2010 Nola Comic Con

I'd really like to be able to write a post right now about what happened at Nola Comic Con this weekend. I can't, however, because as far as my experience goes, nothing did happen.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, I didn't get there until 4:30 on Sunday. We left at 4:50. Upon entering the convention center, my eyes were filled with the site of a woman wearing a Vampirella costume. It was frightening, mostly because I was seeing her from the backside, and that backside was far too large for the barely there outfit. Once inside, there wasn't a whole lot to see. I'm not sure why they took the time to rent out the convention center when they probably could have hosted it in one of the reservable rooms at the Jefferson Parish library. I remember at some point when I was little they held something like this in the open spaces of Lakeside Mall. That also would have worked and not cost me ten dollars to get in.

Basically, it was all the local comic shops of the area selling stuff, but they mostly had action figures and Golden/Silver Age comics. Normally that many action figures in one place would be a good thing, but honestly I didn't see a single figure I wanted, except for ones that were so expensive I couldn't possibly afford them. Being so far out of the collector's part of the comics game, I didn't even know where to begin to look in the boxes. I can't even remember what issues I'm missing anymore, let alone take the time to flip through and find them.

I didn't know any of the special guests, and perhaps it was because it was so late in the con (it was closing at 6) but none of them looked particularly inviting and wanting to talk about their work. All the vendors did the old standby that always happens to me when I go in comic book stores and video game shops... they talked to Jak and completely ignored me. Whether it's because they just assume I'm not interested (even though I'm the one flipping through the boxes and he's just standing behind me) or they really are that scared to talk to women I don't know. There was one thing I would have bought had the guy behind the table been willing to even look at me so I could ask him how much it costs. Oh well.

I'm not entirely sad that I went, because these things can't get bigger and better if no one shows up. But definitely if I go again next year it will be on the Saturday when more people are around (we heard people talking about how dead it was that day and how there was a much better turn out the day before) and I'll just come with the expectancy to look for certain comics that I want and that's it. I was expecting some kind of sense of community and all I got was a large comic shop.

The Big Bang Theory Season 1

I remember when the previews for The Big Bang Theory came out. I remember it because I remember thinking to myself that it seemed like the kind of show I would enjoy. A show that centers around four nerds? Really, assuming it was done right, how could I not enjoy it? I think I had some reservations about stereotyping and the like, but I really meant to watch it. The problem is I don't watch much television at all. If it wasn't for my DVR, I would watch even less. The idea of remembering exactly when a show comes on TV and reserving the time to watch it every week just seems almost tedious to me. The only exception I make for that is Lost, because if you don't watch it ASAP, you're going to be dodging spoilers all over the internet, and honestly I'm really looking forward to it being over so that I can have my one hour a weeknight free again. I'd much rather use the time to watch movies or play video games.

Anyway, regularly reading Wil Wheaton's blog meant I heard all about his appearance on the show, and was definitely intrigued. I started reading a couple recaps on TV Squad to see what I thought, and there was always a plethora of secrets about the show on Fandom Secrets about people saying which characters should hookup, whether they thought Sheldon was asexual, etc. So a week or so ago Amazon put the first two seasons on sale for $15 each and I bit the bullet.

This show was made for me.

From the first episode I was pretty much in love. I have laughed out loud hysterically at least once per episode if not more. The whole "Leonard has a thing for Penny" angle is a little tedious, but that may be because I already know that the two of them are going to end up together.

I absolutely love Sheldon, though Howard runs a close second. My love of Sheldon is nothing unique, I know. He's easily the most popular character on the show. It's easy to see why: He is completely over the top ridiculous in his inability to relate to humanity. In a lot of ways, he's not all that different from Spock or Data.. an outsider among the normals. He definitely fits much closer to the Spock end of the spectrum however, having no desire to truly fit in. I think I can't help but be a little envious of that. We've all felt isolated and confused by others' reactions at times, but wouldn't it be kind of awesome to also be blissfully unaware and unaffected by that kind of rejection?

I think the best part of the show is that it appeals to the nerd in all of us.. whether you're a book nerd, a comic book nerd, a video game nerd, a sci-fi nerd, etc. etc. etc. you'll find something to relate to the characters on this show. If not, there's always Penny.

BSG Season 2

Yesterday I finished the second season of Battlestar Galactica. I think I overall prefer the first season over the second, but there was definitely a lot of interesting choices made this time around.

I thought the addition of the Pegasus made for some great episodes.. lots of political conflict, philosophy, and suspense. It was kind of a shock that they ended up dealing with so many of these matters so quickly. It got to the point where if an actor I recognized showed up, I pretty much figured they'd be dead by either the end of that episode or the next one. I guess it gives people a chance to guest star on the show and make appearances, but overall it sort of made things rushed. I would have liked to see them play things out on a slower build than that.

I hate to sound like a shipper, but these characters are so well defined that I think you can't help but be attached and want to see some of them get together. As such, when Kara was suddenly in love with Samuel Anders, and Lee and Dualla were hitting it off, I got mad. D and Billy had a very sweet romance going on, and Kara and Lee obviously like each other. Kara and Sam have no chemistry together whatsoever, and I couldn't get into D and Lee because I wanted them to be with other people. It seems obvious that they did all this because they're probably saving Kara and Lee's final hooking up to be something that doesn't happen until the end of the show. I just would have preferred a more believable attachment between either of the existing couples this season to make me be OK with it. Instead I found myself yelling at them through the TV a lot.

On a related note, OMG Billy. It's a sign of a truly well done show when a character that I never really thought I gave two shits about is suddenly making me shed tears. Well done, BSG, well done.

As far as the big jump forward in the season finale... honestly, I'm not crazy about it. Whereas the ending of Season 1 made me want to hurry and start watching Season 2, I'm currently feeling like I want to watch some more movies via Netflix before I continue on to the next season. It's almost like they wanted an excuse to make it a whole different kind of show. But I'll just have to wait and see where they are going with it.

Overall I'd give the season a B+