Saturday, 10/16/2010 (New England Wizard Comic Con, Day 2, Part Two)

For my lunch break, I thought about returning to The Pour House, but figured there’d be something going on there that night so I went to another place further down Boylston Street. I can’t remember the name, but the food was good, and it was actually kind of nice to be somewhere not surrounded by cosplayers, vendors, or other convention-types for a while.

As I headed back to the center, I saw that the line to get in was still there, but another event was happening in the open area next door – another rally for the Governor. The road out front was still blocked off, and I learned that the event inside the center wasn’t happening until 4, so there was a chance the President, or James Taylor, or someone else from the event might stop by the Con.

Having completed my volunteering for the day, the afternoon was mine. So I stopped by some cool looking booths such as the Ghostbusters of New Hampshire, who had a real Ecto car and handmade proton packs.

There was also the 501st New England Garrison. Not your typical military outfit to be sure…

They had it set up so for $1, you could shoot a Nerf handgun at one of their Stormtrooper dressed members, $5 gave you a Nerf machine gun. The proceeds went to a local charity, which was awesome. They also answered questions about how they made their costumes and how the 501st got started. Really nice guys and gals.

My next planned event was attending the Adam West/Burt Ward Q & A. I made sure I was in line early enough to get in, but I wound up sitting on the aisle’s end closest to the wall.

This being my first convention panel attendance ever, I was unaware of the inconvenience of my location.

The panel started, and I was excited…until they made it clear that photo taking was strictly prohibited, which just sucked! Adam and Burt spoke for a few minutes before turning things over for questions. I hadn’t planned on asking any, but it seemed to me that what was asked has been asked many times before. In fact, if you’ve ever seen the extra features of the Batman: The Movie DVD, where Adam and Burt talk about their times on set and opinions about Bat-villains (which I have), you’d hear the exact same answers (which I did).

The one question I’m surprised nobody asked (and I would have if I had gotten to the mic in time) was if Adam or Burt ever spoke with Christopher Reeve or Lynda Carter, or offered advice to Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney or Christian Bale. If anyone reading this gets the chance, ask that and tell me what they said.

I mentioned my issues with zombies before, so needless to say I skipped The Walking Dead screening and continued checking out tables and talking to dealers. Both the dealers and the artists had the most to complain about regarding Obama’s visit. The overall feeling was that it hindered the con and kept everyone but the most die-hard fans away. I'm sure they're right, but this was my first three-day event and I had nothing to compare it to but a single Sunday afternoon event held in a banquet hall near Westbrook. In those terms, I thought the turn-out was pretty good.

Next was the costume contest, which was of course a blast.

Following that, I headed over to The Pour House for another bacon-burger and Captain-n’-Coke. I sat at the upstairs bar and chatted with another attendee that shared some stories and newfound treasures.

It was a fine end to a fine day, and with six more hours under my belt I had more that the required minimum to fulfill my volunteer duties. My plan was to work a few more hours Sunday morning and then spend the afternoon spending my money.

Wasn’t expecting the slight confrontation, awkward situation, and gift of appreciation I ended up with....


TO BE CONTINUED…