! Not many, and I kinda suck as a photographer (but in my defense, it was my first day ever using the camera, I borrowed it from my brother). Also a bit of discussion about the costumes I saw but didn't photograph. (Photos fixed now. Had to reupload everything to a less sucky image server. Man, when did imagevenue start to SUCK SO MUCH? Seriously, it didn't used to be this bad).
Felicia Day, while I was standing in line for Summer Glau (and before I figured out how to zoom).
Tamoh Penikett, also taken from the Summer Glau line. Nice of him to pose for a non-photo-op picture.
Felicia Day again, a little closer.
That guy in the background is the guy who plays Suresh on Heroes. Jsut wanted a quick shot of him and it was the closest I got all day.
Summer Glau, from a few spots back in line.
Summer Glau again, as she signed either mine or the person's right after me, I can't really remember for sure.
Michael Dorn, taken from Dean Stockwell's line.
Julie Newmar (Catwoman from the old Batman), taken from Dean Stockwell's line, and very close. The funny thing was, I didn't know who she was when I took the picture, just that she seemed like a celebrity. So I took it and then immediately after I did I saw the sign behind her and said, "OHHHHH".
Dean Stockwell. A bit too close-up to look his best. Sorry Dean, I had the zoom on too high.
James Marsters (taken a bit later in the day from everyone else, he wasn't there when I got the others).
My first cosplay picture, Rogue...
Black Cat, two because after I took the first one she posed directly towards me so I couldn't not take a second.
Deadpool.
Batman and Catwoman
Phoenix and Harley Quinn, costumes quite well done, but I think these people go to a lot of cons in these costumes.
Venom, who almost got in the way of my third attempt to get the next shot (my last two, unposted, shots were ruined by somebody walking at the exact wrong time), and was the only one with the grace to apologize about it even though he came a second too late/early to ruin it. See people, even villains (and ones for whom the lack of ability to see clearly would have been a perfectly valid excuse) have courtesy! ;)
The shot he almost ruined. Catwoman was also there I think but I had my zoom on too tight.
Okay, I lied. I am in one of the pictures. Or at least ,my foot is. I don't even remember taking this, I probably meant to turn the camera off to conserve battery power, but hit the 'take picture' one instead. So glory at the wonder of my shoe and bottom pant-leg.
Kick-Ass and Power-Girl. There were two Kick-Asses that I saw, his was the better one (though the costume was a little loose on him).
Just a wide shot from the second floor of the first floor.
The Sorceress from the old He-Man cartoon and Boba Fett share a tender moment. Skeletor hired him to capture her, but instead, she captured his heart!
I got TWO Cassandra Cain batgirls. This one was the first. Pity some of the details on the mask and costume didn't come through so well in the picture, there were stitches and everything. Also, that car IS the Batmobile (but I didn't plan it that way, I saw her, followed her, and this is where I managed to ask her for a photo).
Spider-Man and Rorshach, team up with... some other guy. To the left of the other guy was some anime girl I didn't recognize, but this was the best angle I could get and the only ones I really wanted, anyway.
Invisible Woman (she was also in the last few pics, but, well, her powers were on). There was a good Ms. Marvel not far from her but somehow I didn't get her.
Hanging out with Harley Quinn turned White Phoenix into DARK PHOENIX! Oh Noes!
I don't know who this is, but it's the tallest costume I saw there. The sword I assume is mostly for balance, since he's gotta be walking on some kind of stilts.
As I was making my way to the exit, I found myself following a cute Andorian girl (who was also looking for it). Best picture I could snap.
The second Cassandra Cain, with Huntress. This one's mask off and looks fairly appropriate, but I've seen her in other photos before - I think she specializes in being Cass. (I think her friend also is a more or less regular cosplayer but I think she changes up who she is from con-to-con.). I got a couple of pictures of them and in one, a suprise, but universe-appropriate guest shows up (who I didn't notice until I was snapping the picture).
On my way out, I saw the car from Back to the Future...
And, my last picture of the day, and a poigniant reminder, Zombies are People Too.
Taken the next day, but still pictures, my swag:
The Adrian Alphona sketchbook, the G4 whoopie cushion, and the Fan Expo guidebook. Yes, my TV is very dusty, I'm sorry. The book just happened to be there.
The two things i got signed.
The little cardboard Alien facehugger.
And one of the cats reacts to it (he stared at it for about 2-3 minutes before finally taking a look. The other cat just freaked out when it got even close... he must have seen Aliens before).
Among the costumes I didn't photograph: Steampunk people, though there were some nice ones. I don't think they were as used to getting asked as the comic characters, since I rarely saw them standing and posing (and prefer not to ask myself unless it's somebody I really want).
There was a Captain Hammer, but I wasn't ready with my camera and lost him.
There were a few Doctor's (The Doctor, from Who) of various incarnations, but they're hard to do well, I know who they're going for but they still mostly just look like guys (or girls, in at least one case) in funny outfits rather than specific characters. Likewise, a few Firefly fans and a fair number of Jayne hats but I don't know if that really counts as cosplay.. no one looked specifically like a character. There was a Hellgirl (I don't follow the comics/cartoon enough to know if that's an actual character or if she was just a girl dressing up as a female version of Hellboy... either way, well done and I admire the commitment, but no picture.). On the way out I saw a very nice Bill from L4D, but by that time I'd put my camera away and he was walking in the opposite direction. Almost wanted to hand him my tictacs and say, "Pills here!" An Asgardian/Wiccan from Young Avengers (ze only Young Avenger I saw). Plenty of others I'm not remembering. Oh, there was an excellent Batgirl, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow team I THOUGHT I had but I must not have. There were actually a couple decent Poison Ivys.
