March ~ April 2012 ~ Vol. 5, Issue 8
Planet Comicon brings in more crowds than expected
By Tara Watson
3/25-25/12,Overland Park, KS - It was a glorious weekend for a convention. The sun was shining, the traffic was light and the Missouri and Kansas D20 Girls were on the road to the Overland Park International Trade Center for Planet Comicon 2012. D20’s Grace, Sairin, Tasia, Little Alice, Apocalypse Sue, Trinket, Ana Gore and Willa were volunteers for the weekend. And what a weekend it was! The Overland Park International Trade Center is tucked away behind the bustling Metcalf Avenue, a quiet building bordered by parking garages, grass and a small duck pond. But on March 24, it came alive as its doors opened. The D20 Girls arrived early, ready to pitch in wherever necessary. Our job was to man the doors and help guide attendees to where they wanted to go. Some of us guided the flow of traffic and some greeted attendees as they approached the building and in the main lobby. From the start, it was obvious that Planet Comicon 2012 would be much bigger than anticipated. As the doors opened, the line extended outside the building to the parking lot. There was an air of palpable excitement throughout the building. People of all
Billy Dee Williams signs autographs at Planet Comicon in Overland Park, KS in late March. kinds attended: families with small children, groups of costumed twenty-somethings and even an elderly couple wearing matching Superman shirts. There were collectors who rushed the vendors and came away pulling handcarts loaded with new treasures and thrilled children who waved their very own $5 lightsabers. More than once the cry of, “Oh, the humanity!” rang out, sending ripples of laughter through a crowd that could very easily have become surly. It was their attitude that kept me going, despite the fact that I was standing in full sun wearing polyester and four inch heels. I was dressed as the Joker,
and so many children stared wide-eyed. Some dared to wave, and a few even said hello. One tiny tot gave me a bear hug and then squealed, jumping up and down, positively vibrating with excitement. Her dad had to remind her that she’d wanted to take a picture with me. No matter their reaction up close, they all smiled and whispered to their parents as they walked away. I didn’t get to go to any panels. I was so busy meeting people and directing them to where they wanted to go that I missed them. The staff member in charge of the doors commented to me “This is twice the number of people
we had last year. This is just nuts.” He also repeatedly thanked me for the help and was so genuine that missing the panels was merely a side note. I did see the Star Wars groups parade past on their way to the Star Wars Costume Cavalcade. I was particularly impressed by the precision in Darth Maul’s makeup. Cosplayers at the con had the opportunity to have Jason Tracy Photography take free pictures for portfolios. While I waited for my turn I checked out the nearby Free Games Library, sponsored by the Gamer's Haven and KantCon, a tabletop gaming convention held in the Kansas City area in July. On my way back to the vendors room I almost ran over a pair of unfortunate women in the aisle. As I apologized, I realized that they were Robin Thorson and Amy Okuda of the popular web series The Guild. Yes, I almost took out Clara and Tinkerballa. They were quite civil, considering the surprise I’d given them. The guest list for Planet Comicon was stellar. Headlined by Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian of the Star Wars franchise) and Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama of Battlestar Galactica), there was a guest for
See “Comicon” on Page 14