MegaCon!

 

Oh con season. Have I mentioned how much I love it? Granted, with my current state of affairs I don't attend that many but I love the hell out of the ones I attend! And there is always a thrill, for me anyway, about attending a convention for the first time.

This past week I attended MegaCon for the first time. It was interesting - I would compare it to Heroes if Heroes were larger. Perhaps what Heroes will be in a few years. I confess that I wasn't able to give it my usual all - staying off-site and a week of Disney leading up to the con while trying to get all the collectable cards at the Magic Kingdom... I was a touch worn out by the time Friday rolled around.

My experience was good overall. Parking was a mess for us all three days but I assume better parking could be had if I was more familiar with the area. Either way, there were an abundance of bicycle petty cabs - I just wish I had realized ahead of time. The petty cabs are great but they only take cash. Unfortunately only one member of our group is in the habit of carrying cash and it wasn't me. So we took the cabs once or twice, at any rate my Oracle wheelchair is great for carrying other props but can't fit easily in the back of a petty cab.

Once we got inside the convention center, I have to admit that I got turned around as it quite large and with several events going on at once, MegaCon signs weren't everywhere. However a convention center employee was able to direct us - and was extremely jovial by the way - and cosplayers and signs soon appeared in our sights. I have to admit that the line to get my pass on Friday turned my stomach at first with it's length. My fears of an epically long wait were soon calmed though - the staff kept the line moving at a very reasonable pace and we were through very quickly. In addition, the line was tucked to the side but still in one of the main areas so I got to spot and chat with con-buddies. As a side note, there is something really funny about hearing someone yell your name while you are in the Batgirl getup, turn and be greeted by "I thought I knew those ears!", referring to the bat ears on the cowl!

So the line was good - I am not a fan of the wristband badge. I don't think it is a cosplayer's friend but oh well. I do wish con staff had told us where to get maps and programs - I don't think I was told until the last day. I just kinda read off my friends', which isn't a big deal for me since I rarely attend panels. I'm mostly there to shop and socialize.

The artist's alley/dealer room was huge by the way. There was a tardis, the astromech builders, the 501st, Gotham City FX... Everywhere I turned there was something new it seemed. It goes without saying that I went by the Love and Capes booth a number of times and I got to talk to Thom about the recent blog post and he approved my Amazonia cosplay. Always a good feeling!

The cosplay was great, and I'm not talking about mine! There was at least one truly awesome Iron Man suit, a lot of amazing DC costumes and the Wonder Twins. One of the great things about cons this size is that MegaCon is large enough to draw out amazing cosplayers but small enough where you can usually get a chance to talk about how it was accomplished. Unless, of course, you are like me and get surprisingly shy. And then you ask about a tenth of the questions you want, if that!

Despite my shyness I did work up the guts to head over to the Hero Initiative booth for a little while, partially because I'd seen it posted on the Superhero Costuming Forums. I am extremely glad I did that - not only did I get pictures with a Nightwing and Batgirl, I got to give George Perez a chaste smooch! *fangirl swoon*

The con staff themselves were nice as well, at least the ones I spoke with, and didn't take me to task for a rule I wasn't aware I was breaking. This seems to have been a bit of a theme for the trip! Luckily for me, genuine apologies and immediate attempts to correct my blunders paired with the graciousness of those in charge seemed to carry me through.

All in all, this was a really fun con. I am not sure if I will be able to attend again next year but I will definitely try. I like adding more cons to circuit and no longer being in commuting distance to Heroes, Steller, and WTH cons makes me sad!