So it turns out it wasn't a Comic Con at all . . .

[Sandra Craft]

It was a Comic Expo, which is part of Comic Con but not Comic Con -- this was explained to Teresa and I by a woman in a Harlequin costume (updated version) and I think we lost nerd points for not knowing the difference.

We didn't stay very long (unfortunately this was not a high energy day for me), but had a really good time.  And I certainly got plenty of exercise walking around a huge convention center filled with what appeared to be endless booths of comic books.

First thing we looked up my brother Steve's friends Dave and Mary.  Steve and Dave started an underground comic some 30 years ago called Obscure that actually got them a fan letter from Robert Crumb (they still have it, in a lighted frame; I think they take turns hanging it up in their homes).  I'm not sure if Steve's still involved that much in Obscure, but Dave's made a brand of it under which he publishes his own comics (Dangerworld, for anyone interested) and he's publishing Steve's art in 7 volumes called "The Nimrod Project".  I now have volume 1, which Teresa, who's a big admirer of Steve's, assures me is brilliant.  I don't know, a lot of Steve's stuff just looks like boobs and sperm to me but that probably says more about me than him.  Anyway, he's my brother, so I love it.

Here's Dave and Mary at their booth (Steve's book in the far left corner).  Haven't seen them for over 20 yrs, so there was a good time chatting.  Never did ask Dave about the fez.



I took about half my pictures while sitting in front of the convention center, waiting for Teresa to park her car.  Saw some interesting things:

Storm Trooper photo shoot


Mother and daughter dressed up as unicorns (I think)


Magneto and friends


Roman centurian (he had a photographer taking shots of him running back and forth, stabbing at things, but I couldn't get a decent shot of that)


Old style Harlequin and Poison Ivy


Batman and that guy from Zoolander (if I'd just been a few seconds faster with the camera, I'd have a picture of them hugging)


And then Teresa rejoined me:

Teresa and that guy from Zoolander (I think this is her favorite pic)


Teresa and a Ghost-buster (he gave us his card, he does parties)


After we got inside it was crazy.  I didn't recognize what half the cosplayers were dressed as, and I'm not sure all the people I thought were in costume were actually wearing a costume.  These guys for instance -- they turned out to be musicians so I think they may be just general goth/metal or whatever (so out of my wheelhouse here).

Will say tho that this is my favorite picture.

Teresa assured me that this is a raven


This was as close as I could get to Capt America.


We were hoping that he'd come by where we were for a picture, but then The Hawk and his girlfriend turned up and we lost track of Cap



She was explaining that she's a new style Harlequin, which meant nothing to me.  She's also the one who explained to us the difference between Comic Con and Comic Expo.

On our way out, we passed a lot cars on display.  I only recognized the Jurassic jeeps (really wanted the stuffed dino)


And finally, a big photo shoot with some of the cosplayers, including our friend The Hawk.


I'll upload Teresa's cell phone pictures as soon as she sends them to me.  I don't remember what all they were, but there was a Wookie involved.  We had to run him down (or Teresa did, I sat in my roller and kept an eye out for other photo ops).

[Magdalena]

Those are great pictures, BCE, thanks for sharing them. 

[Nam]

My mom's been to DragonCon. She got a picture taken with Nathan Fillion. She went back the next day and he was walking by going somewhere, and he remembered her name. They chatted for 10 or so minutes according to her.

I've never been to a Comic or Sci-fi convention. Went to a Star Trek convention in the 80s but I was a kid and it didn't have a lasting impression.

-Nam

[Tank]

Excellent post Sandy. Sweetdeath will swoon!

[Guardian85]

I really want to go back to a big con again! 2014 seems so long ago.

She was explaining that she's a new style Harlequin, which meant nothing to me.  She's also the one who explained to us the difference between Comic Con and Comic Expo.

The "old style" Harley Quinn is the character from the old comic books and the Batman animated series.


She got an update for the Arkham series of video games.


And again for the not-yet-released film "Suicide Squad".

[joeactor]

Looks like you had a fun time... Great pics!

I used to go to cons a lot, but haven't been in a few years.

Maybe Comic-Con or Blizzcon this year.

[Crow]

I seriously thought that Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad was being played by Gillian Jacobs but it is Margot Robbie.

New Harley Quinn


Gillian Jacobs


Margot Robbie

[Claireliontamer]

Looks like a lot of fun

[xSilverPhinx]

Looks like great fun whether it was a Comic Expo, which is part of Comic Con, or a Comic Con, BCE!

(I wouldn't know the difference either)   

[Sandra Craft]

My mom's been to DragonCon. She got a picture taken with Nathan Fillion. She went back the next day and he was walking by going somewhere, and he remembered her name. They chatted for 10 or so minutes according to her.

I've never been to a Comic or Sci-fi convention. Went to a Star Trek convention in the 80s but I was a kid and it didn't have a lasting impression.

-Nam

From what I've heard about Fillion, listening to other actors talk about him on commentaries, he's a huge people person so it's likely he did remember her and chat for awhile.  He was probably rushed or he would have taken her out for coffee.

I've only been to one other convention -- a Star Trek convention when I was a teenager.  Considering how long ago that was, it must have been one of the first conventions.  Anyway, since I didn't have a car I convinced my Dad to take me and the poor man had to put up with about 4 hrs of non-stop geek talk from me.  I wish I'd appreciated at the time his good-natured patience!  Still, it wasn't all bad for him -- we both enjoyed listening to Harlan Ellison read his short story "Jeffty is Five", and then there was the costume contest where one woman came out in a long cloak, then threw it off to walk down the runway stark naked.  Don't see that everyday.

[Sandra Craft]

Excellent post Sandy. Sweetdeath will swoon!

Then my work here is done!

[Sandra Craft]

Those are great pictures, BCE, thanks for sharing them. 

Thank you, I really did have a great time and was only sorry I wasn't up to stay for some of the events and panels.  Alan Tudyk and Lance Hendriksen (both of whom I love) were there, and I noticed that several panel discussions where about real world space exploration.  I suppose "The Martian" is to thank for that.

[Sandra Craft]

The "old style" Harley Quinn is the character from the old comic books and the Batman animated series.

She got an update for the Arkham series of video games.

Now that you mention it, the Harlequin I was talking to said something about Arkham, but that still meant nothing to me.  I really wish Teresa's nephew Andrew had been able to join us -- he's very into all this and could have translated for me.

[Sandra Craft]

Looks like you had a fun time... Great pics!

I used to go to cons a lot, but haven't been in a few years.

Maybe Comic-Con or Blizzcon this year.

I had a blast.  The Long Beach Comic Con (the real one) is Sep 16-17, and I hope to go.  The Harlequin we talked to said it was much bigger than the expo, so I'm hoping it attracts those entertaining protesters that the San Diego Comic Con has.

What is Blizzcon -- does it take place somewhere cold?

[Sandra Craft]

Looks like a lot of fun

Looks like great fun whether it was a Comic Expo, which is part of Comic Con, or a Comic Con, BCE!

(I wouldn't know the difference either)   

It was great -- I forgot to mention it, but the guy (or whoever) in the raven costume did a little dance for us.  And I completely forgot my camera has a video function.

I really wish I'd gotten around to some of the panels -- I noticed from the guidebook that Louis Friedman was leading one of the discussions on space exploration, and there were a number of Geekfest film festivals as well as something called "Cosplay makeup and bodypainting 101" which I would have loved to have just sat in on.