Diary of a Denver Comic Con Newb: Day Three

Day 3, Monday

5:00am Alarm goes off. Forgot this was a vacation day. Abandon pretense of going back to sleep and get up immediately.

5:37am Seated at computer, going over Denver Comic Con schedule for the day. Have decided to spend day attending as many panels as I can because that involves more sitting. Also want to really indulge my inner (wait, what?) nerd. Also saw video last night of talk by anime voice actor Vic Mignogna and he was super funny, so plan to attend his talk today. Is good to try to new things.

6:18am Why am I always up so early? Contemplate nap. Eat ramen for breakfast.

6:47am This is boring. I can’t even wake the boy up yet.

6:49am Read book by Maggie Stiefvater. Has plot centering around ley lines. Am disappointed. Assumed it would have faeries or something.

7:45am Tell son to get up soon.

7:54am Pack bag for the day. Cursory inspection for passes reveals they are in correct pocket.

8:02am Tell son to get up soon.

8:09am Count remaining cash in wallet. There is enough to survive one last day at Comic Con.

8:13am Tell son to get up soon.

8:17am Son gets up.

8:22am Contemplate shoe situation. Have blister from ugly hiking shoes so can’t wear those again. Ankle and heel feel slightly better though. Shoes are complicated. Choose Birkenstocks with the nice high arch.

8:29am Wonder if can get paid to advertise Birkenstocks. “Not just for hippies anymore! Birkenstocks are for geeks too!”

8:50am Head out.

9:00am Arrive at Light Rail station. D train is in. Rush to catch it. Feel good about Birkenstock decision.

9:11am Son is bored on train. Begins game of “Would You Rather”, Game of Thrones edition:

“Would you rather marry Robb Stark or Jon Snow?”

“Jon Snow.”

“Would you rather marry Jon Snow or Mance Rayder?”

“Jon Snow.”

“Would you rather marry Sam or Littlefinger?”

“Really? Sam.”

“Would you rather marry Littlefinger or The Hound?”

“The Hound.”

“Would you rather marry The Hound or Joffrey?”

“The Hound.”

Delighted cackle: “Would you rather marry Joffrey or Ramsay Snow?”

“You are a horrible person.”

“Come on. Choose.”

“Joffrey. I’d poison him at the wedding like normal people.”

“Would you rather marry Reek or Ramsay Snow?”

Suspect son is very twisted individual. Man sitting in front of us turns around. “Are you talking about Game of Thrones?” Talk about sexual violence in Game of Thrones with complete stranger for remainder of train ride.

9:33am Meet up with Megan and Carolyn inside Convention Center. Wander into Exhibition Hall with plan to take photos on the Iron Throne replica before it gets crowded.

9:37am Megan and Carolyn distracted by yarn hats and stop to speak to the craftsperson. Son spies epic paper roller coaster and wanders away. Megan turns to look at artwork. I have lost control of situation.

9:40am Son quickly loses interest in paper roller coaster and reminds me of plan to take photos at Iron Throne. Megan and Carolyn are deep in conversation with Yarn Hat Lady. Begin to wander away, hoping they will notice and follow. Announcement comes over PA system that the floor will open to Speed Pass holders in five minutes. It is crucial that we reach the Iron Throne in the next five minutes lest we be overrun with early-arriving Speed Pass holders!

9:43am Have lost sight of Megan and Carolyn. They are no longer talking to Yarn Hat Lady. This is probably good. Unless they have wandered in the wrong direction.

9:44am Son spies them going around a corner. “Come on! We’ll head them off in the next aisle!” This has turned into strange action movie scenario. Still feeling good about shoe selection.

9:46am Reign Megan and Carolyn in and make beeline for Iron Throne. A small handful of potential usurpers have gathered. Feel we can take them in a battle of wits.

9:48am One usurper stands on the throne like she owns it. Am disappointed that I did not think of this first.

9:55am Photos taken, including one group shot. This has been like herding cats. I part ways with son and lovely friends to head downstairs for the Golden Age of Comics panel.

10:15am Meet cool nerd woman in waiting line for panel. Have hardcore comics geek conversation. She tells me about spending time talking to panelist Allen Bellman and his wife Roz at their booth the day before. We talk about the other two panelists, Trina Robbins and Jackie Estrada, and about the fracas earlier in the weekend about the all-male Women In Comics panel. One of my favorite parts of Comic Con is all the meeting of random strangers who are super fun to talk to and have all these things in common.

10:35 Golden Age of Comics panel begins. Allen Bellman is 94 years old and has a ton of opinions about things. He did backgrounds in the original Captain America comics so his street cred is through the roof.

10:50am Guy seated in back of room almost makes everyone cry by standing up and thanking Allen Bellman for signing his replica Captain America shield.

11:10am Allen Bellman asks Trina Robbins if she will write his biography. Trina Robbins says, “Sorry. I only write about women.” She is a badass.

11:25am Panel ends. I am genuinely sad, as I could have listened to these three panelists tell stories all day long, but I am also fully inspired.

11:30am Bathroom break. Is always entertaining at Comic Con to ponder what it is you’re seeing in the bathroom stalls: makeup or costume residue left behind by a cosplayer, or something more nefarious? This time, I sit in glitter.

11:35am Meet up with Megan and Carolyn to wait for our next panel. Sit in café area and watch the cosplayers go by. Also a fun thing you can only do at Comic Con.

12:10pm Developing Systems of Magic panel begins. Moderator sounds super bored. Authors on panel seem to be enjoying themselves though. Guy next to me keeps muttering under his breath. Moderator seems surprised that panelist thinks there is magic in Game of Thrones. She has lost the entire room by this point. Three rows up from us arena Katniss reads a book.

1:00pm Son meets me in hallway, needing money for food. He looks so crabby. So glad we are not hanging out. “Get some protein,” I tell him then rush off to my next panel.

1:20pm Vic Mignogna panel. I don’t follow anime and am mostly oblivious to his work except for a vague familiarity with Fullmetal Alchemist and Naruto based on countless hours spend on Harry Potter fan forums with people half my age back in the early 2000s. But he is a fan favorite and very well loved by Denver Comic Con and I saw video of his talk from the day before and felt like sitting in today would be worthwhile. He is funny and charming and very sincere, and the fans in this room ask some really fantastic and fun questions. He acts out a scene with a girl who is dressed as one of the characters; he doles out hugs to fans like it ain’t no thang; and he seems to delight in being here, doing this. The final question comes from a girl who just graduated from high school and wants to know if he has any advice for her. He takes the question super seriously and says, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t good enough. And find something that you love to do and find a way to make money at it. Not everyone is going to be famous or be fabulously wealthy, but if you can do what you love, no matter what it is, you’ve already succeeded at living a happy life.” (I might be paraphrasing, but he is not wrong.) And then he touched her nose. It was the cutest thing ever.

2:30pm Park myself in a hallway to wait for son to come out of panel he’s in. Read book and ponder all the cool stuff I’ve seen today. Hallway monitor keeps coming by and shooing people out of the hallway. Lets me stay because I am slightly more intimidating than she is.

2:35pm I am so inspired. I want to go home and start writing new books and stuff.

2:52pm Still marveling at ability of cosplayers to walk around con all day long in high heeled boots, though.

3:20pm Son emerges from panel room. He is nearly mowed down by cosplayers dressed as King Arthur and Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Kind of wish he had been because that would have been hilarious.

3:55pm After procuring beverages and a brief bit of wandering, we decide to call it a day. We hop on a train home and discuss our favorite things about the weekend. We are exhausted but happy, and we are already looking forward to next year. Especially now that I have the shoe situation figured out.