As I'm typing this, many forklifts and trolleys are hauling unsold merchandise and shelving units into large trucks before heading back to their homes either in or out of town. However, for the general public, it's absolutely over. Everyone who attended has their own tale of joyous glee to tell about their time spent on that day. Attendees from the smallest child to the oldest nerd had fun looking at and purchasing many wonderful works of art and exhibitors (in that same basic age range) had fun selling much of their own artwork or any other merchandise they may have had. Being one of those many attendees, I will now indulge myself and post about my experiences at this fine event for the benefit of everyone who reads this blog (those being random people who were brought here by mistyping a key word in Google and now ask "what the hell just happened?").
I sadly didn't sell as much stuff as last year, but I did make sales. Also, about as important, I got people talking and generated some interest for my Censor Monkeys Have No Class book as well as the topic of censorship in general. But it wasn't just the book that accomplished this. I also freely distributed these cards at the same time:
This may have helped as well. Some assessments of my book that I heard people make at this event were:
"Savage"
"This is the funniest thing I've ever seen"
"Planet of the Apes meets blaxploitation"
One person even commented that the Horrible Mother Monkey looked just like a drag queen that he knew. I'll just say Ouch for that drag queen.
Of course, just like at last year's Fan Expo and every other comic book seeing event I have attended, there were plenty of fun costumes to see. Like always, that ones that stopped at my table will be showcased starting immediately below:
Saturday:
Uh oh! Ariel became a badass ninja and murdered Flounder. You can bet that Jamaican crab will be 'pinchers up' and smothered in butter next.
She just flew in from 1903 to pick daffodils I'm assuming .
...as did this lady. Although she might also be attempting to establish prohibition again.
Ok, a sexy Jack Skelington. That is both a Christmas and Hallowe'en gift that keeps on giving.
Here's Bumblebee the Transformer promoting my book. I will definitely be using this image many more times in the future.
Bumblebee's pal, one of the Dinobots, was also there with him. He could help promote my book by biting the heads off of people who refuse to read it (but I of course would not and do not encourage such behaviour).
Lady Obi Wan. That's a fun idea.
Um...... Batman, what is that stain on your uniform? Is that Robin's? Alfred's? Actually, never mind. I'd rather not know.
Here's a Hogwarts alumni. She gave me a sticker.
She's either a statue or a g-g-g-g-ghost!
She's either dressed partly like a skeleton or at her last doctor's appointment he had the X-ray turned up way too high. Either way, she is now a super villain we should all fear.
HEY!!! You Can't Do That At Fan Expo! "D'iiiiiiiiiiiiii heard that!"
Mother & daughter Pokemon costumes. The mother confided in me "next year I get to pick the costumes". So, 'Dorothy and Sophia of the Golden Girls' it is.
More members of Hogwarts. It must have been a field trip or something.
Every young student remembers their first car.
Riddle me this and riddle me that. What has 4 legs in the morning, 2 legs in the afternoon, and 3 legs in the evening? I don't know, but I just barbecued it and ate it. It was delicious.
That's one snazzy guillotine operator.
I believe she is some kind of wizard in an outfit made out of cotton candy or something. I need help with this one.
Can he sleep on his front with such big buttons on his pyjamas?
They're looking at my Censor Monkey panels and thinking "I can't deal with such awesomeness". Or they're trying to remember the lyrics to an Engelbert Humperdinck song. One of the two.
This is a relatively modest version of Red Sonya's costume really. This must be the more respectful and conservative outfit she'd wear to weddings and funerals.
Lady Gaston! So she would display misandry then? Or maybe 'internalized misogyny'? Bah! Who cares? It's fun costume.
Those ladies in the back seemed rather unimpressed by Nacho Libre's flexed muscles. One body slam to the canvas should take care of that (to his opponent in the ring later of course. Jeez you guys are paranoid).
Sunday:
Here is the cousin that Fonzie rarely talks about. She can punch a jukebox and get her favourite song but sadly she can only jump her motorcycle over two school buses. This makes her the biggest disappointment in the Fonzarelli family.
A bearded Link or and angry Keebler elf. Either way, I want cookies.
This is Esmerelda from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. The gypsy curse she put on herself was making herself voiced by Demi Moore.
Hey! A young Captain America! So does that make him "Captain 13 Colonies"?
GO RIDERS!!! Should the Roughriders wear chainmail uniforms instead of pads inside jerseys? That could be an interesting twist.
A zombie and a minion walk into a bar. There were no survivors.
This husband and wife duo dress up as their favourite fetish for this Expo. It saved their marriage I'm sure.
Here's Princess Leia and her cheerleader friend. !00% accurate to the Star Wars universe.
Here's little Iron Man. Iron Boy maybe? O, since he looks about 6, shouldn't he be "Carbon Man"? (I had to do some research to come up with that one)
What? I have 3 seconds to give you all my money or you'll shoot? Well, it's not the most egregious offer I've ever had, so.........
Awwww! Mini Darth Vader with the current Toronto Blue Jays manager. I look forward to spring training.
Harley Quinn is very displeased with you! You know what you did!
I'm not sure why there's a badminton birdie on her chest. What kind of super power could she possibly have? Whatever, she could still kick my ass.
This one looks like some Star Wars nurse, perhaps about to give Chewbacca an enema or something. I do not envy her life.
No wait. This is a Star Wars nurse ready to give Jabba the Hut a sponge bath. Being a nurse in the Star Wars universe is not fun.
Another big highlight of my Expo experience was that the table beside me was promoting a movie that was filmed and edited in Regina, Saskatchewan. It's a sci-fi thriller called Patient 62.
They said that it will be released on DVD in October sometime.
And that was my 2017 Fan Expo experience. I'm already looking forward to next year. Hopefully I'll have my next Censor Monkeys book close to done by then.
As I'm typing this, many forklifts and trolleys are hauling unsold merchandise and shelving units into large trucks before heading back to their homes either in or out of town. However, for the general public, it's absolutely over. Everyone who attended has their own tale of joyous glee to tell about their time spent on that day. Attendees from the smallest child to the oldest nerd had fun looking at and purchasing many wonderful works of art and exhibitors (in that same basic age range) had fun selling much of their own artwork or any other merchandise they may have had. Being one of those many attendees, I will now indulge myself and post about my experiences at this fine event for the benefit of everyone who reads this blog (those being random people who were brought here by mistyping a key word in Google and now ask "what the hell just happened?").
This may have helped as well. Some assessments of my book that I heard people make at this event were:
