Back. I'm A Shell Of My Former Self · 5:44pm Jul 29th, 2014
Okay, so ComicCon is crazy, and that covers a lot of spectrum. Like a lot of truly weird things, it's interesting to be around. Sometimes infuriating. Sometimes really fun.
There are so many people there now that simple navigation is a chore. You're generally reduced to a slow shuffle, and that is reduced further if any little thing happens. People in cool costumes? Yeah, you are pretty much going to be at a standstill while people take a billion pictures. Celebrity in booth? Good luck getting around that mess. Free giveaway? Twenty minutes to go ten feet.
However, this does give you time to look around, even if you didn't really want to take a leisurely stroll around some of these booths. You do get to see some stuff that you probably wouldn't have even looked at under normal circumstances.
ComicCon gave me mental paralysis. There were so many options of things to do that I would just look at the day's calendar and my mind would shut down. This was alleviated when I found out that ComicCon has this incredibly lame policy of not clearing the rooms between panels. I mean, I've been to a few cons and that isn't the norm, but ComicCon is different because of its size. There was one MLP/Equestria Girls panel. One. So if you didn't get in, you were boned.
But the ComicCon crowd has a solution to that: They just go in and camp. Before the MLP panel, there was an Evangelion panel, and the pony folks I talked to later said that it was packed to the brim with MLP fans who were just there to ensure they got to see the next panel.
So let's take a look at this situation. Tons of MLP fans sat through a panel they probably had no interest in. Tons of Evangelion fans probably didn't get in to see the panel that they wanted. And tons of fans like me got to stand in line for a panel they had no hope of getting into. Now, if they had cleared the room, then they could conclusively count out the line and tell people when the seats were gone instead of having me wait for two hours for something that wasn't going to happen.
I have several friends in the comic book industry, and one of them brought it from another perspective. She was pointing out that the system really sucks for the panel guests, as well. I mean, just imagine doing this Evangelion panel to a whole crowd full of people that don't care and are wishing you'd just hurry up and be finished so they can watch what they came to see. That would really suck. The panel system there was really terrible in my opinion.
Better was the quality of the panels themselves. I missed the MLP panel, which was the only panel I cared about, but I did see several other ones that were entertaining. I got in for the Hasbro/IDW panel covering their comics line. It was fun, and I learned a lot about the Transformers titles they had, which caused me to go out and buy the complete All Hail Megatron hardcover. If you are a Transformers fan, I'd definitely get that. It was a great read. A little padded, though. Only about half of that book is the actual comic. The rest are side stories of varying quality.
The MLP comics were the star of that panel. I guess I didn't really know how popular they were. I picked up the four trade paperbacks, and the Katie Cook/Andy Price issues are friggin' brilliant. Especially the Big Mac Goes To The Fair/Cadence and Shining Armor Start Dating stories. I loved that one. The other stories were still pretty good, but the Cook/Price team is the clear standout.
I marched around all over the place getting these free MLP posters that a bunch of the booths were giving out. This caused me a bit of stress, since navigation was difficult, but no wall of sweaty con-goers will stand between this sweaty con-goer and his MLP posters! I'd love to show them to you, but they haven't arrived yet. I had FedEx ship them out when I get them all so that I could quit hauling this mailing tube around.
I also ended up going to see Jim Lee draw and take questions. Jim Lee has never been one of my favorite artists, but damn, that guy conducts a fantastic panel! He was friendly and fun, answered everything with thoughtful responses, and he gave out a bunch of free artwork to people who had birthdays that day, or that special circumstances, etc. So many times I see panelist give these one sentence crap answers to questions and Jim really dug into what the questioner wanted to know and gave real meaty answers to them. I loved that panel.
After that was the What's Next at Marvel panel, and it was just essentially a big commercial. I sure it excited lots of hardcore fans, but I didn't get much out of it. Lots of Death of Wolverine titles coming out, so if that interests you, you're set.
The next panel was a celebration of seventy-five years of Marvel comics, but it was really just a celebration of Daredevil. As a huge Daredevil fan, I didn't mind that at all, but I kind of thought it was lame to advertise it as a look at Marvel as a whole and then spend eighty percent of the time talking about one character. It is Daredevil's fiftieth anniversary, but still.
Walking back and forth on the titanic con floor, I naturally passed the Hasbro booth a lot. I finally actually went in there and really looked around and I found these awesome MLP figurines:
Sorry about that Fluttershy. She would not get into focus. Probably just too shy to have her picture taken. Anyway, these come from this kinda awesome website called www.superfanart.com, and the idea here is that artists model these and sell them Ebay style. Some of them are really cool, dontcha think? That Trixie and rearing Applejack are really nice, and the Celestia is pretty great, too. Since they are at the Hasbro booth, I have to assume Hasbro has blessed this, and that's great to see.
Moving along, I found these:
My wife says that Fluttershy is directly post-boop. These were from a company called Diamond Select Toys. They are coin banks, but I didn't realize that until I looked them up later. Nice detail on them. They almost look ceramic, rather than vinyl.
And finally, I got a baby Pinkie Pie for my wife:
So I'll probably put up another post with with those posters soon-ish, and I'm sure I'll have more to say about the con then. I'm still processing it all right now. I'm glad my wife talked me into taking today off. I'd be a mess at work if I hadn't.
My problem with the comics is that they trade characterization for humor. I can't stand that. As for the panels, yes, that system sounds terribad. Poor Evangelion fans. Now I'm glad I went to G-Anime instead, where our Eva panel went much better (as did our two MLP panels).
2326211
Depends a bit on who's doing them. The Cook/Price ones, yes. I happen to like those most of the time (eg the Rarity and Luna micros) but they're definitely doing a different thing from the show. I doubt we'd see something along the lines of "Green Isn't Your Color" in comic form, for example.
But there are still surprises: Pinkie is more interestingly written than I'd expected in the latest Friends Forever comic (with Luna) and Celestia has also had a decent amount of non-slapsticky stuff, such as in her FF with Spike. Obviously that's just a personal view, but then what isn't?
As far as ComicCon goes, I'm sure it would be overwhelming for me even if I didn't live on the wrong side of the Atlantic. There's big and there's too big, and for me this would be too big. That said, I'd have put up with a lot to see some of those figurines in person.
2326211 I haven't found anything in the comics that I thought was terribly out of character, but it does have a flattening effect. Everyone kind of acts zany.
Well, let me amend that. Luna was pretty strange in the Big Mac Goes To The Fair story. I have a high tolerance for this because it's very much like Cheerilee's Thousand. Everyone in that story is their worst selves, though I try to make sure it's within the bounds of their character.
But I haven't read all the comics. I just have those four trade paperbacks. Maybe others have more character issues.
And yes, the panel system was terribad. I can't believe that is what they've gone with as a system.
2326269 2326256 It's very much hit and miss. Chrysalis is able to break apart the M6 and have them declare themselves not friends anymore (even Pinkie, Fluttershy and Twilight) simply by getting changeling copies of them to taunt each other. Twilight in the Shining Armor/Cadance comics is very smug and obnoxious in a way we don't really get from any of her filly scenes. Celestia is a snarky, passive-aggressive substance abuser (yes, really). Don't even get me started on the pirate and other dimensions arcs. I could get more behind the comics as an Alt Universe, but they try to present it as canon.
It just really rubs me the wrong way.
2326256 I went to ComicCon about fifteen years ago. It was much smaller then. I knew it was going to be crazy, but I wasn't really prepared for how crazy. People that are much more dedicated than I am are willing to sit in lines for days to get into a movie premiere or get a limited edition somethingorother. I just don't care that much, but it sort of ruins the whole idea of the event. You're going to ComicCon to see all this amazing stuff, but you really only can if you are pretty hardcore. I'm not sure I'll be going again because I'm not that hardcore.
