This year, it was just me and the youngest child (a college student now…I feel old). We headed down to New Orleans for a fun Saturday outing, dodging some rainy weather. Unfortunately, other folks did not manage the weather so well and we were forced to sit on the interstate about 30 minutes out for about 50 minutes. The delay didn’t put a damper on our spirits, though, as we were excited to return for our second year of Fan Expo. By the time we arrived at the convention center around 10:15 am, the heavy rain had stopped, so at least we didn’t have to get soaking wet getting to the place. Surprisingly, there were still a few spots available in Lot F right across from the center and we didn’t have far to walk. One good thing about this venue is that it has plenty of parking.
Fan Expo is very well organized and even though it was quite busy, we had our badges and went into the main halls in about five minutes. From there, I was on my own. I made my way to the comic artist area to get some signatures on some books from my collection.
First up was Philip Kennedy Johnson. I got him to sign Adventures of Superman: Book of El #3 and chatted for about 5 minutes. He was quite humble and appreciative. I bounced over to Brett Breeding’s table, as I had a copy of Superman #0 from 1994 that I’ve had in my collection since it came out (did I mention I feel old?). He’s got a great auto and we were able to chat for about 15 minutes, as he wasn’t very busy at the time. I probably could have talked to him for another 15 minutes, as he seemed to enjoy the conversation.
Next up was Clayton Crain for a signature on his Absolute Superman #8 cover, which I absolutely love. He was the busiest out of the four artists I was after, but it didn’t take long through the line. We talked for about 5 minutes and his table gave me a cool 11 x 17 Absolute Superman print and a con bag for free. That bag came in handy for the comics I was to buy later. I made my way over to Bjorn Barends so that I could get his auto on Book of El #3 that PKJ signed earlier, as Barends did the variant cover. Another five minute chat and I was done with my list of artists.
Photo Credit: Jeremy BonnetteIt was time for a few celebrity autos. Fan Expo has a great setup for the celebrity area. They allow for a large area to handle the crowd easily. Thanks to the ample spacing, it’s easy to move around. As for my list of guests to meet, Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation) was first up. I’ve been a huge fan of the show since it debuted and had been looking forward to meeting her. She was so nice and was the first celebrity ever to ask me what I do for a living. We were able to talk for close to 10 minutes, as there was nobody behind me in line, and you could tell that she really cares about her fans.
Next on the list was Christopher Judge (voice of Kratos from God of War). This one was for my son, who wasn’t able to attend due to illness. The line was a little longer (about a 10-minute wait) and Judge was so cool. I was able to video call my son and Judge talked to him for a minute, even doing the Kratos voice. Excellent guy.
Last on the list was James Marsters. My girlfriend and I have been watching Smallville season 5 with him as Milton Fine / Brainiac and she’s a big fan of him as Spike from Buffy. She wasn’t able to attend, so I got this auto as a surprise for her. Marsters was cool, although his line was a 45-minute wait. I got to chat with him for a couple minutes and he told me a quick story about how Tom Welling wasn’t told about him being Brainiac and so it came as a surprise to Tom when it was revealed during shooting.
With all autos out of the way, I turned my attention to comic book vendors. There were more than 10 vendors with comics this year, which was an increase from last year, as far as I can recall. They had a good assortment of books and some great prices (except for one which was way overpriced on everything). I got some nice cash discounts on books I’ve been hunting for.
There’s just something about digging through long / short boxes that’s so calming, even when you’ve got a crowd of people passing by. With three Marvel 25th anniversary border covers left to collect, I was thrilled to find Captain America 323. I’ve also been chasing after a good copy of Wolverine 27 with the awesome Jim Lee cover at a decent price. Got that for less than sticker price, too.
I was able to finish out a couple of mini-series (Aliens vs Predator, Aliens) and grabbed some nice fillers and cool covers. One of the vendors had several long boxes of dollar books, as well. The variety of comic book vendors was a highlight of the con for me. The crowd wasn’t bad at that time, so I was able to really dig through those and managed to find ten books.
I met up with my child around 3:00 pm and we made one final walk around. The place was crowded, but not so much that you couldn’t move. I’d say that the amount of people was at least equal to last year’s Saturday, but quite possibly larger. The layout was the same, with 16 aisles of vendors and artists. The variety of vendors and artists was impressive. In addition to the previously mentioned comic book vendors, everything from Funkos to anime figures to fantastic art prints were available for purchase. Fan Expo brings in a little something for everyone. I’d say it’s almost impossible for anyone going with intent to buy to not find an item they’d like.
The celebrities were at the back of the main hall. MANY people were in line for Hayden Christensen and John Cena. If you were at the end of those lines, I’d estimate you were in for at least a three-hour wait. The number of people in those lines was amazing.
It’s always so much fun to see the guests, even from afar. These are people that you see on the big or small screen and have a certain image of in your mind, but when you see them face to face, you realize they’re just regular humans like the rest of us. It’s nice to be able to interact with them, if only for a few minutes. I especially enjoyed my chat with Gates McFadden, as she’s the first TNG cast member I’ve met.
While I didn’t have time to go to any panels or other events, I do know that the second and third floors of the convention center were host to a wide range of presentations. They even have a Zen Den where you can go to get away from the crowd and just relax for a bit. This comes in handy for those who get easily overstimulated and is a nice bit of planning on Fan Expo’s part.
Overall, this was an excellent show. The folks at Fan Expo know what they’re doing as far as layout, scheduling, and organization. It’s evident by the number of people in attendance. While there are certainly bigger cons out there, this one is up there on the list of top notch conventions and easily my favorite one to attend. I’m already looking forward to next year!
