Alright I’m just gonna babble for a bit. I’ve been visiting some cons now that a few of them have relaxed their stances on the pandemic. One of my first was the Philadelphia Fan Expo. Saw plenty of people including this one indie studio with content I grew to like called Junction City Comics. I also had a bounty of Warren Ellis’s Hellstorm and a Man-Thing omnibus. Hopefully Werewolf By Night will allow more of Marvel’s horror characters to have a bigger audiences, especially the Macabre Muck Monster. In any case, the ride home ended up turning into another adventure of sorts. Hopefully the next one I visit won’t be as eventful. But I am gonna miss free parking at the train station for rides into Philly.
As for the next cons I visited starting with one of the two Lehigh Valley Comic Cons… not as exciting and really gave me a little perspective.
The highlights were definitely the cosplayers. At the two Lehigh ones I visited, seeing the superheroes from Peacemaker and Aquaman on a hoverboard and a fish on wheels following behind him were some of the best impressions. Would I like to dress up in a costume? Maybe, but not one I would make. Those cost a lot of money that I don’t have to spare. I means Cons practically take all of your hard earned cash anyway.
There are also times I found great deals on rare games. Some like Jade Cocoon and El Shaddai I can find for a real bargain. Way less than eBay or Amazon anyway.
What I really like to find at cons are chances to find discounted omnibuses. Before Marvel started to release these for $40 digitally, these were often the best deals. But until the next Lehigh, I didn’t have so much luck. And that was when I found Dennis O’Neal’s The Question.
But the stuff I really put my hopes in are the artist alleys, full of indie creators trying their hands at getting their content out. At the first LCCC of the year, I came across superhero age comic book love letter Captain Clockwork and its chronology trade. But I also find indie creators whose works, I can’t enjoy as much. From dull coloring, monologues, and storytelling that really isn’t that interesting. I didn’t feel irritation, I felt pity. These creators were trying their hardest with encouragement from what fans and opportunities they can get. But most of the time, I couldn’t find a reason to financially support them. Well… except one creator whose work is on GlobalComix.
As for me, sometimes aside from those feelings of pity, I could also feel a little lonely. A friend I usually go to these with is still stuck in quarantine because he and his parents are the most at risk of Covid. They’re waiting for a chance for their next booster to have even a chance of getting back some normalcy. And me… well I’ve found that my social handicap has more control of my life than I thought. I tried to make conversation with people but after a sentence or two, I couldn’t follow it up. And everybody I had even a simple conversation with just went along with other activities besides me. I can feel the empty seat my friend left behind who could find ways to keep a conversation going even when I didn’t join.
I’ll still be visiting other cons like the Super Jersey Comic Expo and the Scranton Comic Book Convention. But none of the major ones like NYCC. Even if I pledged to Bad Idea Comic’s recent Kickstarter. I’d have considered doing it more like I did with SDCC. If they didn’t send emails a week or days before the event! For someone like me, it’s better to plan these many months in advance than go on an impulse.
Sigh… But I should probably not set expectations so high to come away disappointed.