Con-Man: The Return of Power-Con

Last Saturday marked the return of Power-Con, the fan run He-Man and She-Ra gathering down in Torrance. After a few solid years, PC looked to expand the show by moving it to New York but logistical issues sadly stopped it from happening. After a brief sabbatical, the team is back and strong as ever this year. Held at the Redondo Beach Marriott across from the Del Amo Fashion Center, Power-Con takes over a wing of the joint with a modest but packed exhibitor room and another space for panels. Walking in the energy was great, lots of people hanging out by the bar and cafe, then outside the main hall as well. Inside there were vendors of all kinds slinging toys, promotional items, artwork, custom figures and more. A few cosplayers had tables as well as toy makers The Four Horsemen but surprisingly, no Mattel on hand with their terrific toy displays, cut outs and 15' He-Man statue.

Since I put together a He-Man event last September in Power-Con's absence, it was nice to see several people from the community and chit chat. The guys from Cape and Cowl were on hand along with several vendors who have become con-rades since we see them so often. I was surprised and happy that the hall was pretty crowded with each booth a little hard to get in and look around. Besides the multitude of toys you had as a kid from Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, Thundercats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I was taken and impressed by the amount of custom figures on display. One in particular of He-Man as a Ghostbuster made me laugh but my photo didn't turn out...One booth had an array of great buttons and pins from the 70's Lord of the Rings animated film along with some Asterix! You know, the French comic about magic potion enhanced warriors from Gaul? I snatched up a pin featuring Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix and was very tempted to pick up a Blade or Gwildor figure but alas didn't pull the trigger. Each year of Power-Con has been a little different, one added Ninja Turtles programming, one had Thundercats, this year's programming was totally He-Man and She-Ra focused though, covering voice acting, design, Mattel, mini-comics, origins, podcasts and whatnot. Sadly there was no panel on the classic 1987 flick!

We popped into the packed panel room for the voice actors showcase where Alan Oppenheimer, Melendy Britt, Gage Khouth and Brian Dobson held hilarious court. Talking about how they got into the industry, Skeletor himself Oppenheimer chimed in that he was doing impressions of people at a young age and it just kind of went from there. Another thing that impressed me about Power-Con was that they had more or less back to back programming all day so if you're a hardcore fan and were staying all day, you'd have something to check out from 10:30 AM through 1:00 AM. Next year I'll definitely have to stick around and embrace the Eternian shenanigans.

Ready for some late lunch we hopped over to the currently under renovation Del Amo Fashion Center that was one part shiny upscale shopping center, one part 80's mall with random stores and all totally confusing layout. We did however run into a random shop filled with old movies, video games, appliances and books. Kind of like an eBay store only you know, in real life. I picked up several bad movies on the cheap like Battlefield Earth, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and the Director's Cut of Spawn.

It was a fantastic day, welcome back Power-Con, can't wait to see what you have in store next year!

Grudgement Day: Con-Man

I'm trying to think what my first Comic Convention experience was, I believe it was a small show in my hometown at a local hotel meeting room or Elks Lodge.  I must have been in middle school because my dad took me and patiently accompanied me as I checked out the tables full of back issues.  There were a few artists set up for meeting fans but I didn't know who the heck they were yet.  I picked up a short stack of comics and happily went on my way.  The regular flea market and toy shows at the Fair Grounds always had comics for sale but they weren't the main focus.  The Mid-Ohio Con in Easton was a decent sized show at the Hilton, I hear they moved to a bigger venue then were acquired by Wizard World in 2010.  A little history shows that Mid-Ohio Con used to be held in my hometown in the early 80's complete with guests like John Bryne, Frank Miller, Stan Lee and Kevin Eastman!  In 2004, my friends and I attended our first major show, Wizard World Chicago.  Mind you, this was when Wizard was still a magazine and not some company that randomly ran conventions and held stake in a now defunct MMA league.  My buddies and I drove from Ohio to Chi-Town, riding the train, eating pizza and breaking door frames in our hotel with a chin up bar (yup, I was working out on any schedule in any situation even back then).

Wizard World Chicago was a lot of fun.  The floor seemed pretty big and I picked up all kinds of good swag like a Jack Kirby Captain America trash can, lots of comics, probably a bust or two and then we saw him, mother fucking Rob Liefeld had a table and was doing sketches.  I don't recall programming being much in those days at WWC so we plopped down in Liefeld's line to get an original piece of art.  Well, we learned the hard way that a guy can only sketch so many sketches in an hour and we were way back in line.  We ended up getting some comics signed and chit chatting with the former Marvel superstar artist and creator of X-Force turned co-founder of Image Comics.  Since we weren't coming back the next day, Liefeld told us to e-mail him and he'd send us something.  10 years later and I'm still waiting.  Plus he was a dick on Twitter and friends with a negative neckbeard movie "critic" so my days of supporting him are long gone.  Unlike Jim Lee who is just the coolest, most random guy you could ask for in the industry.  He brought Mrs. Fields cookies to the audience one time, changes up his panel focus every time and generally loves to spread the gospel of comic books.

