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.

C-4!!!

So the 1st annual Coast City Comic Con starts tonight with a rave at the Space Gallery in Portland...

I've been so looking forward to this I can't even tell you.

I know I've been laaazy with reviewing my last convention attended last year, but things have been insane at work and, oh yeah, THE 1ST ANNUAL COAST CITY COMIC CON STARTS TONIGHT WITH A RAVE AT THE SPACE GALLERY IN PORTLAND!!!

So I'm going to be busy this weekend, but I still plan to post once/day with my continuation of Puck's appearances throughout my collection, and I WILL wrap up the Wizard New England Comic Con from 2010 before going into my exploits at this event.

So Happy Veteran's Day everyone, see you at the rave...

...and comment on something here will you? Feel like I'm talking to myself out here. Which is fine I guess, I do it at work all the time.

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…

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

I knew things were going to be interesting when I turned on the news after I got up and heard that President Obama was coming to Boston…today…to the Hynes Convention Center…to support the current Governor at a special rally. James Taylor was also going to be there along with other “special guests”.

My first thought was Cool, more publicity for the convention!

Turns out I couldn’t be more wrong.

Boylston Street was completely blocked off in front of the building. They closed streets all around the block, which makes sense for security reasons. But they also closed the closest T stations from all directions as well. More walking for me. The weather was nice, so it was a pretty walk, just more of a walk than I had planned.

The smack in the face by reality happened when I got to the center.

A line was forming.

At 6:30 am, it already snaked past the front of the building and partway down the block.

Still ingesting my second cup of coffee, I stood in line like everyone else, thinking it was a “one line for all events” kind of thing. But then one of the people in front of me said that the line was just for people wanting to see the President. So I went up to the door and showed the police my Volunteer Bracelet, and they let me through.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE VOLUNTEER BRACELET!!!

So in I went, showing the guards at the con entrance my bracelet as well. I donned my T-Shirt, signed in and looked around to see who needed help. Wouldn’t you know, the vendor and crew from yesterday called me over? They actually got me a coffee! So I helped them set up for the day (while also looking at their stuff) and when I was done, was asked if I was available Sunday as well. I said I had planned on coming back in the morning, but needed to catch the last bus back to Maine around 4. $10 and a request to give them a hand the next morning later, I was back on the floor chatting it up with the artists and other vendors.

Then the people in suits came off the elevators I remembered from Friday…And the armed guards…And the dogs…

I wondered how they would handle people walking around carrying axes, spears, masks and guns.

But despite this madness, the doors opened on time and things went pretty smoothly, but vendors throughout the morning were commenting on the lower than expected turnout.

Among the actors in attendance were Adam West, Burt Ward, John Schneider, Doug Jones, Lee Majors, Richard Anderson and a slew of Buffy people – including Charisma Carpenter, Nicholas Brendon and James Marsters.

The Buffy fans, with their Goth/Vampi looks, almost took over the convention. They far outnumbered the Comic cosplayers, and the Marsters concert I was thinking of going to was sold out before noon. The Buffy booth was always packed and the signing line was longer than that of any other booth. Now Firefly and Serentiy are my favorite Whedon projects to date, and I preferred the Buffy movie over the series. I told one of the artists that, and he warned me not to say that too loudly as it could get me killed. Good advice!

Still wearing my T-Shirt, I went to Greg Horn’s table and told him he didn’t look much like his artwork. He laughed, and said the closest thing he ever got was putting himself in a piece with Lara Croft. He said when his wife saw it she told him to start working out so he looked more like it.

Next thing I knew, it was time for Horn to host his Art School panel so he asked me to cover his booth for him! He told me what he charged for his prints, showed me where his change fund was, and left!

I’ll repeat: I’m wearing my Volunteer T-Shirt and covering Greg Horn’s booth!

So I’m standing there dumbfounded, behind a table of beautiful Greg Horn prints and portfolios all over it, and selling his wares to people. One of them even asked me what medium I used.

I’m wearing a goddamn bright yellow Volunteer T-Shirt and he’s asking me this question!

I explained that I’m just covering the booth while he’s on a panel, so next he asked me how much for a print. While Horn was gone, I sold at least four of his prints (putting them in protective sleeves), and then I find out Horn charged $5 per sleeve on top of the artwork. Realizing my mistake at giving sleeves away for free, I took out some of my money and put the difference in his change fund. (Thank you Mr. Vendor!)

Horn came back to the booth, clearly upset. He saw people walking around with his stuff and asked how many prints I sold. I told him, admitting my mistake about the sleeves and putting my money in for the difference. He nodded and counted his change.

