Monday, April 7, 2008

PlanetComicon 2008--or, "Sorry Chekov, I really wasn't trying to rip you off....now put down that phaser....no......wait.......aaaaaarrrrrrrghhhhh!"

Yesterday I attended Kansas City's annual PlanetComicon, which is a sci-fi, comic book, and pop culture extravaganza for all of us poor, culturally isolated midwesterners.

As expected, it was well worth the time and money...well, maybe not the money, but more on that later. Here are the highlights, lowlights, pros and cons, details, points of interest, and other noteworthy details:

KENNY BAKER!!!! R2-D2 himself! He's just the second victim in my brush with Star Wars greatness, after having met Dave "the real Darth Vader" Prowse last year. Mr. Baker was very fun and seemed genuinely happy to be there. $20 bought an obligatory autographed photo. Now I just need an Anthony Daniels C3PO autograph to go next to it. Maybe next year!

Walter Koenig--First of all, I realize that the chance of him reading this is slimmer than Karen Carpenter's waistline (too soon?) but I've got to say it. I can't apologize enough for what happened: I NEARLY ROBBED CHEKOV! Actually it's not as dramatic as it sounds. We asked for an autographed picture, personalized for my daughter. We posed for a photo. I was trying to get a 3-year old to smile while standing next to a stranger. We took the pic, shook hands, and walked away. Next thing I now, I'm awakening from a heavy phaser stun in the back of an ambulance and my wallet is missing...no wait, that was another time...don't you hate it when you get phasered and robbed?.....okay, actually, I heard a heavily accented "Excuse me" and turned to see him approaching rapidly behind us. I realized immediately what had happened, and promptly handed over another $20. So now Chekov thinks I'm a crook. Great. I'll put that on a resume some day. I really do feel sorry for it all though, and want to apologize again. He didn't seem like he was enjoying the show. I think there was a lot of Star Wars support and virtually no Star Trek support. Being bi-sci-fi myself, I like them both.

Kurt Busiek!! Great writer. I think he summed up Countdown...or Countdown to Final Crisis...or Countdown to Mediocre Storytelling....or whatever we call it now better than anyone I've heard or read. He pointed out the problems without excess trash-talking. Can't wait for Trinity.

This is getting long, so here's the lightning round: Brinke Stevens: okay, whatever, not for me...Tony Moore: great artist, looked busy....Cheap comics: they were everywhere. good stuff....Star Wars costumes: neat, but I detected a distinct "locker room" odor around some of the stormtroopers...there is a lot more to say, but wandering around the convention center has left me exhausted. Time to kick back with a classic issue of Justice League (only 50 cents!) and relax for a while.