Austin Comic-Con 2011

Remember last year’s Austin Comic-Con wrap-up? It was successful enough that Wizard World returned again this year with a bigger, better con.  Nate and I were excited to check it out this year, and we even brought a friend.  And my brave, brave wife.

Overall, I felt like the quality of this year’s convention was higher than last year’s.  There weren’t quite as many big-named (relatively) guests, but the size and selection of booths was impressive.  There was a fun mix of merch, art, steampunk, indie publishers, fan groups, and comic vendors.

This year, I was excited to see the number of fan groups raising money for charity.  The Austin Browncoats raised money for groups including Equality Now, SafePlace, and Kids Need to Read. (If you aren’t familiar with “Browncoats”, it’s  a term associated with fans of the tv show Firefly.)  Another group that stood our for their charitable work was the 501st Garrison/Central TX Squad, which let you take photos with Storm Troopers for a small donation.

Some of the highlights this year included talking to some nerd icons and meeting people who put a lot of time and effort into making their own costumes:

That’s Adam Baldwin.  You might recognize him from Chuck, Firefly, or Full Metal Jacket, or the Halo games.  In addition to being an actor, he’s also a prolific conservative blogger.  I think he’s around 50 years old, which really does a number on my self-esteem.  I need to hit the gym.

That’s me with Nicki Clyne, aka Cally from Battlestar Galactica.  It was great to get to talk with her about the show, what Edward James Olmos is like, her character arc, etc.  For the record, she was easily one of the nicer people I got to meet.

Nate and I also talked with the Million Dollar Man, Ted DeBiase.  He’s a pro-wrestling icon, and one of the great heels of the 1980s.  Now, he’s focused on Christian ministry.  We mainly talked about that.

Next, we toured lots of people from the Buffyverse, including Spike and Charisma Carpenter.  In real life, Spike has dark hair.  He’s also American.  Kind of shocking.  Charisma Carpenter is in her forties, and she provided me with further proof that I need to get in the gym.

We also saw Kevin Sorbo.  Hercules. Ryan Atwood’s dad.  He is a handsome giant.  Samantha and Kayla’s reaction to Kevin Sorbo was very much like George’s reaction to food cooking in the kitchen.  They both trotted around his booth and watched him out of the corners of their eyes. Lots of walking back and forth.  Lots of jittery energy.  For the record, he seemed really cool, and he has also aged very well.  And I need to do some pushups.

As we made our way through the crowd, our friend Kayla decided to get Simpsonized by Phil Ortiz.  The artist has worked on a lot of shows, most notably The Simpsons.  For a very reasonable price, he draws Comic-Con attendees as a Simpsons character.  Since Phil is such a nice guy and spends so much time with each fan, the wait was about two hours.  I think it was worth the wait, though.

While Kayla and Sam waited in line, Nate and I made the rounds to meet and greet costumed con attendees.

Is the best part of this photo Batman's wristband or Nate's inability to pose?

This guy was really cool.  I have no idea how long his costume took, but it looked great in person.  Also, he had a Southern accent, which was very different than Christian Bale’s growl.

Ghost Rider

The best part of this photo might be the animated conversations and stares in the background.

Assassin’s Creed.  Didn’t catch this guy’s name, but he was really friendly and informative.  You can’t really tell in the photo, but the material he used was thick and textured, like it is in the game.

The Defuser

The Defuser won Stan Lee’s “Who Wants to Be a Superhero” tv show in season two.  In real life, Defuser is a cop from Austin.  He’s used his fame  to raise money for local cancer charities.  You can learn more here.

The guys were great.

I’m not positive, but I think these guys were with The Steam Engine Intrepid.  They were pretty funny, and Nicki Clyne loved the guy on stilts.  Some of the steampunk outfits were amazing.

These were the guys I mentioned earlier that let you take photos for charity.

Nate, soakin' it up.

That’s Nate, loving his Jayne hat from Austin browncoats.  A curious Joker and Harley Quinn are right behind him.  What a day.

