So, I decided to take the day off Friday and get some things done, so I’d still have down time Saturday and Sunday. Everybody needs a break sometimes, right?
It Was a Good Friday
scott snyder
Planet Comic Con
The decision to go to Planet Comic Con was fairly last minute, and I’m amazed we managed to pull it off successfully. But, my mom and I have a weird amount of skill in handling last minute trips fairly well.
So, why the random journey?
Simple answer: My mom wanted to meet Jason Momoa.
Cons, cons, and more cons.
For the last month, roughly, I’ve been an exceptionally busy gal on the weekend. Between the first weekend of February until the first weekend of March, I’ve been at some sort of con every other weekend:
- Wizard World St Louis
- Planet Comic Con (in Kansas City)
- STL Comics Winter One-Day
HOLY EXHAUSTION, BATMAN! My poor wallet hurts.
However, it was a pretty fun to have so many, so close together, to compare how different they felt. Different levels and experiences, etc. So, while I plan to post about each one individually, I’d like to take a moment to compare the three.
Fan Expo Canada: Day 4
The final day of Fan Expo was definitely the hardest one. I checked out from the hotel and left my bags with them before blindly heading to the con. I didn’t fly out until that evening, so I had time to kill at the con. But the dread of returning home filled me.
I’ve never liked the coming home part after a good trip. The thought of leaving something that made me so happy, combined with that reality check which is returning to real life… It’s rough. Not the worst thing on the planet, obviously. But definitely not my favorite.
Fan Expo Canada: Day 3
Saturday was supposed to be a good day. SUPPOSED TO BE. And while it wasn’t necessarily a bad day, it did present me with a problem I hadn’t anticipated.
After I was pretty much ready to go, had makeup and clothes on, something happened. I picked my glasses up from the bathroom counter… and they fell apart. Turns out, I lost a screw.
Have I mentioned I wear glasses because I’m blind, and not for a cute fashion statement or slight vision correction?
Ugh.
Navigating an unfamiliar city when you can’t see is slightly horrifying. Everything already seems weird and blurry, but it’s so disorienting it nearly caused a small panic attack. Made it to the con just fine, thankfully. But then came a new problem:
Trying to navigate this HUGE con on the busiest day.
Let’s just say – not my easiest day.
But, let’s move on:
I managed to make my way to another DC panel. I couldn’t see much of anything, but that’s what terrible cell phone pictures are for, right? Haha.
So, this panel was all about Dark Matter. All that amazing Metal goodness DC has going on? Yeah. I know ALL ABOUT EVERYTHING, now. Which is great, because I was already loving Metal and excited for everything to come. This just took my hype to the next level.
Now, this was supposed to be Snyder, Capullo, and Lemire. But, as it was with the Friday panel, more surprise guests! And two VERY exciting ones, at that: Jason Fabok, and JIM LEE.
Yup. Jim Lee just walks in. I was pretty ecstatic.
If you aren’t reading Metal, the tie-ins, etc — you’re missing out. And now that I’ve had a taste of what’s to come, I can assure you… it’s only going to get more badass.
Remember the cool Metal variant I bought the day before?
I was lucky enough to meet Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo later that, and they kindly signed my variant. I’m shocked on Saturday, the busiest day of the con, I managed to meet them – but, hey. I’m a lucky girl.
Despite the whole breaking my glasses thing.
Overall, despite my setback in the morning, Saturday was great. I returned to my hotel room with nourishment – well, Coke, Powerade, and Doritos: The Dinner of Champions – and started packing for Sunday.
My last day of con, and my inevitable return home, were already on the horizon.
~Angel
Fan Expo Canada – Day 2
Fan Expo – Day two. The first full day of con goodness. No travel. No hauling around luggage.
Just, you know, hauling around my con bag, comics to be signed, and purchases. By the end of the day, Con Shoulder whining will inevitably begin.
Before con vs After con: The Face of Exhaustion
Fan Expo Canada 2017 – Day One
My very first trip to Canada went a lot smoother than I had anticipated. For some reason, I imagined quite a few hiccups and setbacks for a solo trip: forgetting some vital thing for travel, getting lost trying to find my gate, having some issue in customs because I haven’t been through anything like that since I went to the Bahamas when I was 13 and 15, both times my mom was there to take care of everything. Needless to say, when my mom and brother dropped me off at the airport, I was a bit nervous.
However, breaking in my passport on my own was an interesting experience. There was a blend of anxiety from just being by myself, and also a strange sort of relaxation from it. By the time I arrived in Canada, got my phone working, made it through customs and had my money exchanged – I felt like I had the hardest part of the trip over. I made my way to the train with ease, boarded and stowed my luggage, and took the peaceful 25 minute trip from the airport to Union Station – just across from my hotel.
The Fairmont York Hotel in Toronto
I’m back!
Packing for FanExpo Toronto
Well, it’s FINALLY here. I leave super early in the morning for Canada. Less than 24 hours until I’m in Toronto… HOW DID IT GET HERE SO SOON?!
Which means, I’m in final stages of packing tonight.
So, what am I bringing along for Fan Expo?
- Jeans and T-shirts (duh)
- My Comic Book Stor-folio
- My con bag
- Various comics I hope to have signed
- Normal, boring trip necessities – makeup, hygiene products, pajamas, etc.
- A small handbag for any non-con adventures
- Camera
- My magical book of lists that goes everywhere with me (see the “I Heart Horror notebook above)
I have my hotel confirmation and all of my tickets printed and packed. My information written down so I know when to be where and how. If the printer cooperates before I leave, I’ll have a con floor map and schedule printed, too. Tomorrow is pretty well lined out in my head, so I think I’m prepared.
All I have left to do is last minute packing, and the actual journey to the airport.
I can’t wait! I’ll have loads of pictures and hopefully some great posts for you guys when I get back!
See you when I get back!
~Angel
“You Have a Trip Coming Up”
This is a reoccurring reminder every time I go shopping before any trip.
You have a trip coming up.
Yup. I do. So, tell me, how’d I go to buy some jeans for my trip, and end up with all this?
Okay. Let’s reason, a bit, here:
There was a sale at All the Rage comics (which I need to do a proper post on, sometime), where everything I bought was either 50% or 25% off. So, the three comics toward the bottom were 50%. Then the 1986 trade paperback of The Dark Knight Returns was 25% off, and I ended up paying less than $10 for it. Then that copy of Metal was 25% off, and I’d been wanting that particular cover. Decent and fairly inexpensive haul, there.
The Lil Gotham issues were $2.99 at V-stock, and actually came with a second issue behind each one. So I walked away with issues #1-4, plus my mom bought them for me. So, zero spent on those four issues.
I needed to buy a small purse, and planned to make this purchase, because I don’t want to haul my con bag around outside of the con itself. I mainly just needed a place to shove a few items in that zips. So, I went into Hot Topic to have a look. They were having a sale: if you bought any bag, if you put anything into the bag, you’d get 25% off the bag AND the item. So, the Tiffany Pop! from Bride of Chucky got shoved into the Harley bag. I left paying less for both than I would have for just the bag, itself. SCORE!
I did get my jeans and other miscellaneous clothing items I needed for my trip. But the point was showing that I could still make a haul like the one above, save a bunch of money, and still be ready for a con that is now ONE WEEK AND ONE DAY AWAY! Whoa. I should finish packing…
~Angel
