ECCC: Roundup

Posted by terraolsen on April 4, 2014 in Around Town, Comics | Leave a comment

By: Meg Humphrey and Terra Clarke Olsen

From Terra: 

Confession, I only went to ECCC on Friday. But I did get to enjoy the festivities of Thursday night in addition to Friday’s attendance, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

Thursday night was packed with pre-con events. So many invites, so little time! I started the night at the “I Heart Comic Art” fundraiser event, which was a fundraiser for local indie artists. The attendees voted on their favorite artist, and he/she was awarded a grant (Robert Tritthardt won this year). I loved that this event featured only local artists, who sometimes are shoved to the side when all the other artists come into town for ECCC. And even though all the artist hail from the great Northwest, everyone’s art was unique, showcasing a variety of styles. This event was a great addition to the ECCC lineup, one that I hope they repeat next year. After “I Heart Comic Art,” I met up with Meg and headed down to the “Oni Press Presents ECCC Kickoff Party!”

My dear friend John works for Oni Press, and knowing that he would be crazy busy at the con, I took this as an opportunity to see him…well, mostly pester him. Of course he was working there as well, but hey, this is the comic book world we’re talking about. It’s much more relaxed than other industries. There was a lot of great cosplay, which of course resulted in great photos. (Photos from Oni Press’ Facebook page.)

Friday consisted of ALL THE THINGS! Great art, great booths, just all the things. I tried not to go into a buying frenzy, but I did pick up a few things (including Espionage Cosmetics  nail art and a great Cadavre pin from Kris Straub). By far my favorite part of con is running into people I know. The geek community in Seattle is so small that you can’t help but bump into people wherever you go, which is a welcome break since big cons can be overwhelming (this is especially true because I went by myself). It was a special year for my friend Curtis and myself because we received our first official ECCC Press badges. Always an awesome feeling. ECCC is great, but honestly I do get a bit overwhelmed. Luckily there are lots of places to kickback in solitude (I might have played Pokemon alone for an hour…).

Oh, and let’s not forget about all the great cosplay!

 

From Meg: 

ECCC’14 continues earning the designation of my “fun con” for the year. I helped work the Desu Desu de Studio booth, but got to run around and see the sights and attend the panels I wanted to. Right off the bat I bought art from the wonderful Brittany Lee (we’ve done an Adorable Artist Spotlight on her) and had a blast listening to Kevin J. Anderson’s panel. As my favorite Star Wars author, I had brought my copy of Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers for him to sign, but his talk also inspired me to read more of his non Star Wars works. Later that evening was the Richard Dean Anderson panel. RDA was the one guest that I would have been devastated if they cancelled. I watched MacGuyver growing up, but Stargate SG-1 has been such a big part of my life and my relationship with my dad. I have always been worried that he would be the one team member that I wouldn’t be able to meet, but ECCC made it happen! His panel was wonderful – he’s very sassy, humorous, and kind. When I met him on Sunday he was just as lovely and my heart swelled for hours.

Saturday was the big day, of course. I got a lot of shopping in – found some BEAUTIFUL mermaid art by Renee Nault and broke down and bought myself one of those plush alpachas that have taken nerd conventions by storm for the last couple years. There was also the continuation of the beloved Star Wars script reading panel that features ECCC’s voice talent guests. I have to say, Han and Leia’s first kiss scene in ESB has never been performed more beautifully than having Nancy Cartwright as Bart as Princess Leia and Bill Farmer as Kermit the Frog as Han. Jeremy Shada, the voice of Finn from Adventure Time, also does a wonderful Nolan-trilogy Batman impersonation. I can’t wait for the video of that to be online! The last panel of the day was the Karl Urban panel and he hosted his own Q&A session where he was very comfortable, friendly, and funny. The way he talks to and treats his fans should be emulated – he was very appreciative of everyone’s questions and comments and he often knew the best ways to get the crowd excited. When he quoted Dredd onstage, “Ma Ma is not the law – I am the law,” I had the second biggest fangirl moment of my life. There was much flailing and barely contained squealing.

Sunday was spent in autograph/photo lines, shopping for last minute deals, and buying so many chocolates from the wonderful ladies at The Truffle Cottage. Overall it was another fantastic year at ECCC with a lot of friends (new and old), some of my favorite celebrities, a ton of wonderful art, and so many father/children cosplays that I was almost constantly overwhelmed with dad feelings. I’m already excited for next year!

Signing off! – Meg and Terra

terra@haveyounerd.com & meg@haveyounerd.com