Saturday, June 11, 2016

First Ever Convention Experience

 
Okay so I went. I went to the first Red Deer Comic Expo. I saw some vendors who really didn't have much good to sell. I tried to haggle with a guy over a figure but he treated me like some peasant and not the Bedouin that I am. I took ONE picture.


Then I went to take another picture of a very cute girl in a Batgirl costume and my batteries died. I thought I was going to die myself. I just pretended it worked and I walked away in shame after talking to her. But I did find some cool comics.

The Fantastic Four Treasury is very cool and only cost five dollars. It's one of the few of these oversized treasuries that I don't already had. It held up pretty good from the 70s considering how many hands it has no doubt been through.


The Umbrella Academy is just about the most original superhero team I have read in the past twenty years. I have read this one online but I always wanted the collected series and there was a guy at the show who ONLY sold collected stories. I had never seen that before. A real time saver for searchers. So many great ones to choose from but for 14 dollars (for six issues) this one stole my money right out of my pocket.

 
Overall it was OKAY. There were many people in costume which was good to see and several had put a lot of planning into the effort. I wish I had more pictures but I will steal some from others to show you what I am talking about.





I wish there were more toys for sale. Many FUNKO figures but they were priced at three times there retail value so I noticed they weren't being sold. I could have set up at table with my unwanted figures and made a killing with the right pricing structure. But I would only do that under protest and only if it meant even BETTER figures found their way into my collection.

11 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I'm glad you went, Cal! You'll sleep like a baby tonight because of it!

j-swin said...

Bully for you, brother! Baby steps my friend, most shows have about 1% of what you want but every so often you find that jem that makes it all worthwhile. And don't sweat the cosplayers, they're more scared of you than you are of them.

Chase March said...

Glad to see that you went and enjoyed yourself! Cheers!

Nick Ward said...

So much respect my friend. I enjoyed reading this. :)

That Dad said...

If you found a comic or two and had some fun, good for you! You can't help it that the con couldn't match your cool.

Barbecue17 said...

Sounds fun! I'm glad you got the chance go out! I always enjoy cons no matter the size. Did anyone recognize you while you were there?

The Charlotte Heroes Con is next weekend, so we're getting prepped for that. Of course we have Vacation Bible School at our church this week so that means things are very busy for my wife, the little one, and I, in addition to making sure our costumes are in working order!

Next month my little city is having a comic book convention of our own which will be interesting to see. It's the first we've ever had so I'm curious to see what it will be like.

Cora said...

YAY!! I'm so happy you went! ((((HUGS))))

Scope said...

Glad you had a good time. Cora and I have been to 2, and they were way cool.

As an ex-comic book collector, I get where you are on the prices. I've seen a number of books I had marked at $200 or so. (I sold my whole collection for $500 a decade + ago.)

I wonder what "booth" cost. That might have been a driving factor on some of the prices. My parents used to do craft shows, and sometimes the price for a small booth space made them have to up their prices to help cover their overhead. What I'm saying, is don't too harsh on the vendors.

And get their card, and contact them later and see if the price has come down.

Tim Knight said...

So pleased to read that you went. Shame about the camera, but you'll know next time to take spare batteries (or a charger?)

From the pix, it doesn't look too rammed either, which is good for a first visit (it's the crowds that put me off these days, which is why I stick to our local wargames/model trains shows and outdoor events).

Well done. Hopefully you're now counting down to our next con experience.

The Invisible Seductress said...

Looks like fun!!!! I have been wanting to go to one, maybe now I will. :)

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

It was fun to see who was there and what was involved. I appreciate the people who organized it so close to me. Maybe people who live in my town will see my posts and I can connect with a like minded traveller.