Pugilist and SGCCmdr Walk the Floor
Wizard World Philly, May 31, 2008
Session One
Continuing the tradition I have established over the years with my elaborate preparations for conventions, I managed to forget something critical. In this case it was my Sony H2 Camera. Yeah, smart guy. Luckily Stefan, Editor Comics and computer Gaming, brought his, along with the spiffy new HD handheld video camera. this is to support a project that we will announce in just a few days and promises to, at the very least, be a great time for us, and really, that's why we're doing this.
As always at Wizard World conventions, the Press Coordination was first rate. We avoided the lines, breezed to the press booth, met up with Brett White, got our badges, and strolled over to the N3rdcast folks to drop off a present. If you've followed our review cycle lately, you'll know that the N3rdcast believe Stoli, which, I am told, is Russian for "low grade kerosene, tastes like shit, good for mixing or giving to newly 21 year old women of easy virtue," is a good vodka. It's not. Good vodka is potato vodka. So we brought them a bottle of Luksosowa, Polish potato vodka and our brand new 2 ounce Spewgilist.com shot glasses.
After a first sip, to demonstrate the superiority, we threw off the rest and it was smooth and warming, as potato vodka is. My warming hit about 30 minutes later during an interview - I suddenly felt like I was going through menopause. We made arrangements for dinner later and started our stalking of the floor.
Spewgilist.com, as a rule, concentrates on the small to mid range companies and press. It's a place in which we play well and it's a place in which our coverage can make a difference. We don't compete with IGN and the like, not because we are not better, we are, but because we want the personal touch and are not willing to say crap is gold.
But enough about how wonderful we are. Well, not enough really, but enough for now. No doubt I will tangent again later.
During the first interview session we talked to three folks, Loaded Barrel Studios, HB Comics, and Cave Drawing Ink. We'll post out interviews with these folks separately but suffice it to say all were good interviews with some very talented and motivated people. We're taking a different tact this year, mainly sticking to artist alley. We're still talking to exhibitors, of course, but we want to make certain we're hitting people that others may not cover.
It's not altruistic, these are the folks who will give us 15 minutes of their time and since we make most everything else up out of our own imagination and whim, that is normally enough.
So, first session is complete, second session is to come, and we'll break for lunch with GeekGurl (Zoe) and ComicGeek (Tom) who are here as well covering more of the comic side of things.
I do have one question, if you are reading this on the 31st of May or the 1st of June, why the hell aren't you at Wizard World Philly tracking us down and demanding we interview you?
Yeah, that's a challenge. Geek up.
Session Two
Following the suggestion of the N3rdcast, e dropped by to talk to the Imaginism Studio folks for a bit to get the skinny on their on-line courses. Interesting stuff and they are giving some incredible opportunities to young and aspiring artists. It ain't free, of course, but we'll review the whole cost/value ratio when we do our official write up.
Next it was time to stop by the GlintOfHope.com table. These are the people behind Hero Envy and we wanted to see how their con season was progressing and to get a scoop on some upcoming developments with this season. There was a minor disappointment in that season 3 of the DVD ran into duplication issues but we'll cover more of that later in our write up.
We also dropped off some of our shot glasses and told them to smack around the N3rdcast folks for quality vodka. Rumor has it our shot glasses might be getting some cursory exposure. Nothing firm, as of yet, and nothing obvious, but hey, it's an honor to be considered and all that.
What followed was a nice, if noisy lunch at the Reading Terminal Market with Zoe and Tom before they went to another panel and Stefan and I went back to the floor to talk to Eric Michael Marusack about the ginormis chalk drawing he was doing featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, then off to see he folks behind the Imaginism Studios, a conversation with Sid Garrand from Nightmare Armor Studios, and finish up with Buddy Scalera who noticed Stefan's camera gear as we noticed his how-to books on drawing and Jennifer Avelon, one of the folks behind Cracked Out Super Heroes.
Preliminary review of some of the product we have are raising an eyebrow but we'll have no rush to judgement. If things fall out they way first impressions indicate, we'll all know soon enough. If they surprise us, well then I get to do another article explaining how much of an idiot I am.
Either way, it'll be entertaining, I almost promise.
We've only got one more interview we are going to try to get. That doesn't mean anything, of course. It may not happen or we may get accosted by folks who throw things at us and beg us to do a write up.
Hey, it could happen.
But I have to say one thing about the show this year. Although smaller seeming overall, we are getting interviews that are fun, entertaining, and challenging. Regardless of anything else, the small press exhibitors here are kick ass and if you do not take a chance to check them out you are an idiot.
