With that said, it seems like it's been forever and a day since my last blog post. For those who may be wondering where I went, the vast bulk of my 2013 convention schedule was in August. I literally had one convention right after the other for three consecutive weeks (with only a handful of days between them all) so to say the least, it was very much an eventful month for your's truly. Ranging from moments of amazing fun to instances of downright tragedy, I can say that I'm glad to be home in one piece, and ready to get back in the saddle.
Of course it wouldn't be much of a convention report if I didn't go into some degree of detail. For a while I didn't even know where to begin with describing the zaniness of this month. It's taken a while for me to really let everything process in my mind (let alone decompress from all the commotion and travel) but I think I finally have my head on straight, and I'm more than ready to share my experiences with you all.
A Day with the Herd
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| Welcome to the herd! |
For those who know me this isn't a big secret, but I am what has come to be commonly known on the internet as a Brony. "What is a brony?" some of you may be asking. Bronies are male viewers (between the age of 18-35) who enjoy the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, even though it's a product line that targets a young female demographic.
After numerous incarnations, this iteration successfully resonates with fans for good reason; it's because the show is legitimately good. Stories pulse with thoughtful messages for younger viewers, and almost every aspect of the show's writing lends a sense of accessibility, making it a great family show. Characters are interesting and funny, so it isn't hard to find oneself getting sucked into it all. Add the art direction of animation legend Lauren Faust (creator of Foster's Home) into the mix, and you've got a series that speaks to many viewer's sensibilities.
Seeing how quickly the fandom has grown over the last few years, it's only natural that conventions dedicated to that fandom would form. The biggest and most notable of them all being Bronycon. Having taken place in New York City the previous year, Bronycon literally doubled in attendance size (from 4,000 to 8,407) by moving to the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland for 2013. Since I am a Marylander by birth, and still reside in the state (and close to Baltimore city for that matter) I felt that I had little to no excuse to not attend Bronycon. Even if it was only for a day, I felt that my love for the show at least made it worth the trip.
For as weird and abnormal as the fandom is seen, I can assure those who are unfamiliar with it, that the fanbase is quite harmless. In fact, the community is a very creative/productive one, and has helped to spawn numerous talents across the web just from the fandom's support alone. Ranging anywhere from arts and crafts, to voice acting, to even aspiring animators, this community is anything but lazy. I can even say that quite a few of my closest friends are Bronies, and on several occasions we've indulged in watching episodes of the show while discussing finer points of the label.
If there was one thing that came out of this trip, it was that I learned how fun and endearing the Brony fandom can be. My good friend Rob (a fellow Brony who wanted me to join him) bought my day pass for the event, and I was certainly glad that he did. The Brony community has been called many things in the past, but the best word I think I've used to describe them after going to this convention was inviting. From the con staff, to the vendors, there was a distinct vibe of camaraderie among the crowd. At no point did I run into any rude con-goers, as pretty much everyone there came off as being approachable and friendly. In my ten years of conventioneering I can honestly say that Bronies are some of the nicest fans I've had the privilege of meeting.
After numerous incarnations, this iteration successfully resonates with fans for good reason; it's because the show is legitimately good. Stories pulse with thoughtful messages for younger viewers, and almost every aspect of the show's writing lends a sense of accessibility, making it a great family show. Characters are interesting and funny, so it isn't hard to find oneself getting sucked into it all. Add the art direction of animation legend Lauren Faust (creator of Foster's Home) into the mix, and you've got a series that speaks to many viewer's sensibilities.
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| Pinkie photo bomb! |
For as weird and abnormal as the fandom is seen, I can assure those who are unfamiliar with it, that the fanbase is quite harmless. In fact, the community is a very creative/productive one, and has helped to spawn numerous talents across the web just from the fandom's support alone. Ranging anywhere from arts and crafts, to voice acting, to even aspiring animators, this community is anything but lazy. I can even say that quite a few of my closest friends are Bronies, and on several occasions we've indulged in watching episodes of the show while discussing finer points of the label.
If there was one thing that came out of this trip, it was that I learned how fun and endearing the Brony fandom can be. My good friend Rob (a fellow Brony who wanted me to join him) bought my day pass for the event, and I was certainly glad that he did. The Brony community has been called many things in the past, but the best word I think I've used to describe them after going to this convention was inviting. From the con staff, to the vendors, there was a distinct vibe of camaraderie among the crowd. At no point did I run into any rude con-goers, as pretty much everyone there came off as being approachable and friendly. In my ten years of conventioneering I can honestly say that Bronies are some of the nicest fans I've had the privilege of meeting.
