Tuesday, March 1, 2011

2011 Miami Comic-Con

Last Friday John and I made the 4.5 hour drive to Miami for the first-ever Miami Comic-Con. We did this because A) It seemed like a handy excuse to eat at our favorite Cuban restaurant, B) Ernie Hudson was going to be there and I wanted my Stay Puft signed by an actual Ghostbuster, and C) Con within driving distance! Heck yeah!

We stayed two nights, although the con really only had one afternoon's worth of entertainment. One really *great* afternoon, though.

Let's start with a few costumes:

My fellow Dragon*Con attendees will remember this lovely Morgan Le Fay from the past two years. I love her props; the armillary sphere lights up and spins.

Even better, we spotted her again the next day in this costume:

Mrow. Steampunk Baroness, anyone?

(John's reaction to this outfit: "Look at her WAIST! It's so tiny!" He was absolutely correct, of course, but I thought it was funny that he was staring a bit south of where most men stare when corsets are involved.)

Zombie princess Peach:


The Batmobile was right inside the entrance to the main floor:

It was surrounded by waist-high curtains, so I'm afraid I didn't get any good shots of it.

Nifty interior, though:

The table in the background was Adam West's booth. The con was so small that there were never more than a few people in line, if there even was a line.

In fact, while John and I were waiting to buy some food at the little snack bar, John suddenly hissed, "JEN. Adam West is right behind you." I turned, and there was Mr. West, peering over my shoulder at the display case. I quickly apologized for being in his way, he very graciously assured me I wasn't, and then I suggested the yogurt parfait. 'Cuz I'm totally casual like that. [snort] A moment later he was replaced by Ernie Hudson, who bought a salad.

So, if you want to literally rub elbows with the stars, go to a small convention and hang out at the snack bar.


Less than twenty feet away from the Batmobile was the Team Fox Delorean. For a $20 donation you got to take pics sitting inside, plus a sweet little light-up Flux Capacitor pin.


This girl was clearly having a blast; she couldn't stop giggling.


These two ran squeaking shrilly through the aisles:

Which attracted the attention of the local brute squad:


Gotta love pretty people in spandex:



In the very back of the room was a fencing area:


This was also near my favorite spot: the art. I have way more than I know what to do with at this point, but I still couldn't resist adding a few things:

My cat Tonks is "helping."

That Animaniacs print was a LE of 10, and yet only cost $10. The artist even threw in a free head sketch of Brain. The adorable piggy Flash & Wonder Woman (aka Chester & Gretchen) is an original by Mike White, and came with the frame for only - no, really - $8. I had to restrain myself from buying all of his sketches; hit the link to see the others.

I also love artists' alley because it's fun to chat with and watch the artists at work:

This guy was especially impressive. Check out how he's resting his hand on that wooden stick to steady it; I've never seen anyone paint that way. [Edit: It's called a "mahl stick." Thx, commenters!]

The next day:



There were several excellent Star Wars costumes around, plus the R2D2 builders, but since I'd seen and photographed them all at the Star Wars Celebration I didn't bother tracking them down again. Here's a nicely weathered Storm Trooper, though:


And I asked this gal to take off her helmet "so I can show off that you're a girl." :D


Speaking of girls, here's my girl-crush from the weekend:

She was the only female in full Ghostbuster gear, and she was rockin' cherry red Doc Martins with her costume:

*LOVE*

That group is actually from the Orlando Ghostbusters, which hosted the game show "Are You Smarter Than a Ghostbuster?" In it they pitted poor Ernie Hudson against rabid fans in a trivia contest.

I say "poor" Ernie because he lost...

...badly.

Though, really, that's only because the contestants were allowed to use "lifelines" by asking the Orlando Ghostbusters for answers. Totally not fair! So, Ernie took to asking the audience for his answers. Soon no one on stage was answering anything: it was all lifelines. Still fun, though. (And Ernie still lost. Heh.)

By the way, I've never met an easier celebrity to talk to than Hudson. He could have been a fellow fan, he was so approachable and chatty. He was surprised when I mentioned seeing a vid of him at a con in Germany from a few weeks ago, and then - to MY surprise - he started telling me about a picture of him that's been all over the 'net recently. You know, uh...this one:

*snicker*

When I realized which photo he was talking about ("There was this picture of me behind me..."), I immediately cracked up and admitted to seeing it. He seemed pretty amused himself, though, so now I wish I'd let him carry on explaining; that could have been comedy GOLD.

