Apologies for the late response to last weekend's epic nerdgasm that was FanExpo 2010. I do believe I am still regaining composure and crawling back down from the untold highs of fan-girling in a convention setting. Serious.
I have spent the last week gorging myself on new anime series, classic science fiction titles, and stunning graphic novels in an effort to wean myself back onto the real world. I've stabilized enough to dedicate these fingers to the task of re-telling the tales of this pilgrimage, the first foray into the Major Convention Circuit.
And so, we begin in the golden hours of a Sunday morning on the hushed roads of Suburbia...
***
FanExpo, GO!
- Hit the road before 8 AM with a complete survival kit at hand. Sunscreen for the lines: Check. Clever specs: Check. Wads of cash for nerd-related purchases: Oh, sweet double check. I am never loose with my wallet, but, well, these were unchartered territories, kids.
- Arrived chez Advocate for 8:20 AM. Her River Song costume was abandoned last minute (on account of our late night at BuskerFest the night before). Never fear - her tried and true Rose Tyler costume fulfilled her cosplay requirement for the day. Seems the Sonic Screwdriver helped us manage the lines at FanExpo, too, as all Time Lord gear tends to.
- Hopped on the GO Train and made quick work with our navigation skills. We followed quick snatches of Star Wars conversations and neon-coloured cosplayers to Ground Zero: The Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
(Thank goodness the Advocate's lil' Sister advised us of the back entrance. Note: This is NOT the back entrance.)
- Stood outside in line for.... wait for it........ 2 hours. Realized the advantages of pre-order tickets, RE: Waiting in a shorter line for less time. Yes, we were the serfs who bought tickets at the door. This will not be repeated next year. Did I mention it was well over 30C on Aug. 29th?
- Charged inside where we waited for about another hour. The Gods of Long Lines smiled upon us as a Cash Express booth opened before us, placing The Advocate and I at the front of a huge swell of eager, over-heated conventioneers. Spotted a baby Wolverine and baby Iron Man while standing there -- baby Iron Man had the pose down and everything. He has been trained well.
- Experienced a false start to the day. Tickets were sold, then promptly stopped. The serfs were waiting on approval from the fire department. Egads. It is dangerous to toy with a crowd full of cosplayers who do, in fact, have replica weapons on hand. I'm just sayin'.
- I think The Advocate will agree with me when I describe the overload our entrance induced. The press of our people, the stalls crowded with all forms of merchandise, the literal tower of clever, sometimes ironic, pop culture t-shirts luring us with their bright colours -- it far exceeded our experience of Wizard World in March. And we had been inside for all of twelve seconds at that point.
- Met up with The Advocate's sister and another friend -- or, rather, we met up with Minnie Mouse and Sailor Jupiter, to be more accurate. I know, I hang out with all the celebrities at these events.
AND THEN THE BLUR BEGAN. The crowd outside caught up with us in about half an hour and the floors were flooded with staggering numbers of fellow geeks. I heard the first-hand accounts of Saturday's nightmare from Minnie and Jupiter -- the two-person entrance policies, the line-ups for escalators, the general inability to move across the convention floor. Sunday was another test of claustrophobia, but, despite the ruckus, there were still great times to be had and great finds to be made.
(The infamous "Fan Shuffle" was in effect for the afternoon.)
We prowled around the autograph area and - lo - we caught sight of the ever-gorgeous Felicia Day herself. And, I can vouch for the fact that she is even more stunning in real life. I know, I didn't think it was possible either, but, it is, my dears. It still boggles my mind that she is a gamer nerd on top of being an avid reader of current fantasy and sci fi fiction. *Amorous sigh*
Minnie and Jupiter found us a secret spot to eat our lunch in relative peace (we were hanging out with the folks in line to meet William Shatner. Organizers hid them all behind a huge curtain. Serious.) Turned out this was also the spot where the celebrities passed after their signings --> Summer Glau walked within mere inches of our group. I mean, we had to shift our weary legs for her to pass, we were that close. It was more than a little surreal.
Alas, I was out of the area when The Advocate and Minnie had their encounter with Spike (aka. James Marsters). I returned and knew what had passed before a word was even uttered -- their eyes were sparking with that "OHMYGOD, SOMETHINGAMAZINGJUSTHAPPENED ANDYOU'RECRAZYBECAUSEYOUMISSEDIT" energy that only girls can muster. I am told he grinned and said "Hello there" to the sisters. I love it when convention dreams come true, especially when pretty people are involved.In terms of merchandise, I did quite well for myself.
The Haul:
- The first Torchwood tee of the collection. Alas, the smallest size for women's tees were medium. But, "medium" seems to be a rather generous description. Either it will be tailored soon or it will become a night shirt. Bah, I wish these companies would realize girls DO want to purchase apparel at these events. Men's XXL is no longer the standard, people.
- Shin's Vivian Westwood necklace/lighter from Nana. This is now the most embarrassing, yet awesome, possession I own. It is a replica of an item featured in the greatest shoujo manga series of all time. And it is MINE. *Cackles hopelessly*
- The first three volumes of Camilla d'Errico's Tanpopo series. I did not anticipate finding the artist herself with a premium booth at FanExpo, but I was thrilled to stumble across her work there. She is best known for her gorgeous, steampunkish Helmet Girls, but her portfolio has expanded quite a bit in the last few years. Regular readers might recall I first stumbled across her work back in May at TCAF (she did a cover for Cloudscape Comic's Exploded View Vol. 4). Her new series, Tanpopo, follows the adventures of a mysterious girl who makes a pact with the Devil in order to escape the analytical mind in favour of human emotion. Each installment is built around a famous poem drawing Tanpopo further down her path to potential enlightenment. It is gorgeous, as promised. AND, I got each volume autographed with an additional quick sketch in the back of Vol. 3 by Ms. d'Errico herself. *Grin*
***
*Dizzy with remembrance*
It's still such a swirl of wondrous geekery and general niche-based consumerism. It is staggering to see how massive FanExpo has become over the last decade. I know this was the first FanExpo I attended, but, I do know the marketing forces unleashed for 2010 are unrivaled by previous years. It was made quite obvious that even the organizers had not anticipated how far-reaching their advertisement campaign would be. President and CEO, Aman Gupta, even issued an official apology to 2010 attendees for the lines, the problematic floor layout, and the general inconvenience experienced on Saturday in particular. For 2011, the entire South Metro Toronto Convention Centre has been booked, so, here's hoping the event will be more streamlined.
Regardless, the nerds will be there.
And I will be among them.
... Probably sporting that necklace from Nana because I am a blight on all humanity....
** Edit (09/06/10): For those unfamiliar with the Convention Centre layout, here's an overview of the two buildings. FanExpo 2010 was in the North Building (dark blue); in 2011, it will be in the South Building (bluish-grey). Yeah. That's a whole lot of growth in one year.
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