I usually leave town for a few days when my birthday rolls around. The destination is always nice, wherever it may be in this fair state I call home, but it’s the drive and the time on the road — the physical act of gaining distance and perspective — that I long for most each summer.
I didn’t have enough vacation time on the books to take off in my preferred fashion this year. However! I had the good sense to remember to buy passes to Comic-Con waaaaay back in December. While the three days I spent at the convention center didn’t offer much in the way of quiet, meditative reflection, they did give me plenty of cool panels, fun costume-watching, and the odd celebrity spotting or two to enjoy.
My favorite panel by far was “Girls Gone Genre: Movies, TV, Comics, Web”, moderated by Annalee Newitz and filled with the terrific Kathryn Immonen, Marti Noxon, Felicia Day, Melissa Rosenberg, Gail Simone, Charlaine Harris, and Laeta Kalogridis. It was an awesome opportunity to listen to them share the realities of being female in their male-dominated industries — one panelist was even replaced with a man on a job where she was told she ‘didn’t write women well’ — and of the ongoing need to write and develop strong, complex roles for women and young girls in the movies and comics and shows they work on.
If I ever find the USB cable for my camera, I may actually post the 2-3 snapshots I took of the group. As it is, the only other pictures I took in the thirty-six hours I spent at the Con were of: 1) the line I was standing in to see Tim Kring and Zachary Quinto talk about Shift, and 2) the interesting Gabrielle Bell being interviewed by Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter.
Best celebrity spotting: Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters. Walking purposefully, lunch in hand. Not wanting to be bothered, I was sure. I kept my cool and did the chin-nod as I walked past.
Worst panel to wait for: Ballroom 20. Friday. All day. Any of them. All of them. For reals. True Blood, Big Bang Theory, Stargate Universe, Caprica, Bones, Joss Whedon, etc. etc. There was no way to see anything in there unless you were determined to do nothing else but wait, avoid liquids, and send up hopeful prayers to your deity of choice.
Nicest merch booths I visited: Bekyoot, Inc. (with their super cute tote bags!) and Steam Crow (with their super cute mini-pins!). I think they also qualify as ‘Super cutest merch booths I visited’, come to think of it.
Smartest decision made: buying my pass for next year. I can sleep easy now, knowing that my future (well, attendance at least) is secure.
Number of pen-used-as-weapon-to-the-face incidents witnessed: none. No doubt I was standing in a line somewhere, anywhere else.
