Grand Rapids Comic-Con 2014 Experience

11/28/2014

HE USED THE VOICE

Even though the Western Herald editors attended Grand Rapids Comic-Con for work, we had a fantasmic time.

We attended for free because we're press and I'm keeping my press pass forever.

My first con was everything I expected: thousands of people, amazing art work, super nice people, awesome cosplay, and lots of geeking out.

I only prepared one costume, which was a mistake. I went with Casey Watts, Jax Anger, and Erin White, all of whom take cosplaying seriously and brought a different outfit for everyday. I wore a Captain America cut-off shirt, a black circle skirt, leggings, and boots. Everyone (including me) called me "Captain Lamo" on Saturday when I wore it again. I wasn't hurt. I was motivated to make amazing costumes for my next con. I wore my "Sherlock" shirt on Sunday.

Nonetheless, everyone was insanely nice. No one refused having their picture taken and I got a free "Sherlock" poster with Benedict Cumberbatch. I geeked so hard. Our group passed by this vendor many times and I would point out the Cumblywho poster everytime. It sold out on Saturday. On Sunday, I asked if I could buy the display poster if no one else wanted it by the end of the day. The vendor, who became my favorite person ever, game it to me for free and I couldn't stop smiling and freaking out for a good 10 minutes.
Moral of the story: geekiness gets you free stuff.

My favorite cosplay was a gender-bender Harley Quinn costume. His name is AJ and we became friends.

While we all had a great time, we were there to work. I interviewed Chad Rook, an actor/director/writer who played the Weather Wizard on "The Flash," and has appeared on many other Sci-Fi shows. He was very funny and charming and we became pals.

I briefly met Alaina Huffman, who's been on "Supernatural," "SGU Stargate Universe," "Smallville," and other shows. Her panel was great. She was very personable.

We watched Allen Bellman's panel. Bellman is known for illustrating Captain America comic books in the Golden Era. He made a lot of jokes about being old.

Here's my full comic-con coverage:
Chad Rook
Alaina Huffman
Allen Bellman
Cosplay Competition

Covering comic-con and writing these articles make me feel like a hardcore journalist and geek. I know this isn't hard news that's going to change the world, but I had the opportunity to write about topics that I adore. This weekend brought out my passionate side.

Like any literature philosopher will argue, writing is about joy and education, so here's what I learned at Grand Rapids Comic-Con 2014:
-Guys creep on girls more if said girls wear male character cosplay. Jax and Casey were hit on 10x more when they were cosplaying as male characters.
-Always bring more than one costume, especially if you're attending for the whole weekend.
-Don't feel bad if you eat a lot of hot dogs. I ate many throughout the weekend and I was not ashamed.
-Have patience. Maneuvering around thousands of people is not easy, and everyone is in the exact same position.
-Always get a picture with Batman.
-Be aggressive. Many times the Western Herald team asked ourselves "can we talk to this celebrity?" The answer is "yes."
-Talk to everyone. I talked to Susan Dennard, who Erin interviewed, about writing and she was so helpful. She wrote "Something Strange and Deadly," a series I'm probably going to check out.
-Never be ashamed of your geeky side.