GenCon vs. Comic-Con or Apples vs. Zombies

I know I’ve already blogged a bit about GenCon, but as I sit and reflect over some of the experiences I thought I would share some of the moments for those. Today I started out arriving a bit early because I had a few things I wanted to accomplish…the first was more rings for Cecil’s chainmail. Once that was accomplished (I have the tools, and know how to make simple monkey chainmail) I headed out to the exhibit hall which was not going to open for about 30 minutes.

At Comic-Con this would have been a crowd of thousands all pushing and shoving, here it was an orderly crowd waiting around. When the door opened we calmly walked in showing our badges. No yelling, no cursing… That has been one thing I have noticed about GenCon, how the attendees definitely have some idea of personal space. At Comic-Con it seemed like everyone was focused on themselves, pushing & shoving & crowding every available foot of space. If you were in the way, tough luck. Stop to get a photo of something? Expect someone to walk through your shot. At GenCon people maybe in their own little world, but they understand that there are other people around. Maybe it’s the whole Midwest attitude vs. West coast attitude. Maybe it has something to do with space, there are around a quarter of the people for GenCon and most of those are sitting in rooms playing games, but I have to say I liked it. It was nice to be able to find a place to sit down (not the floor) and relax. People who could find a gaming space in a room took a table in a public space. There were also people zonked out on benches (not the homeless) when I entered the convention center, warriors sound asleep after a night of fighting dragons.

So what did I do today? Once I entered the exhibit hall? I decided to see about learning something about one the juggernauts of non-roleplaying games- Catan. It’s a simple gain so many points game with the mechanism for gaining points being settling a land by gaining resources and trading. Actually pretty simple with a lot of options for strategy and expansion. Which to me is what makes for a good game. After watching an abbreviated game I understand why it has such a following. I will be purchasing a set for my classroom in the near future.

Cecil in his chainmail learns to play Catan at GenCon 2011

After that I headed over to WizKids games (again) this time I wanted to demo the Star Trek: Expeditions game which sadly (since I own it) was a mistake. I was able to play as Dr. McCoy which was kind of cool, but the game mechanic was a little clunky for a group of first timers, this was compounded by the fact the expert from WizKids deserted us after a quick cursory explanation so he could demo Star Trek: Fleet Captains, a more expensive game. We ended up lost after a few turns either making up the rules or scrambling to ask anyone who looked official for help. While our questions were answered, the person usually ran off so within 3 minutes we would be asking for help from someone else. It was during one of these searches that I noticed there was only one table with Expeditions running and the majority of tables either had Quarriors or Fleet Captains. Oh, and a quick note for those HeroClix fans- here was no demo of HeroClix or the fancy 3-D playing fields that once graced the booth in Cons past. Once one of the other players fumbled for an excuse to leave, the demo was over.

I entered my last session (Education & Games) and was very pleased with the content and discussion. I have decided that I really need to look at starting a gaming club at school this year if time permits (then again I also want to do a comic club). I’m sure I will comment on both once I get them started.

So comparing both Cons would seem easy, they both deal with the geek community, but that is only the surface and frankly, they are as different as apples & zombies. San Diego is massive and because of that size makes it completely chaotic. It seems like most people who attend are focused on getting stuff or being seen. While it still deals with comics the sessions that get the most play are those dealing with movies & television. As Wil Wheaton (name dropping) commented “I started going to Comic-Con when it was about comics.”

GenCon is a gaming convention… So it caters to a different kind of geek. While there is overlap, these folks are into taking a more active role in their imaginary world. They seemed to be a kinder lot. I’m not going to stereotype them as the kind that tended to get picked on in school, but I wouldn’t bet against it. For most they buy their tickets and plan for 4 days of gaming, not partying, not hanging out with this “star” or that. Yes, you need a ticket to get into various sessions some cost more than others. Teddybear Chainmailing $18, Games & Education $0. This seems to be their way to keep from having the Hall H, or Ballroom 20 issues of Comic-Con. Tickets go fast for some things… This year I finally got up the courage to get some tickets- next year, who knows? I might actually play a game. Gamers do have their cliques, just as comic book people divide themselves into groups, gamers do too- it seems like human nature.

So which is better? I’d love to see more comics at GenCon, for me that could do it. As a teacher, I really wish there were more sessions at both on using games & comics in education. Then again I tend to not make it to Sunday at either con which is set aside as “Family/Kid’s Day”. The trade day at GenCon is a great way to focus on teachers and give us a track of programs to gather like minds together. C2E2 did this the first year, but it was kind of weak this past year. Comic-Con was difficult to find and what they had seemed to be squished into Sunday.