Today, Wizard Magazine is no more but Wizard World Conventions are EVERYWHERE.  Literally.  There are 25 shows across the country with a focus on celebrity signings, cast reunions and of course, comic book writers and artists.  It's where Pop Culture comes to life says their website and what gets the most real estate on said site?  The revolving list of celebrities you can pay to meet.  A guy from the Harry Potter movies, someone from a 90's TV show, a Star Trek cast member or 7, etc.  There's Admission then there's VIP Admission so you can bypass lines, hobnob with guests and get the best seating at panels for an upcharge.  What's wrong with all of that?  Technically nothing, more comic conventions are a good thing.  I travel to 8-10 shows a year but haven't been to a Wizard World since Chicago.  These are no longer comic book conventions, they're pop culture conventions.  Having attended shows big and small, happy and sad, I consider shows like Wizard World and Salt Lake City new-age types with their focus on celebrities to bring casual fans in then include comics, artist alleys and special events.  It's a nice mix for the most part as you can go see one of your favorite actors at a spotlight panel then look around the floor for comics and swag.  Artist Alley is always fun and I've met a couple of cool peeps who get to make a living doing what they love.  Most of the time they're selling personal takes on beloved genre movies and TV titles rather than hocking their own comic book or creations though.

So what's the point of all of this?  I dunno, I just feel like all this prodding of fans for more and more dinero is not good for the convention scene and why Comic-Con International's San Diego and Wonder Con remain by far the greatest example of a show.  Why?  Because they're a celebration of the popular arts.  They produce 3 solid shows a year and aren't trying to take over the world. They're non-profits but provide the absolute best experience one could ask for, as long as you're ready for the crowds and lines.  Once inside, your ticket grants you access to every event and can keep you busy from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM if you've got the energy.  No Paid Events, no Additional Ticket required, none of that.  Wizard World and SLCC are businesses out to make money and are now using their size to pummel fans and competition alike.  For example, fan clubs used to get free tables at WW shows to boost awareness and raise money for charity but now they have to shell out hundreds of dollars just to get a space.  Kind of tough when you're not there to sell merchandise.  Then there's the cases of Wizard World moving into new territory in what seems like a bid to dominate the local scene, which they deny.  Take for example Minneapolis, Minnesota where Wizard World scheduled their show two weeks before long running local non-profit SpringCon after failing to acquire the brand.  However, SpringCon claims the beef gave them a boost in public profile, similar to what Salt Lake received when San Diego sued them.

But doesn't the abundance of shows give more awareness to the peeps over in Artist Alley?  Yes, I'm not saying WW is evil or should hold less shows, I just wish we got more variety.  I fear we're getting into cookie cutter conventions here so one show will be like any other just in a different town.  The same celebs tour the country at these shows, selling the same things, telling the same stories.  More crowds for celebs means more foot traffic for Artists but when you're making the lions share of profits from selling prints, magnets and stickers based on someone else's ideas, I figure you might get tired of it, like a talented band who can only book gigs doing covers of well known groups because no one will pay them to play their own material.  Whereas Comic-Con boasts over 1,000 panels with 100's of guests/speakers from fans to professionals covering just about every topic known to man like writing, drawing, painting, collaborating, social themes, legal advice and how-to, Wizard Shows maybe eek out a few dozen panels, most of them spotlights on well known celebs or artists. 

Oh well, maybe this new abundance of shows will help ease the crowds in San Diego.  With an attendance cap and Hollywood interest waning, it'll be nice for us die-hards if there's a few less people cramming the aisles.  I'd like to see specific subject shows grow like the He-Man/She-Ra Power-Con (which couldn't make it in New York), Bot-Con, G.I. Joe Con, Austin's Mondo Con and am looking forward to Los Angeles' latest, Comic Arts Los Angeles, a free event to promote the world of comic books, graphic novels and the creators behind them.