Also, kids. Some of them were awful cute, but I always feel weird photographing kids. There were plenty of little Batmen/Batgirls/Spider-Men/Spider-Girls (there was one in particular that made me smile, a Spider-Girl costume that was pretty much just a classic blue-red spider-man costume, except there was a pink skirt over top... I don't know, somehow it worked). I was mildly surprised there was no Hit Girl, at least not that I saw. I figured somebody would do it, even if an adult. A couple kid-vampires. One Batman had two kid robins, one boy and one girl. All the costumes were pretty good, as con costumes went. I wanted to say, "Recruiting the sidekicks younger and younger, huh?" but he'd probably heard it before. Oh, and there was one spectacular Aang I didn't get a picture of. He was bald (or had a very good skin cap), and had the movie-style arrow tattoo). I don't approve of the movie in general, but gotta admire the kid's committment.
No Runaways cosplayers, alas! At least not that I saw. That's another thing I should have asked Adrian Alphona, if he saw any of them. There were a few girls who could have been Molly, I guess, but she doesn't really have a costume so it'd hard to say if anybody's trying to be her and not just some anime girl I don't know, with an animal hat.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 06:20 pm (UTC)Man, I used to have some Quantum Leap novels, but I sold them alongside other tie-in paperbacks. Didn't know they were rarities! Now I can't use them to dazzle Dean Stockwell.
The only con I've been to, Worldcon, didn't charge for autographs, although they didn't have actors - only writers and a few artists. You had to pre-register to see Neil Gaiman though.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 08:11 pm (UTC)Yeah, Neil Gaiman's kind of a rockstar of written fiction. I guess it's partly because of how he writes but also because he's so entertaining and engaging in person (or on TV anyway).
I do want to go to a Worldcon eventually, but probably not for a while. There's a mostly-written SF con coming up in October/November I have my eye on as a possibility for visiting too.
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Date: 2010-08-30 02:56 pm (UTC)I'm looking forward to Hal-Con - it's small potatoes, but at least there's finally a convention planned for the Maritime provinces.
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Date: 2010-08-29 04:43 pm (UTC)That would have been awesome if you shouted "Pills here" at the Bill cosplayer. I would have laughed. And the girls who might have been Molly were probably just anime cosplayers. They wear animal hats; it's a weird anime thing.
But at least you got Summer's autograph. You're a third of the way through the crew!
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Date: 2010-08-29 08:17 pm (UTC)I guess if you include the comic artists, yeah, 'most' might be free, but you can be totally honest and still deceptive if you know (or should know) you're giving people the wrong impression.
Almost certainly they were just anime girls, but I can hope. While there are a few distinctive 'Molly' costumes that somebody could cosplay with, otherwise it's kind of hard to be distinctive. Although, on the other hand, if you had people who were going as other characters, and you needed a Molly, all you'd have to do is say, "Here, put this hat on" to some girl, because when you put an animal-hatted girl with the other characters, she instantly becomes Molly! ;) Or, in my own commission dreams, even a Jayne hat would do!
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 09:23 pm (UTC)It's interesting to see pics and hear reports from these big cons because I've never been to one. My first con was this year and solely comics focused and obviously an entirely different atmosphere - no queuing and paying for the signature of Paul Cornell or people like that. If you missed a signing you just caught them in the bar afterwards for a chat. And the idea of paying for a signature still kinda boggles me. $40 a signature? Really? Hell, I can understand paying that for a sketch or something by someone like Alan Davis, as was the case at the con I attended, but I'd definitely rather drop cash for work by an artist I liked than queue for just a signature, even from someone I loved. (I'm kicking myself I didn't get a sketch from Phil Noto, who was doing them free, but I was having a sketch done by Lew Stringer at the time).
But it's definitely interesting to see the completely different atmosphere of the big cons. I suppose the closest here in the big London expo, which covers comics, video games, movies and anime all together and is of a comparable size. I might try and check that out next year.
But, yay, Dean Stockwell!
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 10:45 pm (UTC)I hadn't seen your tumbler, but I had seen the Cassandra Cain cosplayer in other people's photos over the last year or two. Though now that I check out that link, I'm wondering if maybe the first Cass cosplayer actually WAS the second one, just with mask on/off, since maskless Cass' mask looks similar in those photos to the masked one's. But I could have sworn the masked one was much shorter than the unmasked, and the batlogo looks just slightly different to me, too.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-30 09:27 am (UTC)If I understand correctly what you wrote, Alphona was charging for the sketchbook, not the autograph. I've never seen a comic creator charge for an autograph.
Glad you had a good time!
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Date: 2010-08-30 02:56 pm (UTC)And it was nice meeting you. I hope I didn't come off as rude leaving so suddenly, the strange algorithms in my head that govern my social behavior thought we were getting close to the awkward silence stage of the conversation and reminded me that you have some issues with obligatory sociability too, and so I felt a strong urge to try and make a graceful exit before we got to that point. It was only immediately afterwards that it occured to me it could have been interpretted as abrupt or rude. But it was nice to meet you anyway.
(They also advised me against checking whether it was indeed you by shouting "Pyro sucks!" and waiting for an angry glare. ;))
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Date: 2010-08-30 11:53 am (UTC)The guy to the left of Spiderman and Rorshach is Alphonse from Fullmetal Alchemist, in white instead of gray for some reason.
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Date: 2010-08-30 02:51 pm (UTC)