Phoenix Comicon 2014

Phoenix Comicon 2014 has come and gone. It seems that I wait all year for this one weekend and suddenly it's here and just as fast it's gone. I've referred to it as the 3.5 longest shortest days of the year. The days whip by being surrounded by amazing talent and in my case, friends..yet, at the end of the day, the physical exhaustion (and my fitbit!) tell me just how long the day actually was. In fact, even on the shortest day, I averaged walking about 4+ miles each day! No wonder I had some sore feet and legs!

Now...on with the good, the bad and the summary!

The Good -

• Phoenix Comicon got it's fire drill out of the way on Thursday. Granted, it wasn't planned, but it made me chuckle hearing that it not only happened again, but also seeing the jokes regarding Throw Back Thursday - PCC fire alarm.
• Expansion - Over the past few years, the convention has grown and had begun to stretch the fabric of space and time..or at least the sections of the convention center that were rented for the event. This year, the good folks in charge made some pretty big changes! Entire sections of street outside the convention center were closed off for various events. Registration was moved over to the South building and I believe that they even held a few panels over there. On top of that, there were still things happening in the North and West buildings as well as the Hyatt and the Sheraton. It meant for more walking but helped a lot with crowd control issues.
• The App! - I was super excited when I heard through the grapevine that there was a conquest app for this year. I've loved the conquest in the past, but being able to have it on my phone and not print things out was fantastic. I did hear some complaints about it not working, but it did for me and was really handy.
• Scheduling - I am a huge fan in the fact that PCC places a 30 minute gap between all of their panels. This allows for some movement time. Also, if you look at their schedule within the programming guide, it's laid out in categories, so if you're only interested in anime,  you look at that column. If you're interested in comics, you look there. It saved me a ton of time when I was sleepily trying to decide which panels to attend the following day.
• Friends - For me, this convention has become a where's waldo adventure of trying to find where various friends and folks that I enjoy are located. It can be frustrating, but when I do find them, there are hugs and laughs and lots of catching up being done. 
• Costumes - Holy canole do people come out with the most amazing things! I could spend hours just looking at all of the amazing costumes that people come up with. I don't always recognize the characters but I appreciate the time, effort and passion that goes into making one of them. Not to mention the dedication of wearing some of them in 108 degree temperatures!
• Variety - I love that this show covers anime, steampunk (Tea dueling, anyone?), comics and writing. There's a bit of everything for everyone. I do hope though that they never forget that they're a comicon and the core of that is comics. Otherwise, it will be time to rebrand as an entertainment expo which will make me horribly sad.
• Great attendees - This year I only signed a few autographs (yes, I grin ear to ear over that) and I
  was asked when I'm going to do a panel regarding reviewing and what it takes to be a good reviewer. I told them that all I'm waiting for is an invitation. Seriously, I am. ;)  This show has some of the best attendees..they're fun, they love their fandoms and even on the hottest days, I've never encountered someone who didn't have a smile in them.

One of Angelwolf's fans!
My first autograph for the show.

The Bad  - 

• Expansion - While it does help with crowd control, it does mean for a lot of extra walking and for those of us unfamiliar with the area, it also sometimes means us getting completely lost. Thank goodness for the bike cab gentleman who sent me in the right direction after I'd walked a block in the wrong!
• The App! - I heard quite a few complaints this year that the app wasn't working for them. Like I said above, I didn't have this problem but if others did, it's a problem. What I would love to see for next year is the ability to set alarms on the app that go off before a scheduled event. I lose track of time and this would help me to actually get to the things that I want to be at. Perhaps an option to connect your Google Calendar might help with this. 
• Exhibitor Floor - Everyone that knows me knows that this is my favorite place to be. However, this year, it left a lot of people confused. I had a tough time finding people and I heard more than one complaint that the numbering system was confusing this year. I more than once commented that I needed a con floor gps where I could plug in a booth number and it would guide me to where I needed to go.
• Exhibitors - From what I heard, there was a wait list to get a table this year. I'd like to congratulate the convention for getting to a popularity level where that happens. The problem with this? You need to start being selective in who you allow to have a table. It can't just be anyone who is willing to pay for one. This year, I saw not one but two ladies selling Scentsy. While they sell great products, there are more appropriate venues for them to sell their wares. I would have rather have seen a great table selling custom costume pieces or figurines/statues. Yes, even geeks and nerds like their houses to smell nice, but I can get Scentsy-like products just about anywhere. I live in the middle of nowhere, with no local comic book store...so conventions are my place to buy up all my geek goodies.
• Safety - Last year, the bag check system was smooth as can be. This year, it was hodgepodge and random. Over the course of the weekend, I had my bag checked once. I'll be honest and say that it annoyed me to a minor extent. With a media badge, I feel as if I've been vetted and shouldn't have to do this. That being said, I'd rather they search everyone if it keeps everyone safe. 
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• Safety Part 2 - Every single weapon like item that comes through the door must be checked and tagged. This is awesome. What isn't so awesome is the fact that you could buy real weapons on the convention floor. I'm not talking about the amazing light sabers but that at least one place was selling knives. While I personally love ornamental knives and blades, it doesn't make much sense to put a ziptie on an obvious toy gun, just to have that same person go downstairs and buy a very real knife.
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  Loved these guys and their metal parrot!

