Nerd Prom 2007: Day Two in Brief

Ryan came down from LA this morning, and we spent the day wandering around the con. I was really looking forward to hanging out with him and getting our geek on, but I think we were both disappointed with the day.

It was sold out today, so by two in the afternoon, it was incredibly difficult to walk around and enjoy the main floor: if you wanted to stop and look at something, there were people pushing around you. If you wanted to get somewhere in less than a year, there were all these damn people stopping in the aisle to look at things.

We did have some good times, though, including Ryan's first ever con food experience.

"You haven't really been to a con," I said, "until you've paid too much for food you really don't want, but feel compelled to eat so you don't die."

"Mission accomplished," he said.

I finally got to meet Neil Gaiman in person today, and thank him properly for writing the introduction to Just A Geek. After standing near him for about thirty minutes today, surrounded by people who love and admire him to an extreme that borders on worship and mania, I think I know what it must have been like to be close to the Beatles in 1969.

"I feel like I'm standing next to John Lennon," I said to one of his friends who was there to keep him sane, which could not have been an easy feat; the attention he got would have made any mortal absolutely crazy.

I can't quite find the words right now to express how patient, kind, and generous Neil in with his time and energy, and how impressive it was to me. Every single person who got close to him treated him like he was a god, and he took time for every single one of them, even when it was clear to me that he was exhausted. When I thanked him, he told me to hang around for a moment after he was done so we could talk, but I saw how wiped out he was, and knew that he still had other panels and signings to do, so I thought it was better to sneak away and leave him to what little bit of peace he could get before the mob started following him with shoes and gourds again.

I gave Warren Ellis a couple of Sharpies from my backpack when there weren't any available for him at his signing this afternoon. It was a pretty cool moment.

Biggest surprise of the day? I didn't buy a single thing except one fifty-cent button of zombie jesus. There are some awesome T-shirts here, but the company selling them wants $35 for 2 of them. Are they out of their fucking mind? $10 for 1, maybe, but $17.50? And $85 for 2 hoodies? What planet does this company live on? It must be the "we have three booths at Comic-Con so we're charging you up the ass" planet. How about you get none of my money, then? Does none work for you? I'll give it to indie designers who live on planet Earth, thank you.

Tomorrow is going to be insane. When I talked with Scott Kurtz today, I could tell that he was more than a little freaked out about the record-breaking crowds they are expecting tomorrow. I must admit that I'm right there with him.

Ryan and I had dinner with Luis, my editor from Tokyo Pop, and we got to nerd out about comics and manga. That was totally cool.

Overall, it was a good day, though I didn't get the ultra-geek-bonding day with Ryan that I'd hoped for, which left me feeling sad. I think that's just a consequence of Comic-Con's overwhelming size and the massive crowds that were everywhere.

We did count nearly-naked cosplay babes together, though. If that's not geeky father/son bonding, I don't know what is.

We stopped at 7, for those of you scoring at home.

Comments

[Brian I.]

Bonding over nearly-naked cosplay babes, eh? Yeah, that counts. You will be posting some pics to your Buzznet account, right? Right?

[Aeire]

Wil! If you've got time come by the Keenspot booth and say hi - I'll be there after 3pm or so, someone was saying you were running around but I hadn't seen you anywhere!

[Jax]

For the record, lurking on your blog has given me the creative push I needed to start writing again ... and blogging on TypePad. I'm such a follower.

heh

And ... I'm so jealous about the con and meeting Neil and and and. Next one, I will (hopefully) be there.

♥

[photoniqueer@yahoo.com]

Mmmmnnnn... Re: "geeky father/son bonding": Imagine a Star Wars stall where Yarna 'D'al' Gargan, "Jabba's portly six breasted slavegirl dancer, from "Return of the Jedi" cross-promo-performs highlights from "The Best of Cher (Remixed)" -- "If I Could Turn Back Time (turntable scratch noises and vocoder modulations to infinity and beyond)!?!" #Tronique in the ol' "geeky dad/son bonding" experience!?!

[remjte]

Hey, not for nothing, but there's a far smaller crowd if you come out Detroit-way to the Motor City Con. Mind, it's like the Phantom Menace to San Diego's Jedi, but you'll have room to move.

I'm just saying...

[Eric]

Speaking of the Motor City Con, which I go to twice a year, the T-Shirt vendor you spoke of will be there to try and swindle money from you. I am assuming you are talking about Stylin. I have to confess, I bought a shirt from them a year ago. I couldn't help it though. They actually had a Spiderman shirt in my size.

/me hangs head in shame

The Detroit shows are really great. The May show has a better turn out if you're looking for a return on your time/money-to-get-there investment, but the October show is a far more intimate one-on-one setting.

I would love to see you come to a show one of these days.

-Eric in Michigan

[CaptAngel]

Thank you for the video message you left on my friend Kim's cell! She was the blond gal that was in front of you while you and Ryan were waiting to meet the members of Hot Fuzz. That was the most unexpected and completely HAWESOME text message! You rock Wheaton. Keep on writing and I'll keep reading!

