We are all fans of somebody or something at Long Beach Comic Con 2015

Long Beach Comic Con 2015 (LBCC) has grown, there are no ifs, ands or buts about it. In prior years I would go up for a day and spend more time socializing with friends as I would get through most of the show floor fairly quickly. While this is still a smaller show compared to SDCC (what show isn’t?) it was no longer one that I could spend the bulk of just socializing with friends. No, the show has gotten large enough that I never did manage to find one of the artists I needed to see while I was there. But all is good as we have already been able to touch base so I know what show I will be able to connect with him for the sketch I have planned as a gift for a friend.

Fortunately the show hasn’t grown so much that you can’t enjoy time with friends, chats with artists and even being at the right place at the right time to see the sparkle in somebody’s eyes as he tells an artist about the last time he met him and what show it was, even how old he was at that time. This is fun to see when it happens with anybody, but when it is somebody that LBCC has set up in the autograph area so his own fans can have this same special moment of meeting someday they are a fan of, it is even more fun to watch. It brings home the fact that we are all fans of somebody or something that is there at the con. It doesn’t matter what side of the table you are sitting, or standing, on. It doesn’t matter if you are a professional who has been working in the industry for years, or if this is your very first con. We are all fans at heart and that’s what bring us out to these shows.

Are you still wondering who it was that had the sparkle in his eyes? Tommy Walker (Francis on Daredevil). I’m still not sure which was better, seeing his happiness at speaking with Marc Silvestri, posing for photos with him even, or when a few moments later he discovers the man next to him is Batt, another artist that he was very familiar with but had never met. Tommy you may not know this, but your reaction to meeting Batt pretty much mirrored mine last year. While Batt and Tommy had a few moments to chat I ended up meeting Tommy’s wife Julia. The pair of them are the nicest people you could want to meet. Cheerful, smiling and warm. If you have the chance to meet this pair at a convention be sure to say hi to them. Personally, I’m looking forward to the next time our paths can cross.

But this isn’t going to be all abut Tommy and Julia, though it easily could be.

Before you even enter the show you are getting to enjoy a pier of what they are able to bring each year, the cars. On display out outside the doors to the convention center a variety of cars that most recognize from either a movie or tv series. These cars never fail to draw a crowd (and make some of us wish we could take them for a spin not that I asked or anything)

Then there was seeing friends, some of whom I may have just seen this summer at SDCC, but there the show is so big and busy for us all it is hard to catch up, Long Beach ended up perfect for that this year. Add that with the show growing I made a weekend of it, it meant actually bumping into some of them at the hotel the night before and finally getting to just spend time together outside a show socializing. Looking forward to doing more of that.

There was bumping into a friend while out on the floor and being asked to take a photo she very much wanted with Robert Kirkman, finally sent that photo to her so she should have a nice surprise today. Robert was quite gracious when I asked if he minded if I took the photo, thank you Robert I know you made her happy.

There was the time spent once again observing the magic of Marc Silvestri at the Top Cow booth as he was creating a unique sketch for a fan. I am always amazed at the talent it takes to put lines on a page that match the image in your head, as the lines are being placed often the image is just that to the casual observer…lines. If one is patient, if one waits and observers the image will coalesce into something breathtaking. I’ve been fortunate enough over the years to observe several artists as they created sketches for fans and am always amazed at the skill, the patience and vision these artists have. Add one that loves interacting with his friends and fans as he sketches and you have Marc Silvestri.

Wandering the floor led to seeing artists and writers, even cosplayers, I have met at prior shows but the best part is discovering ones you may never have known of previously, or the ones that you know by art or name but have never met in person before. Sometimes being blown away by the art they are creating. The images behind this artist are all created by writing the stories they are part of and leaving the white space on the page to create the image. He isn’t computer generating these lithographs, he is hand lettering the pages. He’s working on one in this image and darn it I can’t find the card with his name so my search is on. I need to look into more of his art as the images are stunning, especially when you know it was hand lettered.

This year’s show went beyond comics and art. How far beyond? Space and not as the final frontier but as real science.

The Columbia Memorial Space Center brought Space Expo 2015 to Long Beach Comic Con. At first you might find this strange addition to the show but in reality it was a wonderful fit. Opening minds, young and older, to space and science, and what comic book fan doesn’t at some point wonder about space? So many of our stories take place in space or involve beings/powers that come far beyond our own world that coming across the Space Expo as you wandered the show floor did not seem strange at all.

But enough already. There are so many moments I could still go on about that I should just stop and let the photos from Saturday of Long Beach Comic Con 2015 speak for themselves.