I don't mean anything personal by that, except for the part where you are an idiot, but come on, if you're reading this and you are in the Philly area during Wizard World and you are not here, let's face it, you are an idiot.
Not to worry though, you can redeem yourself by stopping by and meeting these folks. At the very worst you will have a great time.
Again, it's time to geek up. Do it. Do it now.
The Aftermath
Do you ever get the feeling of deja-vu? Y'know what I mean, that feeling that you've done something before. Well, I've got a feeling like deja-vu right now. It's not deja-vu though, it's more like:
"YOU BLOODY MORON, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING TYPING A RECAP DIRECTLY INTO A WEB FORM? YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THAT, ALL IT TAKES IS ONE WRONG CLICK OR SESSION TIMEOUT AND HOURS OF WORK IS LOST!"
Another day in paradise.
So, let's try this again. I'm sure it will just as witty and wonderful as before. Granted, that is not saying a whole lot but, at the very least, it is honest.
Firstly, we know you did not show up as instructed. We know this because we had no one come up to us and say "Pugilist said I should stop by Wizard World Philly because it was a great time!" so we never got a chance to invite you to come out with us after the show for drinks and dinner and drinks.
SGCCmdr and I were to meet the crew of the N3rdcast and Hero Envy at the Marrakesh at 8:30 PM for dinner. We arrived early, by choice, and settled into the Miami Cafe to quench our thirsts, answer a few e-mails, do some preliminary brainstorming, and impress the bar staff with our uber geekness and amazing abilities to type a e-mail while swigging a beer.
Marriage proposals ensued but we had to turn them all down as they were part of our rich fantasy lives and we've learned to separate them from our interactions with the non-geek world; mostly.
After a sufficient cooling down period we strolled the short distance to the Marrakesh where we were to meet the folks for a great Moroccan dinner. Great food, great company, reasonable cost, and some comped extras as we had to wait a bit longer than is normal due to folks who showed up late for their reservations and apparently had the manners of rabid muskrats.
I added that last part, mainly because rabid muskrats are notoriously ill-mannered and I'd run out of clever things to say.
After the great dinner a brave subset decided there were drinks yet unvanquished somewhere near-by while the faint of heart, and their valiant and self-sacrificing escorts, stumbled off to lodgings. I also needed to find an ATM as I came up short on cash during dinner to my great annoyance. I don't carry cash often and I'd forgotten I'd spent some of the cash I'd taken out for dinner.
ATM found and debt repaid we found a place with outdoor seating that looked perfect for us. The night was still warmish and humid and we had no desire to sit inside a loud and stuffy bar trying to talk about important geek things. So I approached the bouncer/greeter/host and had a conversation that went something like this:
Pugilist: "We'd like to requisition your corner patio tables."
Breest (think about it): "Why?"
Pugilist: "To sit and drink."
Breest: "That would be illegal."
Pugilist (perplexed): "You don't allow people to drink in your patio area?"
Breest: "Yes we do."
Pugilist: "OK. We'd like to sit on the patio and buy alcoholic beverages from your establishment."
Breest: "Sure."
I should have taken it for the sign it was. This establishment was employing morons. The second indication of this was the 15-20 minutes it took after we sat down to get someone to take our order of draft beer, bottled cider, water, and one mixed drink consisting of two (2) ingredients. The third indication was the 25 minutes it took for our server to bring our drinks and still get them wrong. The fourth was how he disappeared after he finally got us our drinks and we did not see him again for the better part of an hour. The fifth was that the place was about 1/3 full and still the service was crap.
Now, I'm no rocket scientist but I always thought a bar made the bulk of it's profit from folks purchasing over-priced alcohol. I also believed that a server generally was tipped based on the total size of a bar tab. Now, had everyone been paying for their drinks at the time of order, the server may have been able to be a prick and still get a decent tip.
Unfortunately for him several things prevented this scenario.
1) Spewgilist.com was picking up the tab (see, you missed FREE beverages by not stopping by)
2) Although I do love my beer, I don't' drink to excess and keep a clear head at all times
3) I am an asshole
4) Because of #3 at the end of the night I made certain the folks who had insisted that they would leave a tip picked up their money since I had already left a tip and I mentioned and reminded them that the server had been a prick.
However, in the confusion, since I had to track down the server and almost force him to let me pay the bill (another 15 minutes of the evening lost) I did leave about eight (8) or so Spewgilist.com 2 ounce shot glasses on a table. I considered walking back to get them when we were three (3) or so blocks away but decided it was not worth the trouble and who knew, maybe prick-boy would find them and read this little recap and respond.
Hey, I can dream.
But, in all, a great convention, a great day, a great night out with excellent people and a great disappointment for you that you were not there. Plan better next year.
That's an order.