Before we start, you may have noticed this post is part 1. That is because there is so much to be shown on this one that multiple posts are going to be required to do so. How many? Well, that's the part I don't yet know.
April 15 and 16, 2023 played host to Big Lick NOVA 2023, and my oh my was it a show I'm glad I had the opportunity to go to! So many celebrities, comic creators, and more were there to provide a fan experience, hosting panels, selling autographs, merchandise, and in general, interacting with people.
Comic vendors were set up in droves, selling boxes upon boxes of back issues. Toy vendors equaled the comic vendor numbers, providing numerous vintage and "new" toys for the plastic enthusiasts in the crowd.
Various independent creators were also on hand, far outweighing the comic and toys vendors. With them they brought their self published comics and novels, as well as artwork. Cups, mugs, pillows, plush, shirts, and everything in between and beyond could be found. If it was pop culture, Big Lick showcased it.
I spent both days at the convention, maximizing every moment of it, but still managing to miss quite a bit, both in terms of seeing everything, and missing things to get signed. There was just so much, that two days simply wasn't enough.
Preparation for my trip started months in advance, first with purchasing two weekend passes. I then spent a lot of time pulling countless books from my personal collection, and dredged through ebay looking for things I wanted to purchase and bring with me. I became hyper fixated on all things Big Lick, and this consumed a lot of my time. In hindsight, I can definitely see that my actions were those of an addict.
I had hoped that going to Galaxycon 2023 at the end of March would help stave my bipolar / OCD hyper focus, but this seemed to only fuel it more. This in turn made the final two weeks of waiting all the more excruciating. I think this in turn led to me spending so much time pouring through books.
I pulled so many that I quickly found myself with a literal suitcase full of them. You would have thought I was packing for a trip, instead of just driving twenty minutes down the road. There must have been two to three hundred comics in there.
The day finally came, and off we went down the road to the local Dulles Expo Center. My girl and brother all in tow, with G.I. Jigsaw a few miles behind. In addition to helping me get books signed, my girl brought with her the Aaron Walking Dead Funko Pop she got with her Supply Drop to get signed by Ross Marquand. My brother, on the other hand, came to help get books signed, and required incentive. I purchased his tickets, ripped a few CD's for him, and put music on his thumb drive.
Wait, you may say. Why would you need people to help you get autographs? Wouldn't to want to get these yourself and actually meet the people. Well, yes, of course. But, there was a reason, and I'll go into more of that in a later post in this series.
Based on last year, we thought that arriving one hour early would have been sufficient to be first in line. However, this was not the case, and we actually arrived about an hour and a half early. Still, we were close enough.
After they shuffled us to the other side of the building, we also found out that a lot of the younger crowd in the front were there for a Pokemon tournament. While we were still behind a few people, in the long run, it was only eight to ten. Much like last year, we got treated to rain while waiting.
The doors were finally opened, five minutes past their scheduled time, and inside we went. Heavily agenda drive to get my autographs completed, I snapped very few pictures.
I would later in the day, and during the second day take more, but again, still managed to miss so much due to time constraints. I also went the completely wrong way upon entering, only to find out that the autographs I was there for were fifty feet to the left of where I originally started. Oops.
Upon seeing all the creators I was there to meet, my excitement went into overdrive. But, that's where we'll continue next time...
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So I won't provide any spoilers for Part 2 and beyond, but that was a fun outing, even if I was Grumpy Cat in the line. I misread the early bird entrance process and time. Oh well. Went by fast. And it was great people watching with the combined Comic-Con/Pokemon tournament. I just don't understand why some people have to talk so loud in line, making sure everyone within a mile radius can hear their life story. :-P I should have dug up my Aaron/Ross Marquand Walking Dead action figure for signature. Maybe next time.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree about the loud people. It was if they needed the attention of everyone.
DeleteBaltimore Comic Con in September if you are interested.