I went and signed out for the day and removed my T-Shirt. I was hungry, so it was time for lunch.



TO BE CONTINUED…

Friday, 10/15/2010 (New England Wizard Comic Con, Day 1, Part Two)

So I went to The Pour House across the street from Hynes Convention Center for dinner and the Drink and Draw event with absolutely no idea how it would go.

I followed the crowd downstairs and there was a seperate area sectioned off for the Wizard event. Waving my wristband like an idiot to show I belonged there, I was able to sit with Dirk Tiede and E. J. Barnes as I perused the menu.

I ended up getting a bacon double cheeseburger with onion rings (which was excellent by the way!) as a sketchbook was passed around for anyone to draw in. As much as I would have liked to draw in it, I just didn't have the balls. I did, however, get a chance to see what people drew:

And watch Dirk Tiede work his magic...

It was awesome! After a couple of drinks (Captain & Coke thank you...) I managed to get a look at the official Drink and Draw board:

Oh - almost forgot that there were a few people cosplaying at the restaurant...

By now it was almost 11, and I was exhausted. I had 4 of my minimum 10 hours under my belt, and was looking forward to a full Saturday at the con, so I left the crowded place and headed out...totally unprepared for the onslaught of Buffy fans, the artist that was M.I.A., my close encounter with James Marsters, and the unexpected visit by a High Ranking Official that awaited me.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Friday, 10/15/2010 (New England Wizard Comic Con, Day 1, Part One)

I arrived in Boston early Friday afternoon with time to take the T to my hotel and get some lunch before heading over to Hynes Convention Center. I made a mental note how long it took me to get from the hotel to the T stop (approx. 15 min), and where the nearest Dunkin’s was (right around the corner from the station).

The convention officially ran from 5-9 pm Friday night, but VIP ticket holders and volunteers (like me!) could get in earlier. I showed up, went through this cool entrance

and found the table to sign in as a volunteer. They checked me off the list and gave me my wristband and T-shirt as the rules were explained to me:

1) The wristband is my ticket for all three days. If I lose said wristband, I will need to pay to come in for any remaining days. The guards will not recognize me. I AM NOT TO LOSE MY WRISTBAND!

2) The T-Shirt I now have is to be worn when I am “on the clock”. I can take the shirt off once I sign out for the day, or for a break. I do not need the shirt to enter the convention, but the shirt tells everyone I am working. It is preferred, but not required, to wear a shirt under this shirt as I may be wearing this shirt all three days. If I lose said shirt, I will not be able to get another one. I AM NOT TO LOSE MY SHIRT!

3) The minimum time I am required to work throughout the show is 10 hours. I could work more if I wish, but the 10 hour minimum is necessary to a) earn a swag bag and b) be allowed to volunteer again at future events. IF I WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN, I MUST WORK AT LEAST 10 HOURS!

I eagerly nodded my dorkish head in agreement and donned both wristband and T-Shirt. No sooner did I turn around after storing my bag and jacket when two men walked up to me and asked where the Artist Alley was.

I suddenly realized the power of the Volunteer Shirt.

I looked for someone to ask and told them that the convention hadn’t officially started yet, and one of the men told me that he’s an artist (David Quiles, artist of Bare Knuckled Fighter and Caesar of Brooklyn). A more experienced volunteer came to my rescue.

I worked my way into the hall, taking pictures along the way…

There’s the General Lee!

There’s the Batmobile and Batcycle!

There’s Jabba the Hut!

There’s…HOLY CRAP!!

I put my camera away after I took this shot just as these two people met another two people dressed the exact same way! I fumbled to get my camera back out while they walked around each other. By the time I was ready, they had moved on. DAMN!

Many of the artists’ booths were still getting set up, and I found myself at Arthur Suydam’s table. Suydam’s nowhere to be found, but there’s another guy there who told me he’s a sculptor and was showing off his work along with Suydam’s. Apparently, this guy sculpted head models based on Suydam’s work and was selling them at the show.

I had to take a few pics of those!

Then Suydam came back to the table.

Note: I hate zombies. I don’t mean hate as in “just don’t like”, I mean hate the way Indiana Jones hates snakes kind of hate. So when Marvel Zombies came out, I was in shock. My beloved Marvel Universe characters have been turned into my greatest dislike – And THIS was the guy responsible!

I gathered up my courage and as politely as possible thanked him for turning my most beloved characters and covers into images of shock and horror. He laughed, and I walked away most satisfied.