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| Wanna party with Pinkie? |
Admittedly I'm not the quickest artist, so for the first two hours of the con, I was sitting in the museum hall doodling away at my piece. My hat goes off to Rob for being incredibly patient by waiting for me to finish the picture. An entire convention was going on around him and he stuck it out with me the whole time, taking photos and making jokes. I had a good deal of fun drawing the piece, with many onlookers liking the concept of what I was doing. Plenty of compliments were thrown my way, all of which were very much appreciated, with the coup de gras being the museum's curator gawking at my piece and giving it a silent "DAYUM!"
(The material used for the piece was the following: Hammermil Color Laser Gloss 32 lbs. 8.5 x 11 in. Paper, Pentel 0.7 Blue Line Lead, and a 0.7 Draft/Matic Mechanical Pencil.)
From there we went to the merchant's hall where vendor and artist alike sat side by side to sell their products. I met with many talented artists (thanks to Rob) and I even managed to get a commission of my character Rashida from Emmisu. My friends Hana, Rattles, and Josh had a table in the hall, where they pulled in a good deal of notoriety during the event. Josh had decided to debut his fanart series of Mega Mare images, and they were very much well received with con-goers. I can't begin to describe how happy I was to see his work go over so well with the fans.
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| Derpy Hooves as done by Andy Price. |
Even though it did take some time to meet Andy (as the line to meet him was substantially longer than everyone else's line) I was super stoked at having a chance to chat it up with the team responsible for such great tales that have been more than worthy of the franchise. While I'm sure they were exhausted as could be, these guys were still very friendly, providing a great deal of small talk about the comic and even some of their own personal projects.
As a special mention, when I did finally get to talk with Andy, he was kind enough to do a quick drawling of (fan favorite background pony) Derpy for me. Even though he had been drawing for hours on end, he still had the generosity to take the time to draw a picture just for little ol' me. I am also a big fan of Katie Cook's webcomic Gronk, so when I had an opportunity to acquire a physical autographed copy of Gronk Vol. 1 and 2, I took it. If by some chance this blog post reaches these guys, I want them to know they rocked at Bronycon! Brohoof from me big time!
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| Mixermike really pulls off the fluffy pink look. |
Even though my presence at the convention was brief, I had an amazing time hanging out and taking in all the fandom had to offer. The herd made me feel welcome at every turn, and for that I'll always be grateful. I can honestly declare without a shadow of a doubt that I will definitely make it a point to attend Bronycon next year!
Otaku Unite
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| Otakon celebrates 20 years with style. |
Back in 2003 I was just a young adult with an almost literal trash bag full of dreams. I didn't have the equipment then that I do now, so when I went to Otakon all I had to carry my artwork in was a garbage bag. Regardless of what I had at my disposal, I still went into the convention with my chin up, and the hope of landing some kind of an art related job. That maybe someone would look at my work and would be willing to give me a chance. I remember seeing all the booths in the Dealer's Row and the tables at Artist Alley, thinking to myself how much I wanted to be like those guys. The ones responsible for the fans, telling the cool stories, and (most importantly) doing what they loved.
Since that time I've been in front of, and behind the table. I've sold my art, worked (briefly) on a webcomic, and have even been published a couple of times. I've made a plethora of business connections over the years, and (most amazingly of all) made an unexpected number of new friends. I've traveled to places I never thought I'd be, all so that I could attend a new convention that friends of mine were going to be at. If I had to go back and do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing. Going to Otakon changed my life for the better in so many ways. It's for that reason I've remained loyal to Otakon all these years, and made it a point to continue attending.
I was right at home with Otakon, as it was also held at the BCC. My good friends Danny Valentini (creator of Draconia Chronicles) and Jason "Riftwalker" Cumberledge had a table, and were kind enough to share their space with me. While it meant I wasn't able to explore the con as I much as I'd like, it was worth it to sit at a table and do what I love.
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| The Spinny family. |
Our neighbors in the alley were none other than the crew from Tangent Artists, and let me tell you, these guys were hilarious. If I ever find myself with a table again, I can only hope that these guys are next to me. I've been known to do a pretty good Christopher Walken impression from time to time, and for the first time in my life, I got to have a "Walken Off!" We sat behind those tables for the better part of thirty minutes doing Chris Walken impressions, trying to determine who did the best one. A decision as to who's was best was never truly reached, but it was a moment in my life that I know I'll never forget. Major kudos to you guys! You were totally awesome!
The Saturday of Otakon was especially historic, as a large group of my friends and I hit Baltimore's Inner Harbor to get some food. Our Otakon tradition, has been that we eat at the local Hard Rock Cafe, and even though we had to wait almost an hour and a half to get seated, we totally had a blast. Once our dinner was done we spent the next hour rocking out to a live band in front of the Hard Rock building, making fools of ourselves all the while. It was truly a night to remember.
