Opportunity Actions: Send-Up to New York Comic-Con

This weekend, the 8th-10th of October my wife (the +1 Wife of Awesomeness) and I attended the New York Comic-Con, normally my big con outing of the year, and our one annual vacation. Also, I always make it a point to swing by the Wizards of the Coast booth, because, if nothing else, it ensures I’ll get a good a good delve in every year.

This year, however, I took a different tack. Lou, aka AlioTheFool, one of our contributors, Tracey Hurley (Sarah Darkmagic of the New Hampshire Darkmagics), and Phil Menard (of Chatty DM fame) all had mentioned they’d be at the con. I got it in my head that the Con (an already great time) would be made better by tapping into my network, and seeing what I could make happen.

It played out better than my expectations.

I played the Delve with Lou and his son. It was a great time, as always, made even better as Lou and I formed a two rogue hit squad. Great fun.

Shortly afterward, I made connections with Tracey and Phil. We had planned lunch w/ Tracey, but it didn’t work out. No big deal. Cons are busy places, and people are often pulled in several directions at once, especially when one of those pulling influences is an in-depth convo with Chris Tulach.

My wife and I spent the better part of the rest of the day meeting celebrities and taking pictures. It was fun as always. We met some great people (I’m looking at you, Sarah Douglas and Joyce DeWitt) and, of course, got our annual photo of Lou Ferrigno. Great fun.

Right around six o’clock, we had made arrangements to meet up with Phil for dinner. A snag arose. I met Adam Hughes, who is a fantastic artist (his drawings of Catwoman resemble classic Audrey Hepburn, and inspired a photomanipulation series I’ll be showing in May). I brought a comic for him to sign, and he told me he’d be doing his signing at six. On the way back to his table, we swung by the D&D area, so we could tell Phil what we were doing, and not to leave without us. This guy, who we met only a scant few hours previous, came along with us, and hung out in line while we waited to get my book signed.

After that, we mustered up the troops, and hit a nearby pub and restaurant for dinner. We talked D&D, other games, general geekdom, and the like. My wife, not necessarily a gamer, who normally feels out of the loop when I gather with D&D nerds (a title of the highest honor in my opinion), was involved in the conversation, and she had a grand time. Phil even broke out Mouse Guard, and the only thing prohibiting us from actually playing was that none of us had the foresight to bring enough of the right kind of dice. So we got a run down of how it plays from Phil, who is incredibly excited about it, and rightfully so, as his explanation of it easily sold both me and my wife (reminder: she’s not a hard-core gamer like myself).

Wrapping up, this was a good Comic-Con, not just for the usual silly con activities that give it its charm, but also for the friendships I made that I definitely see going forward from here. My thanks to Lou, Tracey, Phil, and Alex (another judge who joined us for dinner) for a great time. Next stop: Either Total CONfusion or PAX East! Share any NY Comic-Con memories from this year below, and remember that sometimes you’ll find allies in you threatened squares!