(Save a) Con-Man: Power-Con

One of the great things about living in Southern California is the abundance of conventions.  From the long standing Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention to the five year strong Long Beach Comic Con to newer giants Comikaze and relocated WonderCon to the mecca of all things artistic and fandom, San Diego Comic-Con.  For the last 3 years, a He-Man and She-Ra centric show was kicking ass in Torrance, Power-Con.  I've attended twice and had a blast each year as there's a nice exhibition floor along with fantastic panels and guests.  A very, very well run show with exclusive art prints and tee shirts up for grabs as well as an awesome staff made up of passionate yet professional fans.  By the 3rd year, Power-Con added beloved franchises like Thunder Cats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to help broaden the appeal and I figured they'd add G.I. Joe for 2014's edition.  Then, con-tragedy struck as the organizers of Power-Con announced they were moving to New York this year.  But why?!  Apparently, attendance had peaked in SoCal so after years of clamoring, Power-Con was moving out East to Queens.  It seemed logical as the New York Comic Con brings in over 100,000 attendees and Power-Con would only need to tap into a fraction of that audience to break even.

Unfortunately, pre-sales for Power-Con are not going well and if limits are not met by TODAY then the show faces cancellation.  With so many guests on the west coast, travel expenses have mounted on top of the basic costs of running a show like securing a venue, advertising, etc.  There are only a handful of announced guests thus far so it will be an intimate show with a segment of super fans which makes these things more special as you're all on the same page and not some casual fan taking up space.  So come on New York, if you're at all into the nostalgia and future of He-Man, She-Ra and the rest of the Masters of Universe, buy some tickets.  I had an absolutely wonderful time in my 2 years attending as just about anything He-Man related is up for grabs in the forms of toys, comics, statues, clothing, posters and more from the various toy and cartoon series as well as the live action motion picture starring none other than Dolph Lundgren.  I hope the show meets it's pre-reserves today because it's definitely a show that deserves to be enjoyed.  It's for fans by fans in the best way, not one of those new age shows that's an excuse for "celebs" to make a few bucks charging for photographs and signatures.

You have the power!

(Pre) Con-Man: BotCon

I know I've been busy lately but that's no excuse for me not knowing that a frigging Transformers convention is happening in my backyard this weekend!  That's right, BotCon will be celebrating 30 years of the Robots In Disguise this weekend in Pasadena.  Sponsored by toy giant Hasbro, BotCon is being held at the Convention Center and touts special guests, panels and seminars, an exhibit hall with over 200 tables of merchandise and swag, a film festival, local tours, autographs, contests and much more!  It was a bummer to hear the He-Man and She-Ra centric Power-Con was heading to NY this year but here's another fine toy/animation franchise show to take it's place.  Perusing the site, there will be panels and seminars covering collecting, voice actor spotlight, official updates from Hasbro and I'm sure a sneak peek at the new film hitting theaters next week.  The organizers have done a terrific job of engaging patrons coming from out of town and state as they've arranged group outings to Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios for the Transformers Experience as well as a tour highlighting local Los Angeles landmarks like The Chinese Theatre, Santa Monica Pier and everything inbetween.

Since I wasn't aware of the show, I missed out on special ticket packages that include Convention exclusive toys and swag, early entry and a whole lot more but no biggie, General Admission is available at the door for the low, low price of only $20 bucks!  Looking forward to seeing all the sweet toys, models, merchandise, tee shirts etc of all the greats like Optimus Prime, Jazz, Hot Rod and Wheelie.  I love these genre/brand specific conventions like BotCon, Power-Con and G.I. Joe Con.  BotCon got it's start in 1994 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and has since been held all over the country in Ohio, California, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Texas and Florida with international versions popping up in Japan and the United Kingdom!  Recent years have had actors and writers from the cartoon series and live action movies in attendance as well as 1985 soundtrack rock n' rollers Vince DiCola and Stan Bush on deck to play the hits.  So Dare and remember, You Got the Touch!  I want those guys to play my birthday party...

Getting excited now...

By the Power of Con! The Floor

I have the Power!...Con!  This past weekend marked the start of the fall convention season in southern California.  Things got off to a great start with the annual gathering of all things He-Man, She-Ra, Thundercats and now Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Power-Con in Torrance.  Taking over the Marriott, the P-C staff has done an incredible job of organizing a show.  Parked outside was a replica of the TurtleVan complete with Michelangelo in the drivers seat so you knew you were in the right place.  Once inside, the lobby bar again had special menus for the weekend featuring the Thundercats insignia, He-Man and She-Ra.

