A Few Dallas ComicCon 2015 Reflections
By Sarah
Dallas ComicCon was my first con away from the comfort and
familiarity of the annual XenaCon trek… So I wasn’t sure what to
expect. I embarrassingly have to admit to knowing next to
nothing about other TV shows / movies and their actors (with the
exception of some Harry Potter knowledge). So I felt a little
like a small Xenite fish in the big ComicCon
fan ocean …. And I had a great time!
Some Observations:
#1. ComicCon goers are very polite!
I had lots of doors held open for me all weekend and if I had a
random question for a stranger they were super kind and answered
patiently all my newbie questions.
On Sunday I was in a line that had formed for the escalators and
had made a little space in front of me for people to walk by
into the vendor hall… and one by one everyone that walked in
front of me said “excuse me” as they passed. I was super
impressed!
Everywhere people were walking up to strangers asking if they
could take pictures and complementing their Cosplay…. And not
once did I hear any negativity. Everything was really cheerful
and fun.
#2. Playing spot the Xena fan was a really fun game.
It obviously
doesn’t work at a XenaCon but playing it at Dallas ComicCon was
pretty entertaining. It’s played similarly to the slug bug car
game in which you punch your friend walking beside you when you
spot a member of the Xena tribe (I won btw).
#3. The whole convention experience felt very respectful to
the fans as
well as the celebrity guests.
It was a really
nice, laid back atmosphere where things didn’t feel rushed and
fans could take the time to chat a bit with the guest.
But what really made an impression on me from this Con was how
gracious and kind Lucy and Renee were. Getting an autograph and
photo op is a cool thing, but more meaningful (at least to me
personally) than the actual physical copy of a signature or
photo is the experience of interacting briefly with someone you
respect and admire. I can only imagine how exhausted Lucy must
have felt after promoting Ash vs. Evil Dead in Ney York this
past week. I was imagining she must have been quite worn out.
But as I watched the autograph line I was really moved by what I
saw.
As each fan
approached the table, I noticed that Lucy was taking the time
and effort to really be present with the other person. She
seemed to be bursting with energy as she signed. She chatted and
patiently listened to stories each person wanted to share and
even chatted to the quiet fans that just shyly offered a smile
as they waited for an autograph. There were several people who
told me that it was their first time seeing Lucy and Renee. A
lady standing next to me told me with tears in her eyes that
Lucy had been her childhood hero and how excited she was to
finally meet her because she never thought she would get the
opportunity to do so. It was so moving for me to watch Lucy
going above and beyond to give joy to those who came to see her.
I saw Lucy
multiple times offer hugs without being asked, and I watched as
she took the time to look each person in the eye and thank them
for coming out and offer a handshake goodbye. I know how much
energy it takes to have that constant social interaction
(especially after traveling)…. And I really appreciated the
effort that that must have taken for both Lucy and Renee.
It really moved me
to witness that generosity and watch as the fans turned to walk
away with tears running down their faces from joy and happiness.
On many occasions that Saturday I saw people struggling to
regain their composure after meeting Lucy and Ren. And as I
observed throughout the weekend, I noticed that I didn’t see the
same amount of tearfull reactions on the faces of fans in other
autograph lines. I suppose that is a testament to the impact
that this show had on its audience… and that Xena is set apart
(much like the character) in a special category of show…. And
can’t quite be thought of like the rest.
