It was the last day of Comikaze, and it was the shortest day of the convention, closing out at 5pm. But before I drove off to Los Angeles, I started my morning with an extra hour of sleep. It was like Christmas came early, as I woke up feeling better than the day before. So with a spring in my step, I primped, and prepped, and pounced into the Los Angeles Convention center for one last romp.
My quest started off with a Gotham screening and Q A. Well, needless to say, the episode took up most of the time with very little of that left for some questions. Unfortunately I could not stay long as I wanted to hit the showroom floor one last time to purchase something. With the fewer people there, it was easy to see the wares, and there was something for everyone. T-shirts, prints, comics, weapons, costumes, video games, anime, and so much more. It catered to almost everything a geek can get geeky over. I was thinking about buying a bow, but I was too little, too late, as the bow shop had shut down. Probably sold a ton of those amazing wooden bows. Next time.
Along my trek through the aisles I did see Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Cassandra Peterson. All I can tell you is that she looks beautiful! I mean, time has treated her really well, because at 63, she was crazy hot. Alas, I tried taking a picture, but it’s like looking at a blurry redhead. I may have to invest in a real camera. And no, I was not going to wait in a line to get a picture.
Now, as much as I enjoyed this convention, I must admit that it was not particularly friendly to the guerilla Press, where all I had was my phone and a mic. Pictures and autographs were at a price, and I am but a humble, frugal nerd, and celebrities were ushered out so quickly that when you got a whiff of them being around, they were gone. A small quibble, because I’m sure that the regular attendees who were in the right place at the right time got the pictures and even spoke with the likes of Jewel Staite.
There were a couple of other panels that I attended, like Secret of the Flash and the Voice Actors panel, both of which were entertaining. The Flash panel was hosted by the folks at the Geek History Lesson podcast. It was informative, funny, and cool to see those fine people in person. The Voice Actors panel was a must see, due in part because of the professional impressions and funny scenarios, but mostly to witness voice actors in their element. They even had a Q A afterward, but I knew I needed to get in line if I wanted to see John Barrowman.
I should not have been surprised that the line was massive. But it was not the line that I was disappointed with, but it was with myself. For on the way to that line, I passed by a familiar face. It took a second to register that it was not just another pretty face, but someone I “knew” on Twitter. It took me a moment to register this information and turn around, but alas, a missed opportunity to speak to someone cool. Ah well, there is always next convention?
The day continued on with little else to keep my interest. The cosplayers continued to amaze with all of the Doctors, Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and other characters from anime I’ve never seen. There was one cosplayer there, though, who always annoys me. It’s a larger gentleman who paints himself green and twirls a towel around while yelling, “Wooo! Wooo!” I think I used to know who the guy was supposed to be, but it doesn’t matter. He’s at every convention, trying to be a troll, I presume, because I don’t think I ever see the guy in the showroom. He’s just amongst the other cosplayers trying to get attention.
In the end, it was a satisfying three days, where I got to meet some amazing people, saw awesome things, and had the opportunity to talk about it on this blog and on the podcasts. I may have done the whole Press thing wrong, because in all honesty, there was not much guidance on what I could do, but it was a joy all the same. I am looking forward to doing this again next year. Thank you Comikaze. Excelsior!