[sarahalyse]

Hey, I have it on excellent authority that you purchased a set of LOLCats buttons from Young American Comics. That's because my friends called to tell me, so that I would feel appropriately remorseful for deciding to save money and not attend this year. Of COURSE this would be the year that you decide to wander over to the booth I almost certainly would have been manning, had I been there...*grumbles*

[Ryan Waddell]

Umm, is that $17.50 including tax? Seems like that's cheaper than Threadless, after tax and shipping.

[C_Doc]

Wil! Are you as PSYCHED about the TrekCon in Vegas as we are? Tried to meet you in Montreal, but after 2 hours stuck in traffic to pick up my wife, she said you'd left already. WELL, we're flying clear across North America (no, not just to see you..That'd be more than slightly scary) to spend the week in Vegas. If we don't get the chance to count Trek Babes together, I might just do something drastic, like throw my Wesley action figure from the roof of the Stratosphere! ;)

[Mad Monk]

Quick, Wil!

Fly around the earth opposite to its orbit 10 times to go back in time and spend some time with Neil Gaiman!

[vincentsmommy]

I SO wish my husband's convention back in May would have been this week, instead. It was at the San Diego Convention Center, and I would have totally spent my free time wandering the exhibit hall floor to get things signed by both you and Neil Gaiman. Logistically speaking, the SDCC couldn't host both the largest gathering of comic book geeks in North America AND the largest gathering of OB/GYNs in North America. However, it would make for a very interesting exhibit hall floor. Booths hawking Spiderman and Batman T-shirts alongside drug reps giving away female arousal enhancing gels (no, I'm not making that up!). Now, that would be something to see!

[flensr]

FYI don't google for "nearly naked cosplay babes"... The first link is quite nasty and also attempts a java exploit.

[CarolP]

"You haven't really been to a con," I said, "until you've paid too much for food you really don't want, but feel compelled to eat so you don't die."

LMAO. Truer words have never been spoken.

[ProudTexasWoman]

OK, so you've left the perfect spot for this question, between the mention of nearly naked babes and someone else's "Star Wars" ref ...

Memory Alpha mentions some Maxim poll in which Wesley came in 2nd only to Jar-Jar Binks as the most hated scifi character. Can anyone here tell me exactly which issue that was so I can look it up? I wanted to put the exact citation into a wiki.

While I'm here - thanks, Wil, for all your marvelous blogs, for the synopses of TNG episodes, for your work at ACME with Greg Benson (my high school classmate, I'm pleased to say!) and Kim Evey. Thanks for all of it ... Wesley included.

[Tim]

You know, I gotta tell you how cool it is that I can read Neil's blog and see that he "finally met Wil Wheaton", then I can come here knowing that you very likely blogged about that meeting.

Then you post something about talking to Kurtz and/or Gabe/Tycho and I'll bet I can hit those sites and hear something about that meeting.

The connections between some of my favorite people/writers/cartoonists never cease to amaze me.

[caitlen315]

FTW - Happy Birthday, Wil! (from ESTland)

[Ximeia]

HII WILL, here, Uruguay, it's 7/29, 02:26 am!!
So HAPPY B-DAY!Have a nice day!!

I love the way u write and ur Blog, It is a pity that I can't read it, cuz I have School. You made me feel proud of my geek-part.I'm a teenager so is difficult to accept that part of me. I LOVE U!!
-Ximena-

[Drev]

Last time I went to a heavy metal concert, the t-shirts were $35 *each*

[Fish]

Ha! Shoes and gourds! There's a moderately obscure reference (and one of the best-shot sequences in that film, from a cinematography standpoint)!

[kkariya]

Just wanted to thank you for stopping and taking a picture with me. I think we (my fiance and I) interrupted you after you forked over your two arms and a leg for your sandwhich and drink.

We felt your pain.

You made MY weekend at the Con ten times more awesome and exciting.

Thanks again!

[Animeraider]

Wil:

The second post up there is by Aeire (from the Keenspot booth). I know no one here really needs it, but if you ever wanted confirmation about just how cool he really is, you should read about her experience at the same signing you were at, while it's still there (scroll down a bit, reading her comic first):

http://www.punchanpie.net/

[Cherikooka]

I'm so jealous that you got to hang with Neil Gaiman! It's because of you that I read Anansi Boys, and now I'm hooked.

[kidcharles]

I'd like to recount a wikiventure I just had...

I had no idea what cosplay was, so I go to Wikipedia to check it out. In the article I see a picture of a cosplayer dressed up as the anime mascot of Wikipedia itself, Wikipe-tan. Then I go check out the page about Wikipe-tan and look at some of the amateur art depicting her. Finally I found a piece of (frankly) mediocre art that nevertheless had the most awesome of titles:
"Wikipe-tan Battling a Wikitroll in the Darknesses of Ignorance".

I hope you enjoyed my little tale.

[kidcharles]

I'd like to recount a wikiventure I just had...

I had no idea what cosplay was, so I go to Wikipedia to check it out. In the article I see a picture of a cosplayer dressed up as the anime mascot of Wikipedia itself, Wikipe-tan. Then I go check out the page about Wikipe-tan and look at some of the amateur art depicting her. Finally I found a piece of (frankly) mediocre art that nevertheless had the most awesome of titles:
"Wikipe-tan Battling a Wikitroll in the Darknesses of Ignorance".

I hope you enjoyed my little tale.