I wandered into the retailer’s area and was asked to help bring up some wares for one of the booths from the garage. Not knowing how this would be accomplished, I followed other Volunteer Shirt wearers to some elevators I hadn’t noticed. We went down to the garage and loaded cases and cases of artwork onto dollies and brought them back upstairs. The vendor needed additional tables to set up, so I went around and found some tables stacked behind a curtain. I was pulling one out when a couple guys came up to me and asked what I was doing.

“Getting a table for one of the vendors,” I said.

“Well who told you to get it?”

“The vendor,” I replied.

“You need to let us do that,” they said.

It was then that I realized these guys were workers of the Convention Center, and it was their job to get the tables, curtains, tablecloths and whatever else was needed for the booths. I apologized repeatedly and let them take over.

I went back to the vendor and helped his two assistants set milk crates out onto the tables and put the right portfolios of work in the appropriate order. As I was about to leave, the vendor thanked my and handed me $10. According to Wizard’s rules, there was nothing preventing me from accepting it, so I did. He asked if I would be around all weekend and I told him I would. Especially since Bill Sienkiewicz’s table was right next door (who wasn’t there, but I was told he would be Saturday).

I also met Dirk Tiede (creator of Paradigm Shift), Shawn Corliss (Writer, Penciller and Colorist of Defending Tavyr: Book 1: The Risk Worth Taking), E. J. Barnes (Artist and Writer of Blaster Al Ackerman’s Tales of the Ling Maste; Birds of the Baltic and How Dear To Me Is Sleep), C. J. Henderson (Writer of Brooklyn Knight) and Mike McKone (Artist of Teen Titans; JLA/JLI; Fantastic Four and Punisher: War Zone).

It was a great afternoon, and I really got to see the “behind the scenes” activity at these shows. By 9:00, I was getting hungry, so I followed the crowd across the street to The Pour House for the Drink and Draw event.



TO BE CONTINUED…

Bedbugs...

I'm a traveler by nature. I like going to new places and doing new things. One thing that's been holding me back...is money But the other thing has been bedbugs.

I bring this up because my last Great Excursion to a Great New Thing was the trip I took to Boston last fall for the Wizard New England Comic Con at Hynes Convention Center. And the reason I/ve been dragging my feet writing about it has been...

That was the biggest disappointment about the trip.

My wife, who hates travelling, forced me to check my mattress (which I did) put my suitcase on the desk in the room (which I also did) and keep everything wrapped in plastic (which I also also did).

It's a good thing I listened to her, because I was lucky enough not to bring them home with me. But they were there, and they were nasty.

I hope to go back to Boston for another convention at some point...but I'll do a little more research into where to stay next time.

So - there's the worst part of the event over and done with!

Now on to the rest of it...

The Bad...and The Good

THE BAD:
I found out recently that the Wizard New England Con has been rescheduled to later in October - which means I have to change my vacation week.

THE GOOD:
My boss doesn't have a problem with the change.

I’m Going!

I’m planning to attend the New England Wizard Comic Con from Friday 10/1, through Sunday 10/3 in Boston…

…and they’re looking for volunteers.

I have no idea when they’ll need me.
I have no idea what they’ll have me do.

What I do know is that they’ll want me for a minimum of 10 hours over the course of the show.

The times of the event over all three days haven’t been posted yet, but the Toronto Con is from 12 to 8 Friday, 10 to 7 Saturday and 10 to 5 Sunday, so I’m assuming they’re looking for help as early as 10 am Friday.

No one is slated to appear yet, and the only event scheduled so far is the presenting of the Inkwell Awards...



...which until now have only been presented online. Now I don’t know much about today’s inkers…or inkers in general, but I’ll be well versed by Con time.

I’ll keep updating this info as it comes in, but one thing is for certain:

No matter what events take place, no matter who is planned to appear, no matter how many vendors take part…

…I’m Going!

It’s Official…

I’m very excited about this. I missed the first one Wizard hosted in Boston several years ago, and regretted it ever since because they never had a second one.

It’s for the first weekend in October, 2010 - the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and will be at the Hynes Convention Center.

Tickets are on sale now for $45 for all three days, or $25 per day, and are available here.

See how I was able to test my ability to hyperlink?

My issues now are how to get there and where to stay, but I have time to plan it out. I have no idea who’ll be there, and I don’t care. I’m not missing out again.

So a big Thanks to all the people of Wizard for doing this, and here’s hoping they’ll be able to do it again next year.