Con-Man: CatCon Los Angeles

Last weekend was a new convention in a familiar spot, CatCon LA at The Reef downtown. I had no idea what to expect from a show for cats where you weren't supposed to actually bring them but it was two days on two floors with programming featuring the likes of social media famous felines and Julie Newmar, you know the original Catwoman from the Batman TV series. Right away we could tell this was a popular event as the parking lot across the street was backed up at the entrance. As usual though I found street parking, cause I'm charmed! Outside were several food trucks and wristband pick up moved pretty quickly inside. A tote bag and guide book in hand we walked downstairs to the first exhibitor area and it was pretty packed. Pusheen had a large booth right in the middle of the action while local artists hawked custom art, trinkets, chew toys, prints, mugs, postcards and the like. It was basically like any comic-con Artist Alley only instead of TV/movie/comic book characters, it was cats.

Walking past a booth set up for an Instagram cat, I asked my lady if the animal was famous. One of the workers overheard me and replied, "real famous". Well ok, then. On the second floor, there were more vendors but with items like food and litter of the high end variety. Rachel Ray even has a brand of cat food. There were organizations set up for adoptions and was the only area where you saw a live cat, through a window, no less. Guess nobody wants to risk an allergic reaction, eh? Walking around I couldn't help but think why there wasn't any Thundercats tie in, the opportunity was right there. But the 80's were represented as I was wearing a Jean-Claude Van Damme emblazoned Bloodsport shirt since we were headed to an action movie event after and received several compliments. But that's the next post...

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!