We're back from Comicpalooza!

... and we're both sick. This is my first case of  'con crud' (the slang for any myriad of illnesses, usually colds or coughs, that vendors or artists are especially susceptible to because of contact with large number of people), so I'm keeping this entry short. But! You can expect a number of posts in the next couple of weeks including a review of this year's Comicpalooza, our experience at the booth, and a few tip filled posts on setting up booths.

 Today, I'm going to show off what Aaron and I purchased for ourselves. One of my favorite things to do at cons is to look for things to decorate our house with (and the occassional stuffed toy). I especially like getting art from local artists, and avoiding the mass made posters and big box wall art. I'll actually be replacing my "Button Board" on the blog with our  "Art Wall", and I hope you'll enjoy that and maybe decide to get something from the artists for yourself.

I always wait until the very last days of conventions to buy stuff. It isn't great when there are one of a kind or limited edition items that I want that then run out, but it's easier to get around huge convention centers and take my time to look at booths. This year, I got this stuff:

I forgot the name of the booth that I got the faux-leather bat bag, but the tag on it says Far Nine. It's the perfect sized bag for me and surprisingly roomy. It fits TIM, my wallet, notebook, and phone quite easily and is a nice change of pace from toting around a giant neutral colored diaper bag. The angler fish print is from  artist Jessica Grundy and was my second choice after a very cute dragon print I wanted was out of stock. The 5x7" Xenomorph is going on my bedroom wall (instead of the Creature Wall) and is from artist Johnnie Gonzales. Aaron grabbed me this Itty Bitty Hellboy mini comic from a random comic book booth for a dollar when he was walking around.

 This year, Comicpalooza had a Game of Thrones guest: Miltos Yerolemou, who played Syrio Forel. The armory that created the wooden practice swords used in his Game of Thrones scenes is actually based in Texas and they had replicas for sale at his booth. Aaron decided to go see Miltos on the first day and since it was fairly early in the con, got a chance to talk with him for a few minutes.

 Aaron doesn't usually buy things at conventions, but getting a wooden sword signed by Miltos and an autographed picture was an opportunity he didn't pass up. He also found a Savage Worlds rule book (something I know nothing about) and the man at the booth he got it at was so excited that Aaron played Savage Worlds, that he gave him some dice for free.

"What do we say to the God of Death? Not today..."

"Aaron, Fear cuts deeper than swords."

Anyway, I need to trundle off to bed now and see how many cough drops I can eat before my tongue goes numb.

Stay Fanatic,
Megh