There are many different kinds of geeks out there… Here seem to to be many different Cons out there too.

Comic-Con Without a Badge

As you may have heard, a certain person (who runs this website) received their ‘professional’ credentials for Comic-Con this year.  Unfortunately, as a new ‘professional’ there was no way for him to get extra badges so I ended up in San Diego without a badge.  Knowing this going in, I had made alternate plans to keep myself occupied.  Trust me, I needn’t have worried – there was plenty to keep a ‘Comic-Con Muggle’ busy without venturing anywhere near the exhibit hall!

When we got in to town on Wednesday, we headed directly to check-in at the convention center.  Since Bruce had his paperwork in order I just tagged along through the process.  After Bruce received his badge we continued through the line and we were both handed the awesomely huge Warner Brothers Comic-Con bags that (almost) everyone carried through the week.  Even without a badge, I sure looked official!

There was plenty of time before ‘Preview Night’ so we wandered through the Gaslamp District to people watch and grab some food.  We stopped at the Chuck Jones Gallery, got some swag, and ultimately ended up at Nicky Rotten’s for food before Bruce headed back into the mayhem.  Because it had been a long day, I sat and read while he did his thing – it was a lovely, cool evening so all was good.

Thursday was to be Bruce’s big day at the Con so I dropped him off and went geocaching – that way he didn’t need to worry about me.  But, a friend had told us about a Cirque du Soleil event to be held at Comic-Con that evening so we decided to meet up and attend.

When I got back into town, I took some time to explore an area for upcoming movies located in a parking lot adjacent to where I parked.  The movie Cowboys & Aliens (to premiere in San Diego Saturday night) partnered with 7-11 and they were giving away Slurpees and promotional items.  Then there was the giant inflatable Smurf, the shark movie area, and the dog on the remote control motorcycle (don’t ask).  Eventually Bruce and I hooked up and he was stopped to receive some quite interesting swag – deodorant (trust me, he wasn’t the only one)!

We went for pizza at a place Cartoon Network rented out and redid to look like the cartoon Adventure Time (there were also restaurants taken over by SyFy- the Cafe Diem, NBC- The Playboy Club, not to mention various video games).

Cirque Du Soleil was probably the low point of the Con.  Billed as ‘Battle at Comic-Con’ it was to be a 3-D Battle from the show Ka.  We’d heard so much about Cirque from friends that we thought it would be amazing.  The lawn near Petco Park was packed and people were really excited about the show.  First it started a half-hour after it was billed then there were technical difficulties.  But, probably the most disappointing was shortly after it started I thought, “I wonder what they’re going to do for the battle” and then it was the end!  Complete showtime less than 5-minutes.  After this show, I just don’t see the allure of Cirque.

Friday I did take a break and Bruce and I explored Balboa Park in the late afternoon.

Saturday we spent some time wandering downtown.  We ran into the Zombie Walk (remember, Zombies=bad), the Top Gear America theater (no, we didn’t go in since it wasn’t the BBC version), and saw NerdHQ.  This was all before the geocaching Comic-Con Meet-n-Greet.  This was held in a park near the SouthPark theme area that we never even had time to visit.

After the meet-n-greet we headed up to the 4th & B theater for the Nerdist Podcast Live with Dr. Who – excellent!  It was a terrific event with Matt Smith and Karen Gillam as well as special guest star Wil Wheaton (and free burritos at the end)!  I also don’t think I mentioned that the theater was right across the street from the San Diego Civic Center where they were concurrently premiering Cowboys & Aliens!

In all, there were plenty of free things I didn’t see and some ticketed things we didn’t get tickets for.  So, even if I can’t get a badge in 2012, I have a plan to make the most of my Comic-Con time!

Total swag without really trying:  Looney Tunes and Pan Am bags, obnoxiously green Psych sunglasses, blowup sword, Slurpee, Butterfinger bar, bag of PopChips, many, many fliers, coupons, etc.

 

San Diego Comic-Con: Day 2

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Have you ever been on a Disney vacation? You know how after a while you just need a break from the “Happiest Place on Earth”? Today was not that day, but close, I did leave early- don’t fret or feel sorry for me I got everything done that I wanted to today & wore my fez and comic Hawaiian shirt for good measure. Today, I had just a few things on my list most of them required the presence of Jeff Smith. If you do not know or have ever heard of Jeff Smith… I am sorry. I am not talking about the Frugal Gourmet- I speak of the Eisner award winning creator of Bone.

