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.