That’s Austin Comic-Con 2011.  Lots of costumes, nerd heroes, and good causes.  See you next year.

Livin the Dream

You know how sometimes in fall or winter, when you close your car door you get shocked? That happens to me pretty much all the time. It doesn’t matter what season it is. Most of the time I won’t even touch doors with my hands. I’ll use an elbow, a jacket pocket, etc.

Recently, my truck has been having electrical problems. Hmm.

Put these two together, and what can you surmise?

I’m an X-Man in waiting, and I need help to harness my power over electricity.

I think my code name would be Buzz or Zaps or something like that. I’ve got time to figure it out.

Nap Bus

Everyone has heard of or been on a party bus or a booze cruise. You know, you get all kinda of drinks on your ride, there’s music, and there’s people who regularly work out and all that.

There’s not a setup for people like me, though. There’s not a bus for people who just want to kick back instead of kick it. That’s why I’m proposing The Nap Bus.

You and a select group of like minded individuals can tour the city in a coach specially set up with mini beds. Think of a mix between a tour bus and a cruise.

Anyway, instead of trying different kinds of shots, Nap Bussers could try different pillows, mattress types, white noise machines, etc.

Nap Bus destinations could include quiet parks, lakes, babbling brooks, and maybe even a grand finale at a luxury mattress outlet.

I’m about to crawl under my desk just thinking about it.

Things I Would Never Do as a Superhero

• Jump off of something, land on one knee, look down at the ground, and then look up slowly.
• Wear tights.
• Forget to tell friends and family that a supervillain is probably going to attack them.
• Date someone that I loved. (Dead!)
• Tweet.
• Take down a bad guy and then walk away without double checking that he’s down.  Especially if it’s a super villain.
• Pause before knocking wrongdoers out.  They can explain their bad deeds when they wake up in the police station/my lair/a rooftop. SWEARTOME!
• Get surprised when the public inevitably turns on me.  They’ll come back around.
• Invest millions of dollars in a vehicle and then destroy it for no readily apparent reason.
• Do a flip.  There’s no reason for adults to flip.

SPECIAL NOTE: During the fall of my sophomore year in college, I based my classes entirely on this question: Would Batman take this class?

ADDENDUM: I am an attorney.

The Four-Hour Work Week For the City by John Grisham

I’ve just finished reading For the City, a book co-authored by one of my church’s pastors, Matt Carter.  In it, Carter mentions that he wants to live in such a way that that at the end of his life, he has no doubt that what he accomplished could only be done through God’s power.

“Are you living in a way that requires God’s supernatural power for your calling to be lived out?” he asks.

My answer is a simple, “No.”  How sad is that?  I’m just kind of hanging out.  Coasting.

I’m also reading Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweek.  In it, he starts with what seems like another pretty easy question:  “What excites you?”

I had to sit and think for a long time (I’ve been coasting), and I realized that my answers don’t have much to do with working or life goals or self-actualization or anything like that.  I’m excited about friends, creativity, and God saving his Creation.  And, of course, alcohol.

What do those have to do with each other?  I think everything.

Because in the end, this will be the reality of all space and time:

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

I’m excited about the right things, but my actions don’t necessarily reflect that.  But I want them to.   I want to be living in a way that acknowledges that God is for us.  I want to be for my neighbors and co-workers and the Creation all around me.

So, after thinking about current station in life, I set the following goals for myself:

• Be a great husband.
• Be a great steward with the “talents” (finances and skills) God has given me.
• Be creative.
• Be involved in my town.
• Be a badass street lawyer.

That sounds like a life worth living.

Posters

Posters should be called postings. A poster should be the person who posts the posting. Pow.

Don’t look up

Waking up early and sludging through rush hour is scary enough, but it’s even weirder with a hundred of squawking birds following your every move.

I threw my sandwich out the window to appease them, so I think we’re on good terms. For now…

Hitchcock, anyone?

