Greetings and salutations fellow nerds. Many conventions have opted to go virtual this year, including the illustrious San Diego Comic Con (SDCC). This week’s batch of questions features conventions! Links of note will be listed under Further Reading.
Have you been to a convention and if so, how many?
I only started going to conventions in the last 4-5 years. My first ever “big girl” convention was Gen Con. Gen Con is in Indianapolis, usually late July/early August, and it specializes in board games. I have gone to that three times. I volunteered at a smaller convention called ValorCon for two years. I think it was supposed to be like Gen Con, as it also focused on board games. This year I went to C2E2 for the first time. The vibe I got from that was comics and pop culture. So, total is currently six instances, but only three different conventions.Â
What was the last convention you went to?
This year I went to C2E2, which was immediately before we went into lockdown.
What is your favourite convention memory?
At C2E2, I bought a piece of art from the Artist Alley that gave me an Ig from Horns impression. It very strongly resembled Daniel Radcliffe from the movie adaptation. I even asked her if she read Horns or watched the movie, she said no. On a lark I decided I wanted to take it to Joe Hill to get it signed, since I was going there next anyway. I asked the artist if it was ok if I could have him sign it, since I didn’t want to disrespect her work in any way but felt that he needed to see it. She gave me the ok, so off I went. I get in line and present it for an autograph, but I tell him very seriously that this is not fan art, and therefore please only sign the back. He geeked out over it and was more than willing to comply. He even took a picture and put it up on his Instagram, which was so nice of him to do. 11/10 would recommend meeting him if you like his work, absolute wholesome human being. Also, support this artist, she’s awesome. I honestly hope they end up collaborating on something someday.
Which convention would you love to go to?
I can’t say I have a convention bucket list. I would want to go to SDCC once for the experience, but I’m not married to that at all. There’s also a true crime convention called CrimeCon that debuted in Indy in 2017. I don’t know if it’s in Florida now forever, but I would want to try that once, too. Admittedly, I’m not as deep into true crime media (outside of books) as I used to be.
On a smaller scale, I have never been to ACen. I’ve always felt like I would be out of place, since I don’t keep up with anime and don’t follow any studios or voice actors in any serious capacity. Next year, if conditions allow, mayhap I’ll go.
I would 110% do C2E2 again, I think I like it better than Gen Con, ha!
Who are you hoping to see at a convention next?
After meeting both Joe Hill and Karl Urban (my primary reasons for even going to C2E2), that’s hard to top.Â
I’ve always had this dream panel in my head where Sam Kean, Mary Roach, and Deborah Blum would sit down and talk nerdy science nonfiction. It would be on food science, seeing as both Roach and Blum have covered areas in that field. Kean could be convinced to talk about it, he wrote a book on the periodic table, so he could work elements into it somehow. I would be first in line to buy a ticket for that.
What is your favourite purchase from a convention?
I don’t have a favorite thing, but I had the most fun shopping at C2E2. My favorite pickups from that convention were the comic books. I got:
- Hexagon #1
- Neon Future Volume 1
- The Bible 2
- Jiu Jitsu Jesus
- Treasures of the Deep Slumber #1Â
Further Reading
Seriously Geeky Sundays July Questions
https://www.joehillfiction.com/