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My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

Comic Books

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

I don’t share my diary with a single soul. It’s encased in lead so Superman couldn’t even see what I have to say about life (spoiler alert: it’s some deep stuff). But, this is AiPT! – I’m dealing with the greatest readership in comics fandom. You deserve complete and total transparency into the sights and sounds of Boston Comic Con 2016, so here we go!

Saturday, August 13, 2016 – Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA.

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1:00 P.M. – Boston has been excruciatingly hot this summer. The kind of heat that makes me want to banish climate change deniers to melting glaciers, because if this is a preview of things to come, we need to turn things around now!

Anyway, it’s fitting that there’s a heat advisory in effect, because I’m about to enter Boston Comic Con and see some of the hottest names in comics! Bad joke? Doesn’t matter, this is my private diary and no one will ever see it!

I’m currently in a line that stretches around the World Trade Center. On the right, the line for Comic Con. On the left, the ferry to Provincetown. If this line doesn’t pick up the pace, I may have to jump ship…uh, onto that ship.

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

1:30 P.M. – I’ve made my way to the opposite side of the building. I watched two airplanes land at Logan Airport in the distance. That was neat. Also, the person behind me in line just told a story about how she wanted to put several mugs outside her roommate’s window and tell her it’s muggy outside. I liked that. Sadly, my joy was cut short when I heard someone burp and another person lit up a cigarette. MAYBE I SHOULD JUST GO HOME, UGH!

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

1:45 P.M. – I’m in! I’m mildly sweaty, but I’m in! My first thought as I observe wall-to-wall attendees – many of them wearing costumes from head to toe – in this hotter-than-I-would-prefer room is “pants were a bad idea.”

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

2:00 P.M. – Stars – They’re just like us! They also have to endure this giant sweatbox. I see Karen Gillan from Dr. Who and Guardians of the Galaxy, and there’s Elizabeth Henstridge from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. William Shatner is NOT at his table and that makes me unhappy. But wait, is that…

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

Yes! It’s Ben McKenzie! Ryan Atwood, the bad boy of Orange County, California, truly is a friend to geeks. We’re currently locking eyes from afar. I sure hope this picture I’m taking doesn’t come out blurry, because this is a magical moment. Yes, Ryan, I will be your Seth.

2:15 P.M. – Got to talk to comics legend Mark Waid, the consistently amazing writer of Kingdom Come, along with acclaimed runs on such series as Captain America, Daredevil, Archie and All-New, All-Different Avengers.

Read a transcript of the brief chat Waid and I had about Boston Comic Con, the Vision and comic book movies.

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

2:45 P.M. – Another familiar face…that I’ve never seen in real life! It’s graphic artist Rogan Josh of modHero fame! I interviewed Josh at the beginning of the year via email, so it was nice to finally meet him in person.

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

3:15 P.M. – So hungry. The line for the Comic Con café is so long you’d think William Shatner’s serving food. Actually, that’d be worth waiting for.

I skipped the café and went to the 7-Eleven next door and it’s just one giant line that wants me to join it. No thanks. I’m going to have to go with the lonely turkey wrap being served in the hotel across the street. There’s nowhere to sit, so I have to eat it on the floor. I’m in full survival mode, thinking about my life and the decisions that led me to this moment.

Rhode Island Comic Con had chicken tenders, just saying.

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

3:45 P.M. – Cosplay observation. Every other cosplayer seems to be dressed as Suicide Squad Harley Quinn, including one little girl. Part of me questions that little girl’s parents’ decision to put her in that costume, and another part thinks it’s pretty clever if she’s unruly and indeed “Daddy’s Lil Monster.”

4:00 P.M. – I’m in the Harbor View Ballroom for the Spotlight on Scott Snyder panel. Snyder’s Batman collaborator Greg Capullo made a surprise appearance and joined the discussion. Some really interesting stuff, from creative doubt to the creators’ special bond, is being covered in this session – which you can read more about by clicking here!

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

5:00 P.M. – Poking my head into The Boston Comic Con Mike Wieringo Memorial Art Auction. Some nice pieces for a great cause – the Savannah College of Art & Design’s Mike Wieringo Fund for aspiring comic book artists. The late Wieringo was one of my favorites – his fun style is dearly missed.

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

6:30 P.M. – I’ve been in line to talk to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo for a while now. The convention closes at 7, so my chances of chatting with him aren’t looking good. I asked the guy in line behind me to hold my spot while I get Mike and Laura Allred to sign my Silver Surfer #1. When I returned, I was told we wouldn’t be able to see Snyder and Capullo. They’re just too popular. I decided to head back to the auction, where I planned to wait out the mass exodus from the building.

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

7:30 P.M. – The party’s over and it’s time to go home. As I head toward the main hall’s exit, I swing by where Snyder was to see if he’s still there. He is! I catch his eye and ask if he has a few seconds for AiPT! Being the class act that he is, Snyder gives me more than a few seconds and we have a great chat about Boston, which you can read more about here. I even get to shake Capullo’s hand before the two head out to dinner.

My Boston Comic Con 2016 Diary

It’s moments like this that validate the existence of these large-scale events that bring top creators and devoted fans together under one roof. Yes, the lines are insane. Yes, the food could be better (and cheaper). But when you get to have a conversation with the same person who writes your favorite monthly title, or shake the same hand that’s drawn some of the coolest covers you can remember, it’s all worth it.

Best of all, whether you’re wearing a homemade Iron Man suit or seated behind a table signing autographs, you’re united by your shared passion for great storytelling and beloved characters.

Sigh, if only I could share this diary entry…

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