I brought my 1984 Stay Puft for Hudson to sign:

Sidenote: I *finally* found something that cleans soft plastic: Magic Eraser. Seriously. You have to scrub, but the thing works miracles. (Just be careful not to take the paint off.)


And here's his signed butt:

Awesome, right? Although I still think it looks like he called me "gen."


And finally, let's end with a little more costume eye-candy:

I had a hard time chasing down this Batman. That's his daughter in purple to the side, and I wish I'd managed to get a better pic of them together!

[Correction: I'm told the little girl is Hit Girl, and "Batman" is actually "Big Daddy," who looks a lot like Batman. Sorry. You may now revoke 5 of my geek points.]
And even more pretty people (this time in corsets):


Hope you enjoyed my tour of Miami Comic-Con, guys!


Next month: MegaCon. (Aw yeeeeeah.)

54 comments:

  1. There's a special word for that stick the artist is resting his hand on. It's called an artist's maul.

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  2. just zis gal, y'knowMarch 1, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    The painting handrest is pretty common, actually. It's called a 'mahl stick'.

    The more you know! *sparklesparkle!*

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  3. That little girl in purple is Hit Girl from the movie Kickass :D so cute!

    This con sounded great! All the small cons I've been to have been TOO small, and nothing interesting was happening or had any interesting people attending. Costumes are always worth going for, though. Do you and your husband ever go to cons in costume?

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  4. OMG So jealous right now! Looks like a blast, thanks for sharing!

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  5. OMG, I LOVE Versailles! We used to fly down to Miami every spring break when I was a kid to visit my mom's family, and we ate at Versailles EVERY time. YUMMMMM those platanos...

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  6. I *so* dig the lady Ghostbuster. (Are you checking this out, Star Wars Katie?) Thanks for sharing, Jen - I don't get to as many cons as I'd like, so at least I can enjoy vicariously. :)

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  7. I'm originally from Miami and I must say, if you have not gone to El Ray De Fritas on calle ocho, you should on your next visit, because it is WONDERFUL! (in a fast food cuban burger sort of way)

    And I have that same Stay Puft and it is worn in the same place on the bow. =D

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  8. That woman in the Delorean looks kinda familiar.

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  9. As someone already said, the little girl in the purple is Hit Girl, which makes me think the Batman guy was really dressed as Big Daddy (who looks a lot like Batman).

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  10. Wondercon used to be that way about 15 years ago. Nice but small. But now it is good but BIG. Lines for everything!

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  11. Ok, ok. Either my mind is playing tricks on me, or the girl "Clearly having a blast" is A VERY FAMOUS POPULAR BLOGGER LADY?! Am I hallucinating or have I spotted the secret? I've never seen you in real life, and I most certainly am no stalker, but the resemblance is...well, uncanny to you, Jen. Meh, maybe the warmer weather is getting to my mind?!

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  12. Yeah, the young'n is Hit Girl, and yeah, Big Daddy does look like Batman, but that's still a Batman costume. There's a giant bat on the chest and everything.

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  13. I thought it was Batman too, but then I saw Hit Girl next to him and you said it was his daughter. I was like, why would Batman dress his daughter up like Hit Girl? Oh right, cuz it's Big Daddy. (who looks just like batman)

    I noticed how small that girl"s waist was too! I was wondering how she was managing to not pass out. :))

    I have the same hat as that lucky girl in the DeLorian. The same glasses too I believe.

    Adam West story...AWESOME!!!!

    Winston story and unfortunate picture...cooool!!!

    That concludes my ramblings.

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  14. I love being able to live vicariously thru you! (in a non-threatening, non-creepy kind of way of course) But do we get to see the photo of you in the Delorean?

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  15. Jen, I LOVE your pictures and blog entries about the different Cons you and John have been to. It makes me feel like I almost were there, too. In Sweden, there are three scifi conventions, but they're all the same (except that they are in different locations). Actually, I am secretly wishing that I someday will be able to go to the U.S. so that I can attend a "real" science fiction convention ... But until then, I am very happy to read about your experiences at the Cons! Thanks! :)

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  16. A friend of mine just posted a link to this on my facebook. I'm the one in the Morgan Le Fey & Steampunk Baroness costumes. Thank you for the lovely comments & pictures. I case you were wondering, I have a 22" waist in both those corsets & I actually find them very comfortable. Corests are great back support. I'll be debuting a steampunk Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn next month at Megacon :p

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  17. I so want to go to one of the Cons around the country. Any scheduled for summertime?
    Something about the corset lady made me think "Shiny!" I think it's the color combination.
    Love the snack bar story! When I was a teen my family went to the snack bar at Universal Studios in CA. I turned around in line to say something to my brother. He had let the man behind him go ahead so I turned and did a faceplant into the bare chest of the guy playing Conan for the stunt show. Don't think he was famous and I was too embarassed to look further.
    Thanks for sharing your pics, Jen.