Becoming Jason Bourne

My favorite part of any action movie is when someone slips a disposable cell phone into someone’s else’s pocket.  My favorite move, the inevitable Reverse Pickpocket.

How awesome would it be to have a strange, disposable cell phone ring on your pocket?  Whoever is calling you is either some sort of superspy or an international villain with interesting hair and a wool sweater.  The disposable phone is great news.  It means that you are about to be involved in at least 90 minutes of running, a car chase, and two explosions.

In an effort to make my life more action packed, I canned my 2-year cell phone contract in favor of a pay-as-you-go, no contract plan.  1500 minutes/texts for $30.  That is great.  I can switch providers whenever I want, I can communicate for cheap, AND I get a disposable cell phone.  The kind that Liam Neeson would drop in your pocket if he wanted to tell you how to throat chop a fool.

[Liam Neeson, offended by arrogance.]

What features does my Nokia 1661 include?  A flashlight, an FM radio (!), personal information management (phonebook, for nonspies), and something called Snake Xenzia, which is either a game or a nuclear fission project that I’m supposed to infiltrate.  Either way, the Nokia is king.

The Icon

The place is Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy.  The person on the right is me.  The person on the left is Felicia Day.  THE Felicia Day.  My creative hero.  The girl who writes and stars in The Guild.  The girl who wrote her own comic.  You might also recognize her from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Lie to Me, Eureka, Red, House, Undeclared, or the video game Fallout: New Vegas.

Yes, meeting my creative hero was awesome.  She was as gracious, friendly, and down-to-earth as I had hoped.  No, I couldn’t think of anything great to say.  All I got out was, “Thank you for coming to say hi to us…”  I’m sure she had never heard anyone say something as groundbreaking as that.  Ugh.  Oh well.  At least I didn’t throw up all over myself.

Anyway, big thanks to Dragon’s Lair and Felicia Day for making that meetup happen.  Maybe one day I’ll be on the other side of the table.  Maybe one day some nerdy, creative type will be thankful that they didn’t vomit all over me.  That’s the dream.

Austin Comic Con 2010

2010 marked the first year that Wizard World brought its Comic Con to Austin. It also marked my first convention experience that didn’t have to do with sports cards and me being eleven years old.  I’ve got to say, it was a good time. It’s chaotic in a good way.  It’s like nerd Mardi Gras.  Here are some pictures of nerdfamous (pronounced like infamous) people that I saw, in person.

Nicholas Brendan, aka Xander from Buffy

Nicholas was really friendly.  He actually got up from his chair, walked onto the floor, and took this photo with me for free.  Usually, the celebs won’t get up. They often charge for photos as well.  Not Nicholas, though.

Ernie Hudson

Ernie Hudson is probably most famous for his role in Ghostbusters.  He was also in The Crow, Miss Congeniality, Las Vegas, Oz, and Psych.  Mr. Hudson is such a big deal in the nerd world that at least four people in the background are dressed just like him.

Kevin Nash, aka Big Daddy Cool Diesel

I used to be a big time pro wrestling fan, and Kevin Nash was a big part of the reason why.  He was Big Daddy Cool Diesel, and then he was in the nWo.  Wow. I was lucky to get this picture, because he was pretty busy puttin the moves on another Comic Con guest.  Thanks for your time, Diesel.  PS, notice the girl’s shirt in the back.  It features Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.

Lou Ferrigno, scratching his nose

If you look way in the back, you will see a man sitting down and wearing a black shirt.  That is Lou Ferrigno, of Hulk/Pumping Iron fame. I was scared to approach him because of what he did to Jason Segel in I Love You Man.

I also saw a lot of other cool people, including Kat from Battlestar Galactica, Lando and Chewy from Star Wars, Robin from Batman, Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3, The L Word), Ray Park (Star Wars, X-Men, GI Joe).

Another one of my favorite parts was getting to talk to comic writers and publishers.  I got some pretty valuable advice.

All in all, it was a lot of fun, and I’ll definitely be going back next year.