Well, this is the first time that the Emerald City Comicon has been three days long, and after the utter insanity of the floor on Saturday I was almost scared to come back and deal with the crowds again. Fortunately, Sunday was much more sedate. Particularly the first two hours. Sunday morning at the con is always the time for zombie-like behavior...
I had a good Sunday. I found a decent parking spot, got up to the waiting area with plenty of time left so I could troll a few folks before going in, and just had a lovely time talking with people and experiencing the con atmosphere. I was finally able to learn how they actually opened the doors without getting people trampled, as I was at the front for the final day. The barriers are taken down with the convention center staff asking everyone to hold the line until they say "GO!" No one is allowed to move until the barriers are all down, so no one will trip on them and fall. It made good sense. Considering how close I came to getting trampled on the first day when I fell over due to being unbalanced by my heavy bag, I appreciated the effort the staff went to in ensuring our safety.
I started off at the Sequential Treasures booth, but didn't stay long as I wanted to see people. I hit every corner of the main floor, talking and trolling, and it was a fun time for me. I prefer to meet people and talk with people and learn about the incredible number of creative works that people are doing. I couldn't bring myself to go to the panels, because that's an hour that I would be sitting still when there are so many people to see and talk to. I kept returning to the booth to refresh with snacks and water, and my evil twin arranged for one of her friends to get me lunch on Sunday (Thanks M!). I will admit that as the con wore on, my feet became bundles of agony at the ends of my legs, and I sometimes wondered if I would be able to walk any farther at all.
I was ready to quit trolling when I hit 80 photos, but Jim at Sequential Treasures kept pushing me to get more, so I did. I eventually ended up with 99, for an even 200 Torvald pictures for the whole convention. It doesn't sound like much until I think about how many times I walked across the convention floor to get all those photos, and the fact that last year I got 99 for the entire convention.
As the con was wrapping up, I got in a discussion about next year, and I have already put in my money for a badge. I will be helping out at Sequential Treasures again, so we'll have to see if I can attract some traffic to their table without taking any table space. Hrm, gonna have to make a plan with this one. Evil twin suggested that I get a digital picture frame and have Torvald's pictures in it for people to look at, and when I'm resting at the table have Torvald and the frame as my bit. I don't want to take table space, so depending on what area we get, I'll work on something like that. I suspect I'll be out on the floor most of the time, anyway.
This year I made a definite effort to get cards from everyone I visited, with the hopes that I can put website links on Torvald's page so I can drive some traffic to the sites of the people I have Trolled. These cards made quite a bundle, and after the con I spread them out along with the Hellboy mask and that book I bought on the first day. Take a look:
If you attended the convention, please fill out the survey form on the website, and when they ask who to bring in, please give them the names of some of the great comic book creators, like Nick Cardy and Ramona Fradon. I'll certainly be doing that. I also want to tell them to keep the media guests separate, as not having them on the main floor made life a thousand times easier this year than last, despite the heavier crowds on Saturday.
Anyway, another year, another great convention. Next year is the tenth anniversary, mark your calendars now: March 30th-April 1st 2012. I'll see you there, and let's all have a great time.
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