• Communication - 
• Badges/Media - I had to go to 3 different locations because nobody had told me where mine would be located. I also gave directions to no less than a dozen people over the course of the weekend because they didn't know. On the media side, I was also very frustrated because I was never given the opportunity to sign up for interviews. I received my email saying my badge had been approved and that another email would be coming but I never received any further communication. I also keep hearing rumors that there's a press/media room, but I'm never told where it's located.
• Geek Prom - Every year I comment that the convention does little to promote this event. It disappoints me since all proceeds go to a very awesome charity. This year was worse than others because not only did they change the location of the event, they also changed the day that it's held on. I lost track of how many people didn't realize it and then missed the event because of it.
• The App - Most of us found out about this from folks who were actually part of the convention staff. I would have loved to have seen a press release or something on the site about this.
• Parties - One of the things that is very loved about this particular show is that there have always been after parties for each night of the convention. However, for whatever reason, every single of the 3 well known parties was moved to the same day. This just doesn't work. First of all, every single party has a different theme and for those of us who like to dress up, 3 costumes in one evening is just too much. On top of that, holding Geek Prom on Friday night was rough. I quite literally did not get out of there and into my bed until about 3am...followed by Saturday, which is always an exhausting con day. If I had a vote, I'd suggest rearranging the parties: Party Like a Time Lord (Thursday night), Captain's Cantina (Friday night) and Geek Prom (Saturday night). Let everyone enjoy their fandoms without running themselves into the ground.
• Badge Art - I loved the badge art this year (yay for my Jeff Pina badge!), but one of the things that I used to brag about when it came to this show was the badge art contest. It gave unknown artists a chance to show off what they can do. It gave the fans a way to feel involved in the con planning. I missed it this year and I know that others did too.

Are you my mummy?

The Summary -
I know that my list of bad looks pretty darn long this year, but honestly, this is still one of my favorite events every single year. I love the guest lists, the panels and the chance to visit with friends. I love that during the day I have absolutely no excuse to say I'm bored. There is always something going on and since escalators are the easiest way to get up and down, I get to work on my fear of the darn things. I love that the convention really seems to care about the fans and does its best to bring in the best. I won't hesitate to still recommend this show to anyone who is looking to check one out. With an attendance of 77,818 this year combined with someone new at the helm, growing pains are to be expected. I've already been told that next year they'll be opening up even more convention center space, so I'm looking forward to another year of awesome! Phoenix Comicon 2015, I'm already looking forward to walking your halls, listening to your panels, interviewing your guests and just having an amazing time.

To check out our full Phoenix Comicon Photo Gallery, check out our Facebook Fan Page!

Phoenix Comicon : The Rest of the Story

The other day I told you all about my first day at the Phoenix Comicon. Since then and even before then, I've been trying to figure out how to tell you all about the other days. You see, there were some good, some bad, some amazing and some eye opening moments that weekend but so much of it is still so tangled up inside of me that I'm not sure what to even say about it. I'm going to do my darndest to give you a good taste of what really is an amazing con but please forgive me if it's not my usual joyful bubbling.

Friday -
Friday..oh Friday..I woke up early because I had decided to surprise Walter by meeting him at the airport. Justin stayed behind at the hotel to try to figure out just how my corset was supposed to be laced. Meeting up with Walter was pure amazing. It was the first time in my life that I wasn't worried or nervous about meeting someone. Turns out I was right, him and I just fit together somehow. After grabbing the shuttle back to the hotel, it was off to breakfast, a quick stop at Target and then on to the con!

We got there with a bit of time to spare before the one and only panel I managed to attend started. Since there was only 20 minutes or so, though, we decided to just go sit in the room and wait. I kind of dragged Walter along with me (What? I had good intentions..his friends would be doing the panel!) but he really didn't want to be in there so eventually, we agreed that he'd go find Mike and meet up with me after the panel was done. Justin and I enjoyed the panel..it was typical Raven and Andy silliness which always makes me laugh. I was amused when the moderator wanted me to say something and Raven was like umm no..that other girl, call on her. You'd think he'd heard my side of things or something....

For the record, since Raven wouldn't let me speak, here's my take:

1. Skynet involves nukes. Nukes create zombies. Both apocalypse happen together. I'm screwed.
2. Zombies are like ants. You won't be safe out on the water. They'll just keep plunging in until they form a zombie road.

After the panel, Walter was totally true to his word and we met up. Justin decided to stay upstairs for another panel so we headed down to the show floor. That's when I goofed things up...fast forward a while...Got to meet up with Ross and give him his surprise. That part was fun. I also picked up some new goodies, also good.

Saturday -
.....Umm...Geek Prom! Yes, we attended Geek Prom! After a really hard day, Walter agreed to attend with Justin and I and I am so, so, so glad that he did. The event was different but it looked like everyone was having a lot of fun. It was good to be able to watch some real silliness happening. Even if you're not into dancing to geeky music, I recommend this event. It's fantastic for people watching. If I'm lucky enough to attend next year, I'll be attending this again..it's a fun event plus the proceeds go to a great charity.

Sunday -
Poor Justin wasn't feeling so good on Sunday so he pretty much left Walter and I alone to wander the con floor, seeing friends and me frantically doing things I should have done the other days. People love Walter and it made me smile to see them light up when he'd come around. I can't blame them..he showed me what it was like to be silly and goofy and how to smile until your face hurt again. He really is a pretty great guy*.

Walter and I did a bit of last minute shopping and a lot of last minute talking and for me, wishing that the weekend wasn't coming to an end. There was so much more that we could have seen and experienced, but I have no regrets, just things to look forward to next year.

So while this is probably the worst con write up ever, I hope that you guys understand that it's not the fault of the event itself. The event is amazingly well organized and well run. The exhibitor floor was filled with fantastic artists, writers and companies. The panels were varied and there was something for everyone, no matter what your interest. My weekend was amazing, thanks not only to the con itself but to the people who I got to spend time with.

I'm already looking forward to attending next year. I promise to do a better write up as well as take some better pictures. Thank goodness for people like Andy who covered for me this year!

*I received no monetary compensation for this comment.