The Long Con, Part Three: The Guest List (media)

My primary motivation for going to Seattle to attend Emerald City ComicCon, isn't really the con itself, as I have mentioned in earlier posts. That doesn't mean I'm not excited about going to a big comic convention again. I'm as psyched about that as I am about seeing friends again/in person for the first time. In preparation for the big event, which is now less than a month away, I have been pouring over the guest list and trying to figure out who I am most excited to meet, and also, exactly what I want to take with me to get signed.

I've Never been super comfortable with celebrities at cons. I don't know what to do with them. I don't like having to pay people to talk to them, and that seems to be what media people at cons are there for. I don't have as much of an issue with artists and writers, because I like the product they create and can ask to have it signed and say hello while that is happening. I get that there isn't a connection created in that moment, and I don't care. I get something out of being able to thank people for the work they do, and that I admire. If I pay for anything, I can pay for something they have made, and artists will usually do a quick sketch of some sort under those circumstances. There is just no comfortable equivalent I can think of with actors. 30 or 40 bucks for a signature, 30 or 40 bucks for a picture. Not a single person there is worth that kind of money, when I could be spending that same money on comics, or food from local joints, or alcohol for my friends so they keep me entertained and forget they don't really know me.

All that being said, and despite a large group of entertainers I am pretty fond of: Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, George Takei, and Christopher Lloyd, the place I think ECCC looks strongest in regard to Celebrity appearances is in the Voice Talent that will be there. Batman, Bubbles, Pinky & the Brain,Bender & Fry, and Wakko Warner will all be appearing in voice form at least, and that is just a fraction of the great characters performed by that group. Maurice LeMarche is particularly interesting to me, as the 9th annual Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians special was kind of a milestone for me, and I remember how cool it was that the guy who did an almost entirely hack comic impressions set went on to do just an insane number of really great characters as a voice actor.

I'm not a very good stalker, and am intermittently shy in person, so most likely unless someone is really trying to attract people to them, I will not be meeting any media people while I am there. I go to these things in part to break out of my comfort zone, but most often I just retreat in horror to the heart of my comfort zone and comfortably avoid contact or interaction.

Also, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith will apparently be in or around ECCC doing things for money as well.