Stephen’s Nashville Comic Con Review

What was your favorite part of the weekend?

My favorite part of the weekend was definitely when I got to take my kids to the karate class taught by the Green Ranger, Jason David Frank. My brother and I grew up watching Power Rangers and so getting to take my boys to that class was an awesome experience. Although, I will say that the Bruce Campbell Q&A was probably my second favorite thing. The man is a master of working an audience.

Another thing that I’m really excited about is getting Eric Powell’s autograph on his very first comic… ever. You’ll know him best as the creator of The Goon (which is freakin great) but this is an old horror anthology comic that he did WAY back. I got some other great artist signatures, but this one was my favorite.

My 2-year-old, Ridley, in the Jason David Frank karate class. Ridley practices a very abstract form of karate known as run-around-while-yelling-then-cry-in-the-hallway.

What was the biggest disappointment?

I can’t say that I have any real *disappointment* from the Con… But one thing that did bum me out was that there were a couple of artists who I wanted to get to sign one book each, but they were charging a pretty significant amount of money to sign. I mean, I get it. People want to sell their artwork with their signature on it and if you’re going to make money off of their art and signature then why shouldn’t they? I did pay for one signature, but it wasn’t a whole lot of money.

It’s not that it’s not logical; it’s just something that as a fan you have to learn to accept. But as someone who just wants to proudly display the signed artwork, it’s hard to justify paying a lot of money for a signature. But then some would argue, “Well, if you’d be proud of it then why not spend the money?” And to them I say, “You know I have 3 kids, right?”

If I paid for too many autographs, my children would have had to eat Yoshi for lunch and everyone knows that Yoshi meat is tough and gamey.

Craziest thing you saw (Comics, Person in Cosplay, or Merchandise)?

I can’t really say I saw anything “crazy”, but my wife and I did note that there were a TON of Deadpool cosplayers. Like, I’m a Deadpool fan, and I’m glad that so many other people love the Merc with a Mouth too. But it was bizarre to see that there was WAY more Deadpool costumes than Spider-Man, Wolverine, or even Batman.

The thing about a Comic Con is that it’s pretty damn crazy all on its own. Just as a concept. Think about it… Celebrities and comic book creators, along with filmmakers, other artists, and vendors, set up their booths so that you can walk by and stare at them and pay to take your picture with them or pay them to sign your stuff. Sound like a zoo…? Because, at times, it kind of feels like one.

"Please don't feed the cosplayers." — “Please don’t feed the cosplayers.”

How do you plan to go next year?

I’ll definitely go all 3 days again, for sure. There’s plenty of great stuff to check out and the panels and Q&A’s are really fun and interesting. I will definitely plan out my weekend better next year though. There were some logistic issues for me and my wife. Having 3 kids makes it difficult to fully take in everything there is to do. There are panels and events that they just aren’t going to be able to sit still through and as a result there were some that I unfortunately missed.

A couple pieces of advice that I’d give to anyone going to Nashville Comic Con next year (or any con, at any time) are:

Plan out the weekend, so you can hit all the stuff that you want to do.
Save up. There’s a lot to do and buy and you’ll be at a disadvantage if you don’t take a wad of cash with you.
Baby Powder or Gold Bond Powder. Big guys, I’m talking to you. Chafing (especially in the undercarriage area) is a real hazard of Con-life. Be vigilant. Be prepared.