Emerald City Comic Con: A Survival Guide
HEY DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A SPACE NEEDLE
Last Thursday, Hannah covered the multifarious possibilities of a weekend at Emerald City Comic Con; turns out, most of them involve comic books and the people who make ‘em. Little did you know, right?
My first ECCC was last year, and it was a glorious exploding clusterfuck of a good time. I have a lot of things I want to see this weekend, but there’s a lot of overlap with Hannah’s preview. Instead of swimming around in redundancy, as a hardened veteran of one long ECCC weekend, I’m happy to present Dorkadia’s 2013 Emerald City Comicon Survial Guide. Gird thy loins, traveller.
Well, It’s A Convention. It isn’t SDCC, or PAX, but it still is a big honkin’ mess of people standing in lines and shuffling through bottlenecks. And because of the nature of the exhibitor’s hall, where you’re basically encouraged to stand around and look at things, there are going to be a lot of those bottlenecks. Wear sturdy shoes, bring some water, and be prepared to want to shove someone in a Green Lantern costume out of your way. (You can’t, though.)
Photo via Smart Aleck Comedy. Vodka via Royal Gate, breakfast of champions.
Speaking of Costumes… There’s going to be a lot of them, with various degrees of verisimilitude. I think last year’s standout was Homeless Batman (complete with real Two-Dollar Vodka In A Paper Bag), but there was a pretty impressive Venture Brothers crew too. Most people will be good for photo opportunities if you want ‘em, but be polite and wait your turn (especially behind kids). If you’re going in costume, or with a friend who is, then eventually someone is probably going to stop you and ask to take a picture. That’s pretty much how it goes. Last year, one of my group was dressed as the Red Power Ranger, and we basically just had to lose him and go check out the exhibition hall because he could not get five feet without another photo request. So if there’s stuff you really want to see and do, I suggest taking at least one day to go incognito.
Oh, And That Other Thing. This isn’t an article about Convention Creeping; that article has been written many times before and, sadly, will be written again. But I’m going to drop a mention while we’re talking about cosplayers – some of those cosplayers will be tremendously attractive people in costumes that accentuate that fact. You might want a picture, and that’s probably going to be cool.
But just…behave like a civilized human being. Ask if you can take a picture. Don’t put your hands anywhere that you wouldn’t be comfortable with a stranger putting their hands on, say, your mom. Remember that the lady in the carefully placed spandex is probably just another big dork like you, and she really needs to use the bathroom and hopes she can make it to Sir Patrick Stewart’s panel without getting drooled upon.
Cool? Cool. Moving right along…
It’s Dangerous To Go Alone! Well, not so much “dangerous” as “tedious.” Con-coordination with a big group is a pain in the ass, but if you can link up with 2-4 other people, the feedback loop of enthusiasm will keep you going all weekend. Seeing a bunch of famous voice actors re-enact The Princess Bride = awesome. Seeing a bunch of famous voice actors re-enact The Princess Bride and then reliving it with your friends = really awesome. Take the time to figure out who wants to do what and what you can do together, because it really does make a difference as to the experience.
The Art Zoo. One of the big draws of ECCC is Artist’s Alley. I recommend setting at least a whole afternoon aside to wander the expo floor. You’ll probably find at least a couple names on that list that you want to visit, but just as rewarding is wandering around looking for styles & subjects that catch your eye. A lot of these artists will do work on the fly, and whip up a sketch for you more or less immediately (“Come pick it up in a couple hours!” is a common refrain.) But bear in mind that for many of these artists, ECCC is a money-losing proposition, especially if they’re not local to Seattle. They cross their fingers to break even; what they’re there for is the exposure and the contacts. So help ‘em out. Point your friends to their booth. Share your new portrait of your zombified self on social media. Heck, just fangirl really loudly and get someone’s attention. And make sure to check out the back corners; that’s where you’ll find a lot of up-and-coming artists, who will be eager to take your money and have the time & impetus to churn out something real cool.
OH MY GOD, IT’S REALLY YOU! Speaking of fangirling, or fanboying, or simply freaking the fuck out, Your Favorite Nerdy Celebrity may well make an appearance. I’m not going to go through a whole spiel on How To Talk To Famous People; I’ll just mention one thing. If you want to have a real cool conversation with an artist or writer, don’t rave about how much you liked that thing they wrote that one time way back when. Ask them what they’re doing now, or what they’re doing next. People like to talk about the shit that they’re currently into; give them the opportunity, and you might learn about something pretty sweet.
Garth Ennis looks just like a normal human being.
Aw What the Hell, Let’s Do Some Recommendations. Like I said, a lot of the events I want to see are the same ones Hannah already wrote about. It’s almost like the staff of Dorkadia likes a lot of the same stuff or something. But I do want to advertise the presence of a few artists/authors to whose booths a visit is well worth your time.
-Garth Ennis. The man, the myth, the legend, of Preacher, Hellblazer, etc. fame. Hannah mentioned his panel; he’ll also be hanging out in the expo hall, doing signings and talking about whatever Garth Ennis talks about. Probably whiskey. I bet he knows a lot about whiskey.
-Noelle Stevenson. You may know her, as I do, from The Broship of the Ring; she also draws a webcomic, and, apparently, drunkenly-described Pokemon. I have no idea what to expect from her booth but it’ll probably be hilarious.
–Aaron Diaz. He draws the indescribable sci-fi/transhumanism/philosophy webcomic Dresden Codak, and also tackles superhero recreations and the Silmarillion on his ceaselessly entertaining Tumblr. He will also draw you a goddamn dinosaur, no foolin’.
–Ben Templesmith. The illustrator of countless comics, Mr. Templesmith is a boundless font of visual weirdness. It’s not out of the question that Warren Ellis laid eggs in his brain while they were working on the excellent Fell, so be wary of spawning. Otherwise, go see what he’s got.
So there you have it, Dorkadia readers. We have covered everything you could possibly need to survive and enjoy a weekend at Emerald City Comicon. Everything. Go forth and enjoy. I’ll be there all three days; if you see a short guy with Zuckerberg hair and our logo on his torso, that’s me. Come say hey.