Know how I know this show is getting bigger?  Because the banner was bigger than last year!  All of the printed materials on display (program, directions, ticket breakdown) were really clever and added a nice touch of someone giving a shit.  I volunteer at Comic-Con and hold up signs written in skinny marker for crying out loud.  Further organization had you buying shirts online and picking them up at the show, that way you wouldn't get sold out like last year.  Leonardo shirt and complimentary He-Man print in hand, we entered the exhibition room.  Again, Cons are usually twofold, things to see and buy and programming to learn and be entertained.  Cosplay is here to stay and around the floor were Casey Jones, Princess Adora, Mega Man and Ryu from Street Fighter among others.

The room was a little quiet when we first entered, I figured maybe because it was Sunday and the crowds had already come through Saturday.  It was a little disheartening because Power-Con deserves to be a success.  The floor was fuller than last year with just about every table manned with artists, vendors and actors offering their wares like comics, toys, original artwork, promo items and photo opportunities.  My childhood came rushing back as I saw toys I probably have in a box in the basement somewhere as well as crazy variants like transforming Ninja Turtles and Arctic He-Man that shows you how popular these things were.

One guy was making He-Man buttons of random characters like Evil-Seed (the guy with an upside down artichoke for a head), another was selling Japanese Masters of the Universe movie ticket stubs (Dolph Lundgren alert!) from 1987, I saw an animation cel of King Randor doing the He-Man laugh and knew I needed one for my wall, luckily I found one of Prince Adam in full head back hilarity.  There were some show exclusives from Mattel like limited edition figure Strobo, letter openers and not yet for sale models of Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain.  Digging through tubs of loose figures, bins of cels and checking out tables packed with memorabilia is akin to flipping through boxes of comics, completing a run or finding a random issue that sets you on a course for more comics.

We had a packed day and were attending four panels back to back but between each we could run down and check out the floor some more.  I was happy to see it was more and more lively each time and by the end of the show the floor was full and goers were walking out with armfuls of swag.  The organizers of Power-Con put on a great show that I hope only gets bigger and adds more franchises.  G.I. Joe anyone?

Come back soon for Part II:  The Panels!

Good journey!

By the Power of Con!

Autumn is coming and it's bringing a few conventions with'em!  That's right, September 14th sees the return of Power-Con in Torrance, Comikaze on the 1st of November in Downtown and The Long Beach Comic & Horror Con on the 22nd in well, Long Beach.

Each represents a segment of fandom but Power-Con is literally the convention for all things He-Man, She-Ra and the rest of the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats and new to this year, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Power-Con is the smallest show of the upcoming season; taking up a ballroom for exhibitors (swag for sale/celebrities meeting fans) and three rooms for programming (guests speak/interact with fans).  But don't let the absence of unneeded crowds fool you, Power-Con packs quite the wallop.  The organizers have curated an extremely rich slate of programming while fostering a very friendly, near familial
                                                          atmosphere.

Last year was my first time attending and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I grew up on He-Man and Thundercats so any con dedicated to them seemed like a trip.  There were exclusive tee shirts and prints, Mattel brought show only variant action figures and the lobby bar even had a themed menu for the weekend.  The exhibition floor wasn't huge but there was about all the He-Man memorabilia on display and for sale that you could imagine.  Toys, posters, Halloween masks, birthday party kits, slippers, on and on.  Even though it's touted as a Thundercats show, there just wasn't as much of it around in comparison to He-Man, probably gives you an idea of how popular the blonde guy was.

The panels were varied in subject matter and each had a strong roster of talent involved.  One brought together writing and voice actors from the original 1985 Thundercats cartoon as well as the 2011 revival.  I specifically remember the voice of leader Lion-O, Larry Kenney, being particularly funny and gracious with the crowd, even calling some of them by name.  Watch and laugh here.

Another panel was for one of my favorite films of all time, Masters of the Universe!  Guests included director Gary Goddard, Evil Lynn actress Meg Foster (They Live and Best of the Best 2!), sword master and villain Blade Anthony De Longis and Richard Szponder, a young boy who won a sweepstakes contest to appear in the film! They each had great stories about working on the troubled production which was one of 80's mini-major Cannon's most expensive projects and they shuttered a few years later.  The final panel of the day was a sneak peak at Toy Masters:  How He-Man & Mattel Conquered the Universe, an in-production documentary about the rise and fall of one of history's most popular toy lines.  Apparently He-Man and friends created something like $400 million in revenue one year then dropped to $40 million the next...

When you've been to the big show (Comic-Con, 100,000+) and seen what the fuss is about or to the medium show (Comikaze, 50,000+) that is good but doesn't warrant lines or a crowd, coming to a specific fan event like Power-Con is a dream.  Everyone is nice, the lines move fast, there's always room for you at a panel and there's more than a few pieces of your childhood to buy.  I can't wait for this years show to see how it's grown.

Good journey!  And remember, You have the Power!