Friday, August 12, 2016

MermaidMan, Miller, Davros and DuffMan, - Boston Comic Con 2016

The temperature outside hovered around the 100 degree mark, and inside the Seaport World Trade Center, it was even hotter, for a variety of reasons.
Boston Comic Con 2016 is here for the weekend, and apparently it's no longer the best kept secret in the New England comic book world.  At least judging by the THOUSANDS who packed into the sprawling complex for Day One on Friday.  I can't even imagine what today's crowds are going to look like.
Right up front, just as you enter the expo, you'll be greeted by the folks from a local comics shop, Larry's Comics of Lowell, where variant covers abounded!
And yes, as you can see, Boston Comic Con also runs on Dunkins
Beyond the comic books and collected trades, some of the more interesting items you can find at the tables include off-the-beaten-path artist posters spotlighting both comics and pop culture icon shows.  And yes, I did indulge.
I first met Mike Cassidy in the fourth grade of St. Margaret's School in 1973.  He was a kindred spirit, it turned out, as he was also a comics collector.  I was into Marvel, he, DC.  We found a middle ground, and 43 years later, we're still walking the beat at the Comic Cons and representing with our comics swag together.
If you're a fan of Lego, you HAVE to see the customized collections of figurines for sale
Mid-day, Mike and I headed to a DC Comics panel, to hear from comics legend Frank Miller, on a panel with writer Brian Azzarello, and hosted by DC Publisher Dan Didio.
The majority of the panel focused on the pair's recent work in the Dark Knight series, another sequel to Miller's groundbreaking Batman series from 1986, upon which the recent Batman vs. Superman movie was based.  By the way, Miller's take on that movie?  He really liked Wonder Woman.
Afterwards, Mike and I went up to thank the creators for having put pen to paper to publish the books we've enjoyed over the decades.  As you can see, one of us is a tad more adept at capturing those encounters on film than the other.....
Outside the conference hall, I was slightly stunned to run into MermaidMan himself!  Sadly, Barnacle Boy was nowhere to be found.
MermaidMan and Barnacle Boy UNITE!
And hey, what's a convention without an appearance from DuffMan?

That's a mug you don't want to chug!
Bumped into Nick Laganas' favorite Mandalorian Bounty Hunter as well
And yeah, I'll confess.  Probably the coolest moment of the convention for me was a chance to step inside the Tardis.  It was a special moment in Timey-Wimey for me.
Davros, however, wasn't too pleased to see the blue police box parked nearby
Not happy with this year's Presidential candidates?  Don't worry, Comic Con has an alternative answer for you. This would be a Force to be reckoned with if you're in the market for an evil Empire.
Heading back later this weekend with the rest of the Rat Pack.  God only knows who we'll bump into during that tour of duty!  Stay tuned!

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