Motor City Comic Con 2016 - Post-Show Wrap-Up!

This show keeps getting bigger and bigger. Driving in on Saturday morning, the exit off the highway was jammed up leading to the Suburban Showcase Center. I found a place to park rather quickly and easily (the parking was well organized and had options for all budgets) and couldn't believe the size of the line to get in and to buy tickets. It was wrapped around the building!

The setup was similar to 2014 when I had last attended and made my way over to artists' alley. Alan Davis was doing sketches so I jumped into his line. Well worth the hour and a half wait!

I was fortunate enough to be a winner in Jose Luis Garcia Lopez sketch raffle and got the legendary artist to draw Doctor Fate for me.

I then meandered through the aisles getting a handful of autographs. I was impressed by the Hero Initiative presence and was happy to pay a donation for autographs. Unlike Neal Adams who demands $30US per autograph. That was a disappointment as I already paid out over $50 for his Batman omnibus, which he gets a cut of, and so paying that much to him (and not a donation to Hero Initiative), left a bad taste in my mouth.

What impressed me most about the show was the cosplay. I didn't recall that many cosplayers in 2014. And the originality of their costumes and the breath of scope of their interested was truly impressive. From Fallout to Game of Thrones to Marvel's TV and movies, they covered it all. Agent Carter was well represented as was Daredevil, both in costume and as Matt Murdock. I never got a picture of a cute couple who were dressed as Ghostbusters, pushing around a baby stroller in which their child was dressed up as the Stay Puff Man.

The only negative was the crowds. By mid-afternoon on Saturday, the crowds were simply too much. The line-ups for the food stands were really plugging up the aisles.

Other than that, it was a great show and I'm looking forward to attending again in 2017!

GenCon 2015 Report Part 2 - Day 2

Day 2 - Friday
On our way out on Thursday evening, we spotted a cheaper parking garage downtown, so on Friday morning we made our way there. However, I forgot my day's worth of tickets in our hotel room. Sigh. You can get the tickets reprinted, but you have to pay the full cost again. Turns out so did my friend, so I didn't feel so bad that we had to head back to the hotel! We were fortunate enough to get back in time to still find a spot in that cheaper parking garage.


The "Dialogue and Dialogue Tags" panel was a fun one that highlighted the most important rule in writing: there are no rules. Each panelist had a different opinion and style that worked for them. I think the key for dialogue tags is to work at it and try to put the emotional content in the actual dialogue. Don't rely on action dialogue tags or adverbs.

I took a lunch break walk through the Exhibit Hall and tried several games, including the revised edition of Fury of Dracula and Tigris and Euphrates. The Fury of Dracula will be perfect for my gaming group as several players act as vampire hunters and pursue Dracula across Europe and Great Britain.

Michael Stackpole's "Characterization" seminar broke down the different ways your can use to create a character, whether you model them after a historical figure or your friends, build them as an archetype, or blend those methods. His blitz characterization technique shows a lot of promise in providing that initial spark: use two positive and then a negative that get the reader thinking. For example, George was well dressed and attended church on Sundays, but non one trusted him with the collection plate.

Stackpole's second seminar on "plotting" turned out to be more of an interactive class as he worked with the class to create a plot. Together, we built and discussed the necessary plot elements of a good story. The basic idea is that you have to figure out what has to happen and then work backwards and make it happen, let the scenes that need to be there, evolve in your mind. Don't forget though that the story you think you're writing changes as you write it.

I had just enough time to head over to the Sun King Brew Tent and grab a Drink On And Prosper before my Game of Thrones game. We played on a 3-D game board and it was beautifully done, including miniatures for all the military forces. As House Greyjoy, I pounced into the neck of Westeros and clashed against the Lannisters. House Martell and House Tyrell fought several battles in the south over sea and land. After 8 rounds of play, I claimed two castles, including the Lannisport, and won the game with seven castles.

Gen Con 2015

One sleep before I head south for my first Gen Con! I'm not really sure what to expect though. I've read a lot of 2014 post-con blog write-ups to get an idea of what to expect. The main draw for me is two-fold: the Writer's Symposium and the gaming.

The Writer's Symposium has a solid line-up of talent, including Terry Brooks, Chuck Wendig, Tracy Hickman, and Pat Rothfuss. I'm looking for some character and dialogue help. And hoping that the environment and the talent help push me to finish my novel.

I'm looking forward to cruising through the Exhibit Hall. There really isn't a particular game that's a must-buy for me, but I'd like to demo a few games. My gaming group usually brings together 4-6 people every Friday night, so I'm interested in something that will engage them all. As a Kickstarter backer of Monolith's Conan board game, I'll definitely be checking out their demo.

My schedule's pretty busy. Thursday and Friday are jam-packed with writing seminars while in the evenings, I'll be playing Twilight Imperium and A Game of Thrones, respectively. Saturday night is opening and I'm still searching for something fun, perhaps an RPG. Sunday morning will have us check out True Dungeon before the long drive back home.