Searching For My Inner Nerd
- Jan 24, 2015
- 5 min read
Wizard World - ComicCon Portland, Oregon 2015
As my daughter Sierra got more and more interested in the world of Cosplay, anime and comics I started hearing "inner nerd" more often. She would say her inner nerd is coming out. We share each other's interests as a family so that we each get to explore our own likes. Sierra can throw down on her 4 wheeler and she has kayaked some gnarly shoots even though it's not her thing. So, Dad was gonna learn Cosplay.
I learned that inner nerd is not just pop culture and costumes. It's the magic that makes Marvel into movies. From the sketches that invent these timeless heroes to the digital movie making that brings them to life it is the desire to make it look real that has turned pretending into an industry of innovation. I also learned that I had no inner nerd. I was a Tonka truck toddler and a dirt bike kid. I was never a gamer, didn't read comics and I lost interest in Star Wars half way through Empire Strikes Back. Even Tristin and Lisa at least knew a little about the characters Sierra would mention. When asked who they would go if we dressed up Lisa quickly shouted "Wonder Woman" and Tristin was sure he could pull off Connor from Assassins Creed with little effort and expense. Me, on the other hand... had no idea.
Our nearest event choice was Wizard World Comic Con at the Portland Convention Center in January 2015. With this being our first event we decided not to cosplay and just make a day trip to Portland to see what it's all about. Work, time and finance dictates a lot in our lives and for this adventure they dictated a short and sweet Sunday trip. When Sunday morning arrived Sierra (who's usually the last to get up) was up early bright eyed and ready with itinerary for the day. We loaded into baller church van and headed for the I-5.
As we neared the Eugene/Springfield area I tuned into one of my favorites on the radio... The Donkey Show. Marcus and Drew were talking about the ComicCon we were headed to. When they tuned into their guy at Comic Con all he could talk about was you guessed it... his inner nerd! They even went from host to host all describing their inner nerd. There it was again, inner nerd. This inner quality I did not seem to have. Ho hum, on to Portland.
We entered the Portland Convention Center only to be met by Ironman, a dragon and all four Ghostbusters. What you don't realize about a Comic Con until you see one is that it's everywhere and everyone that makes the event. Half the costume compilations you see on the internet are shot in the venue corridors... it's pretty crowded in the event area. We spent time with Atreyu and Falkor from Never Ending Story, saw a dozen different (and well done) Harley Quinns and Sierra was given a monster hug from an eight foot tall Chewbacca... and we still had not seen the box office for tickets. But make no mistake, there was a ticket office and tickets are pricey. Once inside the Comic Con it is wall to wall people and pop culture.
Sierra really wanted to see Artist Alley where comics & artists showcase their work and what a showcase it was. While there Lisa ran into her inner nerd's hero, the Amazing Wonder Woman. However, Wonder Woman had aged. She was smoking a cigarette and telling one liners like a lounge singer. She was great! What an awesome costume and wonderful sense of humor.
Just off Artist Alley there is about 2 lanes of tattoo artists. They are not just showcasing pictures, they were tattooing waiting customers right there and they were busy. Every booth had someone getting inked and people waiting. As you make your way through the costumes just keep getting better. The best part is someone in a very intricate costume may just stop at an artist or store they like, take their head gear/mask off and start talking or buy something they like. While we were following Atreyu and Falkor 3 guys dressed as The Blue Man Crew passed by... Falkor stood up and removed his head piece handed his camera to his buddy (Atreyu) and got his picture with one of the blue guys. We saw an Ironman remove his head gear to get a pic with the Ghostbusters. The Cosplay camaraderie is awesome, everyone's a star... and everyone's a fan.
"The Con is On"... one of the many catch phrases and logos found at the T-shirt and novelty booths. We found the Con is On in the celebrity areas and panels. Most of the celebs were not at their booth and signs every 10 yards telling you not to take pics. The only one we actually saw was Lou Ferrigno sitting in a chair texting with no one in his line. The prices for pics and autographs were outrageous. The panel discussions are to provide a longer group interaction with the personalities. The interactions we saw (Eliza Dushko) were somewhat awkward, you could not hear the questions from the crowd so sometimes the answers made no sense. There was quite an array of guests. They had cosplayers like Jess Lagers, Comic Artists like Jennie Breeden from "The Devil's Panties" and actors from popular pop culture shows... even Breaking Bad. But most were not there, people we chatted with felt the celebs were too popular and commanded large lines/crowds or so unpopular that their line is empty. It might be an event highlight for the very star struck or very young but we didn't spend much time (and no money) there. Back to the World of Wizards.
Sierra's inner nerd was on stimulus overload, she even changed her costume plans several times throughout the trip, I think "Puppeteer" was the top choice when we returned from lunch. On the way to lunch Harley Quinn was on top.
Our afternoon session in the con was spent roaming booth to booth and aisle to aisle in the massive show. I often compare things in my life to motorsports as it was such a big part of our lives. The first time I went to the SEMA show in Vegas I only went for a day, an afternoon only as I lived so close. It did not take long to realize that I would not take in all of SEMA in a few hours... Comic Con is no different. Our next Comic Con will be an overnight or 2 night adventure as there is just too much to see in a day, especially if you make a costume and want to cosplay.
Exiting the main convention area into the halls and general areas simply restarted the parade of costumes we saw coming in. I think a few of the characters were in the same area taking photos with fans the whole time, some cosplayers stay in character the whole time... it's great!
The Wizard World Comic Con is one of the largest touring conventions in the U.S. producing 24 events for the 2015 schedule and more events in 2016. The largest con in the U.S. is the Comic Con International this July in San Diego, California.
As for my inner nerd... I learned that I have one and my inner nerd thinks I'll make an awesome Black Beard...Now, I just have to talk Lisa into being Lady Black. The Con is on...ComicCon.
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