I’m going to be splitting my time this coming weekend between I-Con and Babylon Lanes where the PBA tour is coming through. I’ll be at I-Con Friday and most of Saturday, but then Saturday evening will be bowling on the 7 PM squad for the Pro/Am. Anyone who honestly doesn’t have anything better to do can swing by and watch, although there’s a $10 entry fee. I won’t be around at the convention much on Sunday, if at all, because Kathleen, Caroline and I will be attending the ESPN broadcast of the Sunday tournament which is at 2 PM EST. I figure I’ll be wearing the red and black Spider-Man jersey since that really popped on TV last time, although Caroline being sufficiently adorable, they’ll probably put the camera on her a few times.
PAD
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Yayy!!! No politics! Am I the only who’s emotionally drained from reading all the arguments over the last few days?
Good luck on your bowling tournament.
Well, here’s the thing, Mary: I post about a new work of mine or something I’m doing, and I get three, four, five responses. Maybe ten. I post about politics and we hit 200 easy. Political discussions keep people returning.
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PAD
Well, I like the stuff you do about your work and life. The politics can be good, too, but I get all emotional once people start insulting each other back and forth, and that wears me out. (And yet, I do still keep returning to the last column to see what new messages are there.)
Want to get on TV? Try putting on some face paint. That seems to work, regardless of the sporting event. 🙂
Except the sporting events where you see that are typically outside. Indoors? With the hot TV lights? It’d run in no time and look terrible.
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PAD
It depends. I’ve started wearing face paint to box lacrosse games this winter (joining many of my friends who have done it for years). Once I get it on and it has a chance to dry, I haven’t really had any problems with it.
Instead of face paint, just wear a mask and come from “parts unknown.” You could be a bad guy bowler, just like in wrestling.
I just want to hear that there’s an outside chance you’ll be on Lane 5 at Babylon Lanes…
Sure, there’s always a chance. Especially since Lanes 1-3 blew up and 4 disappeared.
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PAD
That was funny.
If Lane 4 suddenly appears do not play on it!!! It may desappear again with you in it and suddenly you are in the history books as “The One” that throw a 300 point game in back in 1990.
Sadly, it looks like I-CON’s tendency to bring rain whenever it’s held is continuing: Right now it’s humid and overcast, with rain predicted for tonight. I bet the convention could raise a fortune by offering to be held in drought-stricken parts of the country.
And for shameless plugs, here are the two events I’ll be running:
SATURDAY noon-3: The next COSMIC ENCOUNTER (with the COSMIC INCURSION expansion). I’ll also have SUPER MUNCHKIN, STAR MUNCHKIN, and THE RED DRAGON INN.
SATURDAY 8-9: The 4th annual “Super(hero) S&M!” lecture (and, hopefully, demo). Explore the parallels, divergence, and potential convergence between the superhero genre and the BDSM world. And see some fun toys and hot pics! This will be at Harriman, room 112.
Best of luck in the tournament!
I spent time at the Toronto Con Both Leonard Kirk and Jewel Staite say hi.
Well, due to health reasons I was unable to attend I-Con this year ( 🙁 )..But Is it just me or has the quality of I-Con decreased over the last ten years? I was talking to some friends this week and I remember looking forward to it the net year and being so energized for various projects afterwards. I try to make the most of it but it just seems that my enthusiasm has dwindled over the past few years. Although I did enjoy I-Con when you and Harlan Ellison did your comedy show..err panel discussion that Friday night and you and Greg Pak did your ‘medicine show’. But that was three people and their panels I enjoyed going to that year, other than that it was lacking.
I was also wondering why the comic book guests list was subpar this year? Was the fact the Toronto Wizard World Con was the same weekend? Or were there other factors? I’m definitely going to do my best to go next year and I’m hoping it’s a better overall atmosphere.
Definitely not Toronto. Gail Simone and Phil Jimenez were the two biggest comic names there. No disrespect to either of them, but they were it.
Also there wasn’t a single panel with comic creators at Toronto. A panel with Jimenez on his own and one with Ty Templeton on Sunday. Both about drawing I believe that’s it.
Really? That’s sad, especially for a advertised comic convention. I-Con has various interest tracks. I know a friend who’s wife run’s the children’s programming at I-Con.I’ll try to get in touch with him this week to see if he heard anything about this.
I know that there was some turnover from the comics committee of ICONS past, from what I understand the guy who normally runs the comics section did not return.
PAD panels were fun and I was disappointed that I missed the writing comics panel that was cancelled but PAD decided to have it anyway.
The dealer’s room only had 3 or 4 vendors selling comics I remember when comics and the movie previews were the main attraction.
I’m hoping for a better ICON 30
I wish they would have more emphasis on comics. Like you said, Brian, I remember I started going to I-Con in the mid ’90’s and the comic panels used to be in the Javits center. Likewise, here’s hoping for a better I-Con 30.
I enjoyed I-CON 29. While there was far more anime than comics (especially when it came to costuming), that’s more the general taste of the attendees than planning by the convention folks. (At least there was more anti-TWILIGHT stuff than TWILIGHT fans.) I liked the panels, liked the gaming area, loved the costumes, and I had a blast overall!
My review (with lots of photos) is at http://thearmchaircritic.blogspot.com/