I heard two people talking, and one was explaining the whole ComicCon experience to the other. She was saying that you have to embrace the culture. You need to really get into the idea of the line. You get into it and make friends there. You sit with these strangers and have conversations about stuff. You put yourself into a position where you remember that you are doing something that very, very few people are doing at this moment because you are going to be one of the very first people to see this new and exciting movie or whatever it is that you are waiting for.
I'm just not like that. None of that appeals to me at all, so I'll probably never be a big fan of this mega-con experience. I had a far better time at BABSCon.
2326281 Yeah, I wasn't that big of a fan of the way the M6 were tricked so immediately by the changelings. I thought that was kinda poor writing.
I don't know about this Celestia thing. It must be in a comic I don't have.
As for Twilight, I never like defining characters by canon in rigid fashion. Characters need room to breathe, and how do we square new character development on the show if we are going to point to it and say, "Hey, they've never acted like this before!" I mean, logic Twilight goes all wonky at the end of Swarm of the Century and suggests they build a new town to cover up the disaster. I can't think of a time before that when she was ridiculous in that fashion. Do we call this out as sacrificing character for the sake of humor? I could see it that way, but I happened to have liked it.
To me, it's all about the logic of the character. Twilight was a brilliant child, and children that are bright are often also kind of obnoxious. Have I ever seen her be that way on the show? Nope. Could I see her being that way? Absolutely. I've known several children like that. So it's not a big leap for me to see Twilight acting that way. It's not her canon personality, but it's an easy mental leap to seeing her there. It just depends on your level of tolerance for such things, I suppose.
2326281 Yeah, I do tend to see the comics as "Expanded Universe" rather than straight-up canon, and I think it works better (for me) that way. One thing that may be relevant, though, is that I'm not a comic person at all. I've never been a regular buyer of a US-style comic book before, ever. I've noticed that people in my position seem to be a bit more positive towards the comics, though there are heaps of exceptions on both sides. (My similarly non-comicy British friends were overwhelmingly pro the "Reflections" arc, for example, which got absolutely savaged on the IDW forums.)
2326284 I went to BUCK last year, which had just under 1,200 attendees, and to be honest that was about as high as I'd want to go. It was enjoyable, and I'm glad I went through with it, but it was also pretty exhausting. I'm going to a much smaller (~300) pony con this year, and I suspect I'll find it more to my liking.
2326311 I love character quirks. Don't get me wrong, I do. Pinkie's random talent for construction and machinery. Twilight's enjoyment of a children's book series. Celestia's love of pranking people. But they need to be justified and explained, and need to tie into the base personality in a way that is logical and consistent with the character. Like with your Twilight example. Twilight goes like that because she adores Celestia (as already shown numerous times) and she is shown to be prone to panic in moments when Celestia is around (already introduced in Bird in the Hoof). This is well explained when it is introduced and ties in well with Twilight's deep respect for Celestia. Why exactly Twilight is a prissy bitch during her early years is never explained and never tied into her normal personality (beyond the systematic nature of it). It is just done to be funny. And yes, many smart people are obnoxious as children, but as we know, Twilight was not at all like other children as a foal, and so it ruins my suspension of disbelief. I cannot abide by that as it really gets my goat, in the same way that Pinkie's taunting Fluttershy for no reason in Filly Vanilli got yours. Was it meant to be funny? Yes. Did it succeed in that goal? Some say yes, others say no. I dunno if that's extra tolerance or not, but regardless the comics don't do much for me for those characterization failings. The show runs on good characterization, so I expect good characterization across its media.
2326320 Reflections is basically the MLP comic equivalent of Equestria Girls, as far as I'm concerned. Tidal wave of clichés, mediocre to terrible characterization (really? Celestia would risk her entire kingdom for a love life? really?) and a Romantic Plot Tumor, but not without some charms and decent jokes. 4/10 never try shipping in canon.
