RobCon 2013 Bristol, TN USA

Back in the long ago way backy time of July 27, 2013 I went to RobCon in Bristol, TN.  RobCon is a small but growing comics show consisting mostly of mainstream comics dealers and fans.  The show used to take place in a mall but moved to Viking Hall last year and the floor has been packed with comics and nerd culture enthusiasts both years.  Viking Hall is just up the road from Bristol Motor Speedway for those of you that are not me and don't know everything that is in my brains.  I live in the south western tip of Virginia so RobCon is about an hour drive from my house.  It is the closest show to me and the Robert that makes up the "Rob" part of RobCon is the shop owner of the very first comics shop I ever went to.   I asked Robert if I could set up at the show about a week before the show and he was nice enough to squeeze me in.  I did not end up setting up on the main floor of the show.  I ended up near the exit door.  I had a lot of foot traffic but not a lot of sales.  Most of the attendees were their for mainstream comics, cosplay or they are just there out of curiosity so they probably didn't have a lot of experience dealing with something like... this.  

Next year I'll get my act together earlier and get down on the main sales floor.  

I did have a lot of fun though.  I mean, I was in a civic center filled with comics.  Hard not to have fun in that kind of situation.

But enough about me.  Let's talk about the pictures I took.

It was rainy the morning of the show but there was still a line outside waiting to get in.  The enthusiasm for this show is a big deal for the area.  The area has never had a big comic show.  RobCon had been in the mall for years but the move to a civic center seems to have brought a lot more interest.

There were kitty cats inside.  I wonder how many copies of their minicomic they sold.

Here are the first attendees coming through the door.  The fellow on the left in the blue shirt is Robert "RobCon" Pilk himself.

Here are some people setting up.  I probably should have put this pic before the pic of the people coming in.  Well, you get what you pay for blog readers.

Here is a picture of a Viking that is hanging in Viking Hall.  In Viking Hall there are only Vikings.  If you go there, you are a Viking.  This is true.  Also, the wikipeida entry for Viking Hall is super lame.  It says that people protested White Zombie.  That is totally wrong.  It was Megadeth.  I was there.  The protesters were mad at Megadeth for worshiping Satan or whatever but the protesters were super dumb because Dave Mustaine is a total Jesus freak and told the audience that "there is power in the blood of Jesus Christ".  I remember that very clearly.  I mean, how could you forget a guy like Dave Mustaine saying a thing like that?  Stone Temple Pilots were the opener.  Stone Temple Pilots were awful.  Gah.  Blech.  This was early in STP's run and the bass player was standing on the drum riser facing the drummer yelling the parts at the drummer who apparently did not know the songs.  And "Weiland" was yelling through a megaphone.  Awful. 

(Stone Temple Pilots got better later.  That album they made where Buffy was in the video, that was pretty good.)

Here is a dude with a big sword.  Cosplay everybody!

The power went out but it was all good because everyone has a cell pad pod phone now.   When the world ends, we will all be able to keep shopping for a good 30 minutes or more.

Here is another pic from early in the day.  I think people are still setting up in this one.  I did not really get a good pic of the crowd.  Maybe I'm not that great at blogging.  Maybe I should consider crochet.

Here are some cute kids being cute.

Here is the greatest cosplay person that has ever cosplayed.

My kids were vampires.  Draculaura and Marceline.

They had so many people in the costume contest that they had to break them up by ages and genres.  My eleven year old was grouped in with the 12 and under group.  She a was a good head taller than all the other kids her age.  She is tall.

Here is a picture of people watching the costume contest.

If you have an event on the eastern side of North America and said event contains a face painting booth then my daughter will find you and give you my money.

My eldest has become an expert comics shopper.  She has a perfect memory of the issues she is missing and hunts for good deals on them.  At this show she was looking for New Teen Titans and Who's Who in the DC Universe.  She found a bunch.

I also made her pose with a copy of the Quack Fu issue of Howard the Duck.  We did not buy it because it was expensive but I took the picture so that one day she could show her kids the time she was in the presence of one of the greatest works of American art.

My youngest bought a Monster High doll and a minicomic from some jerk.

I drew paintings.

And I painted drawings.

I drank Mtn Dew.

I bought this Worlds Finest comic.  I'm positive it contains everything that we will see in that upcoming Batman Superman movie.

I also bought some Atari Force comics.  I picked up a random Atari Force comic at some point in the past year.  Probably at RobCon.  I recently got around to reading it and the Jose Luis Garcia Lopez art blew my mind.  My main goal for this year's RobCon was to get a bunch of Atari Force comics.  I got these for 50 cents each.  I won.

Here is a rad Catwoman toy and some comics that my daughter bought.  She's really good at spending money.

We all had a great time.  I got to see some cool comics folk like Mathew Smith and Rico Renzi.  Even my mom was there and she had fun too.  I look forward to next year.  Maybe you should go.  Just let me know if you want to sleep in my carport.  I'll let you buy me breakfast.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

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