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  18. @ Aleta - I'm glad you found us! I'll definitely look for you at MegaCon; both new costumes sound fantastic.

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  19. I never can resist sketches...and Animaniacs are always awesome!

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  20. So cool! I feel like I was there. It. Was. AWESOME!!

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  21. Awww, your cat's name is TONKS! I love it :)

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  22. These pictures are awesome. It sounds like it was a great con. My one and only was Dragon*Con last year, which was so huge we didn't get to see it all.

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  23. I love small cons. Unfortunately the one local to me in NY has grown, but the budget been hacked with a machete.
    The guys in the fencing area, did they happen to be a group called the SCA? I zoomed in on the armor seeing if I recognized any of the stickers.
    Glad you had fun! Cons are awesome!
    -PurpleAllison

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  24. I am so not going crazy...I *know* that smilitastic young lady in the Delorean... :D And she looks fantastic, btw

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  25. Awesome pics! I'm so jealous of your StayPuft and getting Ernie Hudson's signature!

    I'm going to MegaCon in Orlando with my husband, my brother, and my father. I'm super excited. :)

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  26. A completely different JenMarch 1, 2011 at 9:40 PM

    Ok, so why didn't anyone tell me there's such a thing as Miami comic-con? I live like... right THERE. cryin' out loud.

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  27. About your picture of the fencing... That's a suit of Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA.org) heavy combat armor on the stand in front of them, so there's a good chance that they're the rapier contingent of the local group. Historical recreation for the win!

    (I'm a heavy combat fighter myself. *grin*)

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  28. when ever we do the "what do you want to do? I don't know what do you want to do?" I always think "same thing we do every night, try to take over the world"
    for some reason no one else knows what I'm talking about lol
    D.

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  29. Awwwww. You're all pretty! You should put more pics of yourself.

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  30. That girl in the Delorean needs to appear in her blog more often! :)

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  31. I live vicariously through your con travels. Thanks for posting - and no, I don't think you could ever over post con details :D

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  32. Small cons are teriffic! Haven't been to one in a very long time; however here is my "claim to fame". 1976 or 77 Seattle and it was the "Auto-rama". Don't have a clue what that was but a couple of girlfriends and I found out that Leonard Nimoy was going to be there. Wow! Hardly any people and we hung out around his area for a long time. Finally we got brave and asked for his autograph. And then my friend who was braver than we were went up to him while he was on break and asked to shake his hand. OMG! We were in heaven for hours and days after that. I love Adam West and would have loved to see him in person. Love your pictures

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  33. Ok, so this doesn't have much to do with comics but it seems like something you should know about. I'm from Denver and there is a local artist who makes these awesome little monsters called "horndribbles." they are all plush little guys and for the most part, when they are on display around town, the proceeds from their purchase goes partially to children's charities. check 'em out... horndribbles

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  34. Small cons are great...I went to a Vulkon convention a few years ago and the joy was being able to stand around and chat with Cirroc Lofton and John Billingsly...and bumping into them at other events later. :o)

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  35. I also love that your cat's name is Tonks! I have a friend who is getting a new horse, and we want to change her name. She wants a human name that's two syllables, so we're seriously considering Molly, as in Molly Weasley. :)

    WOW! What a great con! That's the kind I want to go to. I have a friend that volunteers at cons here in AZ--she's going to let me know if they need volunteers and how to get in. EEEEEEE!!!!! I would like to go to a small one, though--I like meeting people like Ernie or people who aren't famous yet, but you know they will be eventually. (I was lucky enough to meet Chris Isaak before he was really famous.)

    Adam West is great--he truly loves his job. I would have taken a drawing of him from Family Guy to have him sign. I just love him on that show! And if I had been you when you were in line with him, I would've said "By the way, Paul is a really funny name for a cat." Wonder if he would've gotten it...

    Loved the gorgeous ladies in their excellent costumes. Such amazing detail!

    Aleta, thanks for posting here! I LOVE your costumes! They are sexy yet demure. Have you trained your waist to be that small? I also love wearing corsets, but only when I'm thin...

    Again, Jen, thanks for sharing your geeky fun with us! I always look forward to it!

    The Burton Inspiration

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  36. That lady on the right in the last picture looks a lot like Demi Lovato. And that Big Daddy's costume looks like it has a bat on the chest, so I'm guessing he just used a Batman chest piece or something for the costume.

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  37. I am so jealous of you for getting to meet Ernie Hudson. He's my favorite Ghostbuster, as well as in the Crow, which is one of my favorite movies.

    My sister is the Ghostbusters fan, and she's in envy of the girl in the red Docs.

    I hope the girl in the Delorean had a good time at Comic-Con *grin*

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  38. The attention gathering raving rabbids are from a local Nintendo-oriented performance group called the 3000 Brigade :)

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  39. nope that IS Batman, he is wearing an UD Replica's batman motorbike outfit, which is based on the Dark Knight costume. You can just see the bat symbol on his chest in black.

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  40. With yor love for all things steampunk, I thought you might like th latest Tree Lobsters

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  41. I totally thought the "Big Daddy" was Batman.

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  42. My 6 yr old nephew is a HUGE Ghostbusters addict, and met Ernie Hudson at the Chiller con last year. Ernie is, without a doubt, the coolest dude out there. Not only did he get up to take a pic with my nephew (who was in costume of course), he gave the kid a photo signed by ALL the Ghostbusters. My nephew was speechless, but you couldn't get the smile off his face with a backhoe.

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  43. Sounds like a lot of fun. Some day, some day I will make it to a Con. Love the Animaniacs picture!! Chicken Boo is still my favourite though :)

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  44. Gosh, I wish I had known about the con sooner! I actually live in Miami, like ten blocks from Versailles. I might bump into you next time :)

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  45. "Awesome, right? Although I still think it looks like he called me "gen.""

    That wouldn't be right. The first letter of General should be capitalized.

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  46. By the way, if anyone wants the Batman costume shown above, they are hand crafted licensed works of art!

    Each suit is rated motor-cycle armor too =)

    They also have TRON and Wolverine stuff too.

    I've followed these guys a while, thought you might like it too.

    Site: UDReplicas.com

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  47. I am totally onto you, Jen. Not to sound like a creepy stalker or anything, but that girl "having a blast" is you :)
    1) She is wearing the same wedding ring you and John bought awhile back, I think it was when you went to Roswell?
    2) Ghost-busting pacman shirt. No need to say more.
    Can't fool me. LOL

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  48. This actually looks so much cooler than the Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con!! I love that there is fencing available... and now I have an itch to get to a con as soon as possible. Good thing WonderCon is almost here!

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  49. First, a quick intro: a friend of mine links to your blog all the time, so I wandered over and subsequently spent the last several hours casually browsing your archives in-between emails and work. Wheee!

    But I thought I'd chime in on the Big Daddy vs. Batman discussion, since I just saw the movie "Kick-Ass" last week. The girl is definitely Hit Girl, but I'm preeeetty sure the guy is Batman. There's a bat on his chest, he has the batman blades on his bracers, and he didn't write the "BD" for Big Daddy on his belt. I think they're just cosplaying their favorite-but-unrelated characters.

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    1. Yes your absolutely right lol this is a late reply but I just accidentally found this pic and google and its really nestalgic I am that little girl in the pic as Hit-Girl and yes Batman is my fathers favorite character and Hit-Girl was mine at the time.

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  50. I got to meet Ernie Hudson a few years back @ AdventureCon, supre tiny scifi convention near my house, and he was AWESOME! He was late to the signing, and the people "running the show" wanted to cut the line off after about 20 people because it was late, but he refused to leave until everyone got their autograph! He did, however become very quiet when I handed him my DVD of the Crow to sign... A friend said he actually talked to him about Brandon Lee for a few minutes (ha was the last person in line)

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  51. It's very cool to come back to this page after 11 years. I'm the little girl in purple that is cosplaying as hit-girl and the Batman is my father. It's funny seeing the comments but he wasn't big daddy, he's batman, I just played a character I loved and so did he. It still sort of matches :)))).

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