2326375 remember, celestia was (depending on how old she really is, possibly much) younger then. I personally found the reflections arc pretty fantastic.
2326284 I warned you man. I warned you!
2326375 Well, personally I'd have much preferred a deeper look at the mirror world; I was very disappointed to get so little of it (especially given the covers) and Katie Cook's backup story in the final issue just rubbed it in a bit. But I can actually accept someone (even Celestia) acting wildly OOC because of love. She's hardly alone there. Though I suspect part of the reason for the positive reception is that 4chan hated it and most of my friends hate 4chan. Not exactly the most objective of reasons, but there you go...
Eeyup. Do yourself a favor and look up the Rarity micro.
2326479 Yeah, I couldn't believe it for an instant and the whole "perfect reflections" thing was super contrived. Maybe it's just how jaded I am by how blatant a Fringe ripoff it was, but either way that was the Jump The Shark moment for the comics for me.
2326509 I really can't, since they did so little to sell Sombra's chemistry with her (and because they did so little to sell Sombra to me in general). But there is the 4can element to be considered, yes.
2326320 Man, I wanna go to BUCK. Pony and UK-ness, together in one awesome package...
2326481 Oh, and we flew there, so no chance of swinging by on the way home. If I'd have driven there, I would have hit you up.
2326529 I do love Rarity, so that sounds like a win to me.
2326934 Yeah, it has been a great con, even if a little large for me. I say "has been" because this year's will be the last BUCK in its current form. They just can't make the books balance any more: even this year, the budget will break the £100,000 mark, and for a fandom that's pretty much a niche thing in the UK, that's not sustainable. Germany is apparently a good deal cheaper all round, so GalaCon doesn't have quite the same problems. The BUCK team do intend to put on some sort of event next year, but it's unlikely to be the full-service con we've had since 2012.
AJ is not happy about Michelangelo checking out her plot. :B
2327596 "Twilight, is it just me, or does that turtle-thing give off a real creepy vibe?"
"Hey, babe! Wanna come hang out in the sewer with me?"
"That's it. I'm goin' to the mayor for a restrainin' order."
2326972 Aw, that's too bad. By US standards, that's something like an $120 ticket for each of the 1200 guests, and that is mighty steep, especially if the guests aren't completely amazing. I'm not sure who is at BUCK this year. I'll have to go look it up.
Funny, you'd think the UK would have plenty of people that want to attend, but transportation might be a factor. I know my friend in Norfolk rarely goes anywhere because she can't afford it.
2328871 The VIPs this year are Heather Breckel and G. M. Berrow. I'm sad about missing Berrow in particular, since I quite like the chapter books and Berrow herself has a good relationship with the fandom. Last year, the VIPs were Michelle Creber and Cindy Morrow.
Guest expenses are actually a significant reason why BUCK as we know it won't continue: the total cost (fees, flights, hotels, etc) of flying in a top VA apparently nudges £10,000 now, and that's just too big a slice of the con budget to spend on one person, no matter how popular.
Ticket prices have long been a bone of contention. £80 is actually the same Standard price as ConFuzzled, the UK's main furry convention, but it's still a lot of money when you add in this country's expensive hotels. (I paid £172 for three nights in a basic highway-stop place, not even including breakfast, and that's pretty typical.) Norfolk is notoriously badly connected, so I'm not surprised to hear about travel difficulties there.
The lack of US-style conference centres in the UK means that we have to use either big hotels or slightly off-centre venues. BUCK last year was in the Bridgewater Hall concert hall, which had its ups and downs. The Saturday evening concert (with the aforementioned Michelle Creber, Acoustic Brony, EileMonty, etc) was superb, since we had access to a genuinely world-class auditorium. But we were straining at the seams in the rest of the building, and it was far too crowded and hot.