A Comic Education

Jason and I are steadfast nerds so there’s no need to consult Professor X about whether we ended up at Salt Lake Comic Con again this year.

Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 proceeded very much like its predecessors. We went to panels featuring Felicia Day, James and Oliver Phelps, John Barrowman, Anthony Daniels, Walter Koenig, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Studio C, Ian Somerhalder, Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie.

Those panels were more amusing than Darth Vader on a rollercoaster but we didn’t limit ourselves to just chanting like Ewoks for Anthony Daniels or giggling at John Barrowman’s lethal plane-fart stories. We also spent plenty of time on the exhibit floor snuggling with screen hotties like Ian Somerhalder and purchasing inevitable collectables.

Furthermore, we amassed something at comic con even more essential than Totoro truffles and lightsaber earrings. Yes, like Mario stashes coins, we gathered crucial trivia and tips. Here’s a bit of what we added to our memory engrams thanks to SLCC:

1. Although they played the Weasley twins very gingerly, James and Oliver Phelps are in fact brunettes. For the record, they are also about a foot taller than me.
2. Anthony Daniels originally thought playing a robot in a B sci-fi was beneath his Shakespearean roots. He’s a classy droid.
3. John Barrowman sings like a diva and welcomes anything during his fan photo shoots except kissing on the lips… and I do mean anything.
4. Ian Somerhalder may play an immortal that doesn’t give a crap but he does actually care about stuff and, more importantly, gives great hugs.
5. After waiting in a bathroom line longer than pi, don’t expect the luxury of toilet paper.
6. Chris Evans isn’t as imposing in person as he is on the big screen.
7. The Emperor likes my Hoth dress. It’s true, just ask him.
8. Walter Koenig’s lovely locks in The Original Series are real. Shatner’s are not.
9. The Utah Symphony puts on one spectacular Sci-Fi Spectacular.
10. Felicia Day is not afraid of a poop joke… or ten.

Salt Lake Comic Con, as always, was both a trial and triumph. The chaotic crowds on Saturday, by far the busiest day, made me feel a little like a bewildered Borg drone in an Icheb-infected cube. Still, widened aisles, RFID wristbands and an expanded ballroom made shuffling through the masses of superheroes and stormtroopers easier than in the past. An adequate supply of toilet paper in the bathrooms would have been nice though; I’m just saying.