MegaCon 2011

If it’s March, it must be time for MegaCon at the Orange County Convention Center. I spent a day there last year – my first of any kind of Comic or Sci-Fi convention. I’m sure that I stood out like a sore thumb, as I had not bothered to wear tights or a cape, nor did I have a colorful stick to challenge another attendee to…fuck, I don’t know what they were fighting over. It was just a lot of banging of the sticks.

I’m debating whether to go tomorrow or not. On the one hand, Bill Shatner is speaking and I’d actually like to hear what he has to say about his career and experiences. On the other hand, I hate crowds and this place is going to be packed. I already have to attend a conference there next week and another one near the end of April, so I’ll have my fill of crowds. On top of that, add in the overpriced parking rates of the convention center and the appeal starts waning rapidly.

Even more than the crowd, though, was something that really turned me off last year – the smell. Not the smell of the convention center, mind you, but the smell of the attendees. In other words, they needed to bathe with soap and water.  Seriously, most of the people there just stunk. Well, it seemed like most people.  Maybe there were just some über-stinkers there that permeated the air and influenced others with their bodily funk. Whatever, I don’t get why having an interest in comics or science-fiction is mutually exclusive of good hygiene. For the love of your fellow man, take a bath before you go out in public!

Now if it seems like I’m just complaining (I am), there’s something I do like about this event. The people who attend are passionate about this stuff. They dress up for it, some wearing multiple outfits or costumes per day. They spend time making their own costumes – some more impressive than others. How often do you run across people who care this much about anything? It takes a certain amount of confidence to walk out in public dressed in brightly colored tights without worrying what anyone else will think.

Supergirl seems to be using her X-Ray vision to admire Superman’s buns of steel. These folks are interesting. Trying to take photos in a convention center is an exercise in frustration due to the wretched lighting and cluttered backgrounds, but you can get some snapshots.

As you would expect, there are vendors selling all sorts of stuff that I would consider junk. To the faithful, they’re collector’s items or useful for creating their next costume. I think most folks just go to let it all hang out for a day with some like-minded people, and they tolerate skeptics like me. I can appreciate that and it’s interesting to see what they’ll wear.

MegaCon tickets are no longer available online, but you can pay $25 at the door per day. A 3-day ticket is available for $60.

http://www.megaconvention.com/

Onsite Ticket Sale Schedule:
Friday, March 25th from 11:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday, March 26th from 8:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, March 27th from 8:30am – 5:00pm

Showroom Hours:
Friday, March 25th from 1:00pm* – 7:00pm
Saturday, March 26th from 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, March 27th from 10:00am – 5:00pm