This actually demonstrates the difference between Comic-Con and other comic book conventions. Two years ago I went to C2E2 and after a wonderful breakfast with Sue stopped in to get some things signed by Jeff Smith for my classroom. I was confronted with a sign being held by the person in front of me that read “Last in line for Jeff” I decided to wait… What was one more person? I held onto that sign until today. See at Comic-Con there are lines… Lines to get an autograph of some actor who played in some show that was cancelled after three episodes but has a cult following, that or t-shirts. At Comic-Con comics aren’t that important, so unlike C2E2 I walked up to a rather short line and then had a nice conversation with Jeff Smith who took a picture with Cecil and drew a wonderful piece of artwork below “Last in line for Jeff” and now I am happy. The only other things on my list was a photo with the TARDIS and a copy of Dave Kellett’s wonderful Eisner nominated book. Done & done. The only session I wanted to attend was Jeff Smith’s which I did and that got me thinking. Finally before calling Sue to see about a late lunch I headed up to the Art show and saw some cool things, and some amateurish things, but sadly while taking pictures of some Klingons, Cecil lost his Jayne hat… He no longer has the same control over Firefly fans. Tomorrow will actually be a day away from the Con- but fear not, we will be attending an event (the Nerdist podcast) with the Doctor & Pond in the evening so geekiness will not be avoided.

San Diego Comic-Con: Day 1ish

After advertising that this would be the “Year of No” here I am still stunned that I was given professional status at the San Diego Comic-Con. As I write this Preview Night is but a memory and I am going over my notes from today’s sessions while trying to figure out where all my money went. A brief recap for those interested- I applied for pro status, got it but it was too late to get any guest badges. While I immersed myself in geekdom, Sue was going to go geocaching.
Preview night worked out OK… I gave myself some time to get the lay of the land, while Sue read a bit. After an hour the crowds were getting to be a bit much and I called it a day. What SWAG did I get? Nothing that I can recall- except three SWAG bags from Warner Bros. One Justice League, one Big Bang Theory, and one Looney Tunes. I did go and scan the BBC America QR codes that were part of the Dr. Who scavenger hunt. I am only missing one but can’t find Titan entertainment anywhere. The BBC lists them in the same booth spot as “Unshelved” a great web comic and the Comic-Con app put them in aisle 5500 of the exhibit hall (5400 is the last aisle). So that was about it for preview night. Two years ago Marv Wolfman I believe said that preview night was the new Saturday… With the number of comp passes I saw I can believe it. I can also understand why people with 4 day passes without preview night were not happy.

So, I got up Thursday morning with a plan… All geeked out with my QR code t-shirt and geek vest I set out to do a few things first go to Comic Book Law 101 & next go to David Petersen’s CBDLF master session. Both were fantastic and have gotten me to rethink a few things. One on copyright and the other on the process & tools I ink with. After that it was a day in the exhibit hall which is a very scary place. I think I was able to cover the entire floor, but I could be mistaken. I purchased a few things: Katie Cook’s cat & Gronk books along with a Doozer drawing for Sue. A David Petersen sketchbook. Almost the entire “DC Super Pets” series (the last 4 books will be available tomorrow). Two convention special books from Archaia (Rust & Fraggle Rock) which let me get three books for free (& then lug all of them around for hours & hours). Finally, a complete sketchbooks of Dave Stevens compendium (Dave created “the Rocketeer” one of my favorite comics & movies ever). Now you might look at that list and wonder why I bought sketchbooks and kids books… First I am a teacher so finding new comic material for my classroom is important. The sketchbooks are great because I learn so much seeing how other artists draw, even roughy sketches teach me something. By 4:30 I was exhausted. Sue arrived and we dumped my stuff in the car and wandered having a pizza dinner at a Cartoon Network NY style pizza place. Afterwards we walked around people watching and ended up on the grass waiting for a rather sad Cirque du Soleil performance on the the side of Petco Park.

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Since I had mentioned the Rocketeer here is the infamous monkey with him… Or at least a very good imitation. For those wondering about other pictures I would ask that you visit my Flickr site and as for Cecil, I had a wonderful chat with some steampunk outfitters about getting him a pair of goggles. I (and he) will be overjoyed if we hear back from them after the con.