Ah, Comicon (Emerald City, of course). Such a lovely weekend. I think I had it figured out this year. Despite being a weekend in the middle of complete work insanity, I managed to do 3 days without being completely wiped out. I think the 3 day pass, without actually spending the full 3 days there is ideal. There is enough time to prioritize the panels you care about attending, try something new, and really explore the floor (which seems to have gotten even more massive than the last time I was there). Here are some highlights:
Friday Night discovery:
Friday I got there after work, so the only main stage panel I attended was the live broadcast of Welcome to Nightvale, which was the late event (8pm) and was followed by a showing of the Thrilling Adventure Hour. More on that amazing discovery in a second. Have I told you about Welcome to Nightvale? Or maybe you've seen Maureen tweet about it? It's a podcast, and it's a little hard to describe, but it is well worth the effort. The host, Cecil, is a local radio host who gives small town updates about a highly unusually town in a manner that indicates that a mayoral race between Hiram McDaniels (the 5 headed dragon) and The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home is perfectly normal. The live show was brief, but great. Molly Quinn who plays Alexis on Castle made a guest appearance as the voice of another local radio station that reads numbers 24 hours a day, but has gone through a recent change. So that was great and I definitely recommend the podcast. What came next on the screen (the podcast was live) is something that I need to explore further, but let's see if I can describe it. The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a radio show in an Old West style. There is an acting troupe that are the main players, and in this particular special (and I think most of their shows) amazing special guests: Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Busy Phillips, Josh Malina, and more I don't even know because it was getting late and it was time to go. I believe they are releasing this special to purchase or stream or something soon, and we'll be watching. Because there were cowboys and robots and Martians and singing. It was amazing.
So that was Friday, and I didn't even mention Adult Origami or wandering around on the floor.
Saturday: main stage and gaming
I was texting you from the floor on Saturday morning, so you already know about the peak of nerdiness, voice actors performing scenes from Empire Strikes Back in their iconic voices. Bart Simpson as Leia in the classic "you're a scoundrel scene" is pretty unforgettable. That was followed by Stephen Amell from Arrow, who was charming and engaging and as hot as he is on TV. I took a break after that, wandered, ate, and headed back to catch Mark Sheppard and Alan Tudyk. Mark Sheppard is as awesome as you would hope the guy who plays all those brilliant characters on all those nerdy fandom generating shows would be. And he was certainly almost as snarky, while being genuine in his appreciation for the career he's had where he gets to work on these shows that have such a powerful fan reaction. He was also the only person I saw who didn't have a moderator. The King of Hell obviously doesn't need that. Also, he was pretty clear that he wouldn't say anything true about what is coming up, so I was only subject to mild Supernatural spoilers. For Alan Tudyk, the hall was packed and almost all the questions were about Firefly. Because the Browncoats come out in droves for their people. He was pretty amazing overall, but my three favorite things were:
1) Learning that he did the voice for King Candy in Wreck It Ralph and the Duke of Weaselton in Frozen, and listening to him periodically do the voices.
2) His bag of shit. Not actual shit, just miscellaneous crap he probably took off a desk/counter at home. He kept pulling out boarding passes, script pages, and some video games from a friend, signing them, and handing them out to whoever asked the question, saying each time, “have some shit!”
3) The final question was from a young kid who was dressed as Wash, complete with two dinosaurs that a very smart parent had tied to his pants, who was invited up on stage so they could re-enact the “curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal" scene. It was pretty amazing.
Post panels it was off to the gaming area to learn Fluxx (which you will learn when you get home, the parentals are hooked, Mom texted me today to make sure I bring it home this weekend) and Munchkin (which you & Sarah & I are going to play, it’s a little more involved, and infinitely nerdier, but I think the parentals could get it after a bit). Both of which I bought, obviously.
Sunday - Work, work work
So I went into work that day, but then I went back, ready to make my purchases and a final loop on the floor. I love buying things straight from the artist who is so excited to ask “would you like me to sign it?” and they all draw pictures with their signatures. It was awesome. The day ended with the adorable and hilarious (and I’ll say it, adorkable) Karen Gillan. Lots of super cute little kids asked questions, which was highly entertaining. The best was a very earnest little boy who asked if she played the 9 year old version of Amy Pond as well. She kept it together very well to answer, and then said that it was actually her cousin that played young Amelia. They were having trouble finding a ginger with her “weird accent” and she said, well, I have a cousin? And that was that.
All in all, a very successful comicon weekend.
TV things have been happening, although I’m a little behind. Are you current with New Girl? I was concerned going into this week, but I think it was one of the funniest episodes in a while. Once Upon a Time is continuing well… but I am nervous about who else they are going to kill off. But really, let’s get to what is all happening… SHIELD. Or, the TV show formerly known as SHIELD?
I am continuing on assuming you made it to Captain America AND watched this week’s episode. If not, spoilers will follow.
We good?
Now?
Okay. Totally was sure about Fury. Nobody really dies. Well, some people. But not really. They can always come back. It’s like a soap opera, but with magic/science. My gut reaction to Ward, was hostility, but it didn’t last. I actually think it works really well. His character was definitely lacking something before, and this explains that very well. Plus, I think it was his feelings for Skye, which are definitely real despite whatever else his issues are and why he is loyal to Bill Paxton, that had begun to give him some depth. I think they will continue to do so. I love Agent May, so I hope that they get that all figured out. I think Coulson’s inability to forgive her really shows how much his character has changed over time (in a way that makes sense with all that has happened to him), as a pre-Tahiti Coulson (or even an early in the season Coulson) would have been much more understanding of the whole “following Fury’s orders” thing. But it’s a whole new ball game now. Bill Paxton is a great bad guy. He was a good addition before he was the bad guy, and now it’s perfect. I think that the woman who was following the Clairvoyant that they busted out of prison could be turned. She has respect for Coulson, and she was definitely put off by the whole lack of a Clairvoyant. The money guy was easy to turn back around with a powerful toy, but I suspect the woman will be more complex. As always Fitz & Simmons are my favorites. Just can’t wait to see what happens next! And for more movies! And all the things!
Captain America review? I thought it was really good, and not just because of how it all tied into the show, I think they did a good job. I was initially skeptical about this whole multi-movie sort of connected thing, but they (and let’s be honest, Joss) have really managed to make movies that stand alone, but make you want to watch them all and see them come together in the Avengers and the show. I still haven’t watched Thor, but it’s coming to one of my 8 million premium channels soon, so I will.
Sarah has run off to Neverland with Captain Hook to fight Peter Pan. When she gets back, we’re going to make a Fairy Tale version of Munchkin, because it should be a thing.
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