Sunday, 10/17/2010 (New England Wizard Comic Con, Day 3)

So I returned to the convention early Sunday morning. My plan was to work a few hours, and then spend what time (and money) I had left before catching my bus home. I donned my yellow Volunteer shirt and entered the event when lo and behold the Vendor needed my help to set up once again…which I did, because I got to look at a lot of original art.

As I was helping, I looked over at Bill Sienkiewicz’s empty booth next door and realized that he was missing all day Saturday. I asked another of the Vendor’s employees if he knew where Bill was:

“Oh, he was stuck at Logan all day.”

Logan is an international airport located just outside Boston. My first concern was that with the President stopping by, there may have been an “incident” that required all flights to either be cancelled or delayed.

That would suck…

“Nah, they lost his luggage.”

That really sucks…

“And his portfolios.”

That REALLY sucks!

Can you imagine the frustration any artist would have if their work went missing due to airline error? The fact that it was Bill…freaking… Sienkiewicz’s work – worth quite a bit of money to be sure – was horrific.

Bill never made it to the con, and I have no idea if his property was ever found. My hope is that all was recovered, and Bill does attend future events, even if he never sets foot in Boston again.

As for me, when my work setting up was done the vendor gave me another $10, and asked once again if I could help him box things up at closing. I told him I had to work Monday morning

“Oh, where do you work?”

I told him I worked at a store for a major retailer.

“Are you a part-timer there?”

“No,” I replied. “I’m an assistant manager.”

The Vendor gave me a look of surprise/shock. The employee I spoke with earlier laughed. I smiled politely, and walked away.

Unlike Saturday, which truly felt like a Comic Convention, Sunday felt more like a Buffyverse convention. Less superhero, more vampire.

I asked my Volunteer Handler if anyone needed help, and he sent me over to cover a break at Security…

In my mind, Security meant armed guards protecting valuables from Bad People. In this case, Security meant standing in front of the door to the lounge where Guests (stars appearing for photos and autographs) took their breaks.

I was told to stay there, NOT TO ENTER THE ROOM, and make sure no one else did either.

Sounds easy enough, right?

So as I stood there, I heard a group of people talking in the room. I didn’t recognize any voices, but it sounded like a bunch of college friends talking over coffee. There’s some movement, and five people came out – four women and a man. They’re halfway to the Buffy booth when I realize that the guy was Xander, otherwise known as Nicholas Brendon. No idea who the ladies were, but they must have been other Buffy actors.

I did mention I liked the movie more than the series, right?

I then spotted two men coming toward me. At first, I wondered what to say to keep them out, but then I recognized the shorter man…James Marsters. I said hello and let him and – I guess his agent – through. A minute later, the Agent came up to me and asked if I could unlock the door to the adjoining room so James could get something he needed. I broke my first rule…staying by the door…to break my second rule…entering the room…to try the door. It’s locked of course, and I told the Agent that I’d have to get someone else with a key because I can’t leave my post. Marsters smiled kindly and said “Cheers” in something of a English accent, which is funny because I didn’t think he was British…

I returned to the doorway and scanned the convention looking for another Volunteer shirt, which I now realized was bright yellow for a reason.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE VOLUNTEER SHIRT!!!

I found one, waved him over to me, and managed to get the message of my situation out. The cavalry arrived, the door was unlocked and Marsters got what he needed.

I was relieved of my Security duties and made my way to sign out for the day, and as I walked past Greg Horn’s table, he called me over and thanked me for watching his table Saturday. (I guess he finished counting his money and realized I didn’t rob him.) As a Thank You, he offered me a free signed print of my choosing.

I accepted, of course. I also offered to pay for a sleeve, but he had sold out. My solution? I went to a nearby booth and bought a cheap movie poster that came in a sleeve the same size as Horn’s print.

I signed out, completing my 10+ hours of duty, and bummed around the con for as long as I could until it was time to leave for the bus terminal.

I caught up with the Volunteer Handler who gave out swag to all volunteers as payment. Among other things, I got a Transmetropolitan Trade – my first – a novel by Colin Harvey and some Heroclix pieces.

Would I volunteer again? Maybe, maybe not. It was fun to get in early and see the “behind the scenes” stuff. I learned that Ethan Van Sciver played guitar…pretty well I might add. I also learned the importance of following fire safety laws. There was a presidential visit, and I spoke to several creators I never heard of before and buying some of their work…like Dirk Tiede’s Paradigm Shift (which is awesome by the way).

All in all, it was a great event, and something I was glad to be a part of.