Today I’m going to step away from the House for a minute. I had a simply amazing experience this last weekend at the St. Louis Comicon and really just wanted to share. I’m not going to go into all the boring details or wax poetic about meeting Matt Smith (though I could, pretty easily). No, this is from the perspective of a disabled person experiencing a Comicon.
First off, Wizard World runs many Comicons all over the United States. I’m not sure how they operate, exactly, but from what I saw they use an extensive pool of local volunteers and only employ a core staff. Because of that, I think each Comicon would be a unique experience. I had always wanted to attend a Comicon, to see the costumes, meet the amazing artists (many of which had booths in “Artist Row” that you could just walk right up and talk to them), and to participate in the many Panels and classes they have. Being in a wheelchair, it was just not something I really thought was going to be a GREAT experience. David and I have attended numerous other events in the 5 years since I began using the chair. Most of them were car related, but a few were for other things. There were always things that I was either unable to do or unable to see because of accessibility issues. There were always places I couldn’t get into, such as booths or areas off the main path and often I’d be left sitting and waiting while everyone else participated. I learned to bring my knitting, or a book, to pass the time. So, you can see where I did NOT want to get too excited about the Comicon. I brought my knitting, a book, and my drawing pads along fully expecting to use them. Boy was I wrong.
I didn’t knit a lick, and the only drawing I really did was at the “Drink and Draw” event on Friday night at the Flamingo. The people at the Comicon were fantastic. Everything was set up so that there wasn’t anywhere that I could not go. All the classes, panels, events, vendor floor area and Artist Row were wide open. I could navigate with little fear of smashing toes, even when the crowd was at it’s highest. Every single person I met, from WW employee or volunteer to vendors and artists were just fantastic. They were beyond courteous and helpful. Everyone had the most amazing attitude about the chair. I can honestly say that I think this is the only event I’ve been to that no one gave me attitude about the chair. You’d be surprised at some of the things people have said to me in the past. I’ve heard everything from ‘you don’t look like you need a wheelchair’ to ‘EDS isn’t real’.
It wasn’t just me, however. It was everyone, everywhere. I’ve never been surrounded by a more open, accepting group of people than those 3 days. There were all levels of skill apparent in the costumes, and all level of modesty too, but never once did I hear anyone giving guff about it. Some of the costumes were profoundly awesome, such as the ‘Best of Show’ winner Aaron Rabe in his amazing ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ outfit. He had the walk, the talk and look down so perfectly that it would be easy to mistake him for the real thing. There were some that were inventive, ingenious, and a few you knew that the wearer was massively uncomfortable. People were stopping to have pictures taken and the characters were always willing. I saw ‘Princess Belle’ posing with a little girl, and that little girl looked like she could have sat in a corner the rest of the day and been perfectly happy because she met BELLE! Little boys posing with Captain America or Batman, Cybermen squaring off with several different incarnations of the Doctor, sonic screwdrivers in hand. It was, in a word, FUN. No one cared about the quality of the costume, or the correctness of it. They just had fun.
It was a family affair. There were parents dressed up right along with their kids and dutifully following them from one costumed person to the next to take pictures. I was actually somewhat surprised by the number of kids. There were a lot, and not just on ‘Kids Day’ Sunday. All the adults were welcoming and accepting of the kids. Only one time did I hear a kid have a meltdown and that was because it was time to leave and he didn’t want to. There was a fellow dressed as Ironman and the costume looked like it was somewhat difficult for him to move in, but he stood there and posed with little kid after little kid, never once complaining. Those kids will never know the man behind the mask, so you know he didn’t do it for the recognition.
On to the VIP experience. It was worth it, though my bank account would argue otherwise. The combination of the VIP and being in a wheelchair had some unexpected benefits. I never expected to be treated differently than any of the other VIP holders, but I was. When I got in line for the Matt Smith photo op, one of the staff came and got me out of line and took me to the front. I was the very first person to get their photo done with Matt Smith (outside of employees/volunteers). Talk about great. Same for the VIP autograph line. They pulled me out and took me to the front. I have to stop here, and say something about Matt Smith. You knew I wasn’t going to make it through without saying something, didn’t you?
Matt Smith is awesome. Period. I was really rather expecting the ‘offish’ and ‘arrogant’ attitude often seen in stars. Though I’ve never met a star before, I’d heard enough stories. That was reinforced by the huge signs of ‘rules’ that said things like ‘do NOT attempt to touch the star’. So when I rolled behind the curtain and there he was, I felt very privileged because they were still shooting the employees and I got to watch. I never, ever expected him to bend down to my level, much less to give me a hug. The photographer snapped a picture and I have this idiot smile on my face because I was so surprised by him. He caught me completely off guard! He was gracious, he was hilarious, and there wasn’t an arrogant bone in his body. He also said ‘Hello!’ exactly like he does on the show, which made me ridiculously happy for some reason I can’t explain. He was the same at the autograph signing, and at the panel. I honestly don’t know how he (or any of the others) do it. There were hundreds of people in that line for photo ops, and hundreds in line for the autograph. After seeing that many people I would think it some what difficult to keep a cheery attitude, but he did and so did others. Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin were jokers to the end. Getting to see Matt blush scarlet when a girl dressed as River Song stepped up to the mic and said ‘Hello Sweetie’ was totally worth the wait in line for the panel.
In the end, I made it to several of the classes on writing, world building and creativity that were given by authors and artists. It was so nice to hear from these people who actually do it for a living. Every one of them was nice as could be, answering questions and giving advice. I missed out on the Firefly panel because the battery on my wheelchair tanked. It went from half full to ‘I’m gonna die any second now’ in about 2 minutes. Once again the WW staff was simply amazing. A gentleman named ‘Moe’ walked with me to the nearest door, then went and retrieved my truck from the hotel parking, several blocks away. Then he apologized to me for taking so long. Seriously. He was doing me a tremendous favor and he apologized to me. As I rolled the front wheels onto the lift, the battery gave up and Moe was nice enough to help push it the rest of the way on. He stayed there until everything was loaded and I was ready to go. I felt so stupid, having the battery run out like that, but there was nothing to be done about it and was just so grateful that he was willing and able to help.
So, two items are now checked off my ‘Bucket List’. I’ve attended a Comicon and I’ve met one of the Doctors. I gained so much more. The folks of Wizard World have a great thing going and I hope they are able to keep it that way. I’ve a whole new respect for the ‘geek’ crowd and for the people that devote time, effort, and resources into making those costumes. They are a fantastic bunch of people. I’ve a whole new respect for Matt Smith, as a person and as an actor. Yes, he was an awesome Doctor, but now I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future. I applaud Wizard World and wish I could attend more of their events in the future. I’m afraid that, for me, this was a once in a lifetime deal. Which makes the fact that it was so great even more great and will bring a smile to my face every time I think of it from here on out.
TH
