Now I know that many of you love Dragon Con, and really it
sounds awesome but from a dealer’s point of view this convention was pretty bad
for us.

It seems that the man has a pretty “hands off,
zero-tolerance policy” towards venders. There are three dealer’s rooms, so it’s
hard to find the vender you want, and there doesn’t seem to be any organization
to who is in what room.

I know for a fact that there were people looking for me who
couldn’t find me, but to make matters worse out table was stuck off in the
corner past the fire exit, the isles in front of us was far too small, so
people couldn’t get through them, and the lovely, friendly and dun loving
people made long-winded playful announcements over the PA all weekend. Not to
mention the large lady dressed in blue who (and I’m not exaggerating) believed
she was a super hero and that her cats were her crime-fighting network. The woman
spoke non stop in that insipid that hasn’t been popular since the 1950s. I had
to listen to her prattle for an hour before I got so fed up I started throwing things
at her. Of course this only made her decide that I was a villain and she was
saving the lives of the other con-goers by standing there. I here tell that she
got kicked out of the Stan-lee panel for passing on a question… from her cats…
about the mice in his floorboards.

Now my friend who will be referred here-as only as
Chef-Master P, has been going to dragoncon since back in the day. I like to
imagine that the rest of the year he spends his time cooking up and cultivating
various and ingenious mind-altering substances, which he loads into his duffle,
and then one weekend out of the year drags this brownie filled bag all the way
from his home to the convention. He always comes back with stories about how he
met Stan Lee, or got on a microphone at an after-hours bar with MC Chris.

From a fan’s point of view the masses of dealers, Playful
announcements and costumes too big to fit through doors is incredible. But
stick someone in a booth where they have to beg for attention all day, and
listen to the same PA jokes over and over again, and be up at 8 every morning
working till 9, and the parties and after-hours events become just tiresome.

I’m certain that if I’d had a better spot, or some more help
behind the booth the convention would have been very different but alas that was
not the case. I understand exactly how Ryan Sohmer felt, and had I not
previously been informed of his upset with the convention I’d have caused a fit
myself.

And no offence to Atlanta’s residence but I just can’t call
a city where you can count eh skyline a full City. Maybe I’m spoiled, but 11
shadows on the horizon does not make a major metropolis. Nor does pouring BBQ
sauce over everything. Despite the fact that the BBQ was indeed amazing… I did
not expect to see BBQ sauce on my shrimp cocktail, plain cheese pizza, or chef
salad, though by the end of my trip, I did expect the strange looks when I
asked for it sans the sauce.

All in all I’m thankful to be home, having restored power
and Internet to my house (damn you Con Edison!) The air conditioner is once
again blearing and I once again have over 100gigs of music at my ready
disposal.

The …and Chris archives have been fixed, I’m uploading more
DLC (there is a desktop of the map incoming today) and I queued up the next 10
or so cards and next bunch of …and Chris comics.

Next up: New York Comic Con! Hope to see you there! With any
luck we’ll even get Arron to show up in the dress I’m buying for him!