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| Even Laura Croft came out for Otakon! |
As this year marked Otakon's twentieth anniversary, all the stops were pulled out to bring in plenty of major industry guests. Yoko Kanno (composer to the scores of Cowboy Bebop and Vision of Escaflowne) Hiroyuki Kanbe (episode director to Wolf's Rain and Chrono Crusade) Tetsuya Kawakami (character designer to Sword Art Online and Oreimo) and many more all showed up to help Otakon celebrate twenty years of Japanese pop culture. Most notably though, one of those guests was none other than Shinichiro Watanabe. For those who don't know, he is the director to such legendary anime titles like Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Champloo. I've always considered Mr. Watanabe to be a major influence on my work, and getting to shake hands with him was one of the coolest moments of my entire life. Showing him my artwork and hearing him say that he liked what he saw made my soul explode.
The only other thing that was nearly as cool for me was hearing Peter S. Beagle (writer/creator of The Last Unicorn) call out my name while I was searching the dealer's room for cool things to purchase. I had the privilege of talking to Mr. Beagle last year at New York Comic Con, and it blew my mind that he remembered me, let alone my name. Talking with him again gave another boost to my confidence as a storyteller, and frankly I'm constantly impressed by Mr. Beagle's passion for storytelling. Even after all these years, and enduring hardship after hardship, Peter S. Beagle never stops writing. Truly inspiring words come from this man every time we meet.
I would like to extend shout outs to Squid, Cindy, Leo "Bitmonkey" Saunders, Ronzo "Shonuff" Murphy, Eirik Blackwolf (creator/writer of the webcomic Chisuji) Jason "Crybringer" Robinson, and Andrei. It's because of you guys that I have reason to go to conventions. It's because of you guys that I feel like Otakon is the best reunion ever each year. Had it not been for all of you, I might be a different person today. We've all managed to make it this far, so raise a glass! Here's to us and the ten years we've shared! Here's hoping to an awesome ten more!
The Best Four Days in Gaming
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| Toni "Lady Thor" Darling demoing Kanzume Goddess. |
As cool as it would be to sell artwork at Gencon, I don't know if I could ever do it. I want to be a part of all those cool games going on gosh darn it! With products ranging from independent productions, all the way to heavy hitters like Privateer Press and Fantasy Flight Games, there is a ton of stuff to participate in. Much like my last two Gencons, I spent a good deal of my time gallivanting about, pretty much just demoing all the new games. Even with four days to play games, it just doesn't feel like enough time.
Seriously, the list of games that I played at Gencon this year alone was mind boggling. I played/demoed: Red Dragon Inn 4 from Slugfest Games, Kanzume Goddess, Tanto Cuore, and Krosmaster: Arena from Japanime Games, Robotech RPG Tactics from Palladium Books, Pass the Pigs from Winning Moves Games, Firefly the Game from Gale Force Nine, Relic Knights and Super Dungeon Explore from Soda Pop Miniatures, Malifaux: Second Edition and Puppet Wars from Wyrd Miniatures, Deadfellas from Exile Games, Red Horizon (part of the UFS card game) from Jasco Games, and many more.
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| This would be the coolest crossover ever! |
Almost like a group of super heroes responding to a plea for help, the gamers of Gencon responded to our plight the moment word got out. Folks like Jolly Blackburn (creator of Knights of the Dinner Table) Charles Walton, Mike Leonard, and Kevin Siembieda (of the Palladium crew) Jim Zub and Andrew Huerta (the writer and artist to the Pathfinder comic series) Jeff "Freakin" Combos, Sechen Tower, and Mel (of Exile Games) and Dave Mattingly (of Blackwyrm Publishing) were incredibly gracious to us. They provided whatever assistance they could to help lift our spirits and make the situation right. Of course my friends Mike Surbrook, Nestor Rodriguez, Grady, and Ross Watson were all there to help too. which I am forever grateful for.
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| The Force is strong with Scotty's Brewhouse! |
I think Matt may have said it best when the con came to a close. "Never underestimate the power of gamers in large numbers." When things got bad, Gencon and the kind people of Indianapolis opened up their hearts to us. They took what could have been one of the worst convention experiences I ever had, and turned it into one of the most touching experiences of my life. In all honesty, I did shed a few tears when everyone just started being so kind, asking for nothing in return, and smiling the entire time. Their charity only served to reinforce in me the notion that while even with terrible people in the world who commit terrible acts, good people will always answer the call for help. All of us nerds/fans/people are in on this together. A connection binds us all, no matter how thin, that truly represents something. That something in my eyes is the triumph of the human spirit. To all who helped us out at Gencon, whether is was just some consoling words, offering a hug, or giving us stuff, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. This is the reason why I love going to conventions!
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