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Fan Expo 2006
Sep. 4th, 2006 08:07 pmI ended up going to Fan Expo in Toronto this year. Because I wanted to sync up my visits with a co-worker, I got the weekend pass. To justify the expense, I attended several of the "star" Q&A panels. I can't say they did much for me, but then I'm not that enamoured with actors. Most of the comic book panels I attended were just shilling the latest products from Marvel and DC.
Of course, I'm neither rich or insane enough to spend hundreds of dollars to see Shatner and Nimoy. I was talking to a woman though who was apparently either rich enough or insane enough to spend that kind of cash. She told me Kirk and Spock didn't look up when signing the autographs, and for the photo op, the people were led in behind the actors and who never turned their heads to acknowledge there was someone behind them. "It could have easily been a photo with two cardboard standees of the actors," she said.
In other words, it was very corporate.
It was also a bit odd for me, because I didn't have a real mission in the dealers' room. It would have been nice to get Alan Moore's Lost Girls or that 40 Years of the X-Men DVD-Rom collection (Lost Girls had sold out by the time I went to buy it, and I never did see the DVD-Rom collection of 40 years worth of X-Men comics). But I didn't have a specific mission. In previous years, I was buying Robin Hood comics of the 1950s for some academic papers and personal interest. But I've got all the ones I can reasonably afford. So, I just bought some mildly interesting collections in the 50-percent off bin.
Not that the convention was a total drag, however. I was very, very impressed by Brian Michael Bendis's discussion of the Art of Writing in comics. I saw there was some helpful advice, general thoughts and good personal anecdotes. Geoff Johns had a similar panel, but it wasn't quite as good.
And a pleasant surprise was the Friday night showing of Sidekick - a low budget indie Canadian film, financed by maxing out credit cards. Yes, it shows the low budget and the filmmakers' inexperience, but I also got a sense of tremendous potential. Give them some time, practice and a decent budget, and these guys will do great things. I also had a chance to stop by their table and offer my congratulations. Here's their website http://www.sidekickmovie.com/ I strongly recommend seeing this film when it comes out on DVD this November.
I was also impressed by my co-worker's ability to get past the major financial hit he took when his car was damaged. I let small stuff get to me, and it's amazing to see people push through something big like that with fewer complains. Of course, much of my anger is my frustration and not changing the things that I could change in my life or the things I could at least attempt to change in society. My cowardice in fighting battles that I could win makes me get snippy at small slights that I should just let go.
I was planning to write some thoughts good and bad about the theatre I've seen this summer, but a friend beat me to the punch. And I figured I'd wait before saying negative things about a certain now-defunct show. But on the positive side, I'd just like to say again that the London production of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George was absolutely superb. Unlike some shows, the elaborate effects actually contributed to the characters and themes of the show. (This was probably because there actually was characterization and themes in Sunday, unlike some productions I could name.)
And every time I hear the song "Move On" (damn you, K! You've got me playing cast recordings!), I keep thinking about pulling down my website. But then, I've thought like that for a year or two now. The line from Sunday about "I've outgrown what I can do" really hits home.
And for the geeks reading this, the lead actor in Sunday was Daniel Evans who played the rocket scientist in The Christmas Invasion. Evans' co-star in Sunday was in the previous Dr. Who story shouting at Captain Jack "you lied to me - the bullets don't work!" right before the Daleks exterminated her.
Allen
Of course, I'm neither rich or insane enough to spend hundreds of dollars to see Shatner and Nimoy. I was talking to a woman though who was apparently either rich enough or insane enough to spend that kind of cash. She told me Kirk and Spock didn't look up when signing the autographs, and for the photo op, the people were led in behind the actors and who never turned their heads to acknowledge there was someone behind them. "It could have easily been a photo with two cardboard standees of the actors," she said.
In other words, it was very corporate.
It was also a bit odd for me, because I didn't have a real mission in the dealers' room. It would have been nice to get Alan Moore's Lost Girls or that 40 Years of the X-Men DVD-Rom collection (Lost Girls had sold out by the time I went to buy it, and I never did see the DVD-Rom collection of 40 years worth of X-Men comics). But I didn't have a specific mission. In previous years, I was buying Robin Hood comics of the 1950s for some academic papers and personal interest. But I've got all the ones I can reasonably afford. So, I just bought some mildly interesting collections in the 50-percent off bin.
Not that the convention was a total drag, however. I was very, very impressed by Brian Michael Bendis's discussion of the Art of Writing in comics. I saw there was some helpful advice, general thoughts and good personal anecdotes. Geoff Johns had a similar panel, but it wasn't quite as good.
And a pleasant surprise was the Friday night showing of Sidekick - a low budget indie Canadian film, financed by maxing out credit cards. Yes, it shows the low budget and the filmmakers' inexperience, but I also got a sense of tremendous potential. Give them some time, practice and a decent budget, and these guys will do great things. I also had a chance to stop by their table and offer my congratulations. Here's their website http://www.sidekickmovie.com/ I strongly recommend seeing this film when it comes out on DVD this November.
I was also impressed by my co-worker's ability to get past the major financial hit he took when his car was damaged. I let small stuff get to me, and it's amazing to see people push through something big like that with fewer complains. Of course, much of my anger is my frustration and not changing the things that I could change in my life or the things I could at least attempt to change in society. My cowardice in fighting battles that I could win makes me get snippy at small slights that I should just let go.
I was planning to write some thoughts good and bad about the theatre I've seen this summer, but a friend beat me to the punch. And I figured I'd wait before saying negative things about a certain now-defunct show. But on the positive side, I'd just like to say again that the London production of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George was absolutely superb. Unlike some shows, the elaborate effects actually contributed to the characters and themes of the show. (This was probably because there actually was characterization and themes in Sunday, unlike some productions I could name.)
And every time I hear the song "Move On" (damn you, K! You've got me playing cast recordings!), I keep thinking about pulling down my website. But then, I've thought like that for a year or two now. The line from Sunday about "I've outgrown what I can do" really hits home.
And for the geeks reading this, the lead actor in Sunday was Daniel Evans who played the rocket scientist in The Christmas Invasion. Evans' co-star in Sunday was in the previous Dr. Who story shouting at Captain Jack "you lied to me - the bullets don't work!" right before the Daleks exterminated her.
Allen
