My First Comic Con

Last week, just like old times, Psych appeared at the San Diego Comic Con to promote the upcoming movie. Before Psych, I had no clue what Comic Con really was. Sure, I’d heard the name and I’d seen scenes of it in films and tv shows, but for the most it was an alien concept to me. All I knew was that people dressed up as Chewbacca and Spiderman and walked past stands with god-knows-what. ‘Shawn vs. the Red Phantom’, the season one episode in which Shawn and Gus (alias Magic Head) spend an afternoon at a comic book convention, gave me rather a lot more clarity, but it wasn’t until I hosted the Pineapple Radio podcast and did research on the event, that I truly was able to grasp the awesomeness of Comic Con.

Meeting actors from my favourite tv shows and movies, attending panels, getting merchandise and joining up with like-minded souls? I wanted that! No, scratch that, I NEEDED that! It wasn’t as easy as ‘just’ going though; I do not live in the USA and to be honest, I was so preoccupied with wanting to meet the Psych cast and crew, it didn’t cross my mind to jump the North Sea and attend one in the UK. (One is obsessed or one is not, and I was, big time.) When my favourite tv show ended, I drifted into more shallow waters, so last year, when an advertisement told me that Comic Con was actually going to be in Amsterdam, I had to go. Being unemployed, I immediately recognised the conundrum: How was I going to get a ticket, get pictures with the guests and also buy some cool merch when I was fortunate to make weeks meet? The answer was on the website: they needed crew, who in return would get paid in vouchers to be used for pictures and autographs. I applied and to say I was elated to be hired, doesn’t amply represent my feelings; but since words cannot accurately describe my state of being, let’s just leave it with that.

One of the guests at the Amsterdam Comic Con convention would be Carl Weathers and he was to be the very first Psych-related person I’d meet. I was very much looking forward to having my picture taken with him, but sadly he had to cancel, which meant there would be no one from the Psych Universe present. That didn’t tamper my excitement though, because there are plenty of Universes I love. Sylvester McCoy would be the first Doctor (Doctor Who) I’d meet and ever since he appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I’d had a crush on James Marsters, so my weekend would be wonderful either way. With the amount of vouchers, the loss of Mr. Weathers gave me the opportunity to have an extra picture taken, but I opted to upgrade the ones I already choose (with the Tardis and in costume). That third choice would have been Sean Astin, an actor I’ve adored for a long time. In the back of my mind however, I calculated that they probably wouldn’t assign volunteers as personal assistants to guests they wanted their pictures taken with (understandable, because gawking fans are not the best employers), and since that was my dream assignment, I figured I’d roll that dice and see what the future had in store for me.

The big day arrived. Volunteers were asked to gather in front of the COS-play podium. We were given our shirts, our lanyard and a speech on what to expect that weekend. The atmosphere was great, everyone was in a good mood, and thrilled to be part of this wonderful event. The volunteers were divided into three groups for different areas of the jobs spectrum, and it was made clear that those who’d be there for the entire weekend, would be rotated into another group the next day (unless they were specifically requested to stay). I was in the last group to get clarity on what was expected of us and when it dawned on me that I got the be an actual personal assistant, I could not believe my luck. I had not yet recovered from the pleasant surprise when I learnt that I was assigned to Sean Astin! Fate had been more than kind to me, and I bowed to her deeply in recognition.

There was no time to feel nervous about meeting someone I’d admired from my couch for years; the signing table had to be ready before his arrival and there were tons of different pictures to sort through and stack. My job would be to find out what the fan in front of us wanted to have signed, collect the money, cross off a list to count the income, and inform Sean. I also had to keep an eye on the clock so he’d be in time for his photo shoots and the panel; places I’d escort him to.

The moment the guests started arriving, it became rather hectic. Most of them brought their own official P.A.’s who of course did what actual P.A.’s do on a daily basis and I don’t really blame them for not taking us too seriously; I can very well imagine that if you work conventions once a month on average, geeky volunteers who have to be trained on the spot so your employer can get their deserved cut from the autograph-sessions, can be a bit of a nuisance (to put it lightly)! Sean was a true gentleman though and to me he showed no signs of annoyance or exasperation – which I appreciated. Even before he’d sat down, a long line had formed, so it was busy from the moment we started. I always need some time to gather my thoughts and to prepare what I need to say (I need a script!), but since I hadn’t, and I was extremely nervous and stressed out which never does me good in communications, the first couple of people got an awkward, blunt welcome from me. (“What do you want?” “Money?”) I knew it wasn’t right and I was phasing into an adjustment, when Sean bent towards me and, in a really nice and understanding tone (possibly because he knew this was my first time), asked me if I perhaps could be more welcoming to the fans, and gave me some pointers on how to improve. In other words, he provided a script. Grateful as I was for the way he handled my gross incompetence, I thanked him and promised a vast improvement, which I delivered. Pretty soon we were a well-oiled machine.

Time flied and before long it was time for me to escort my VIP over the convention floor to the picture booth. Along the way we chatted and I believe we slightly bonded over a lamentable event we share in our past. I feasted my eyes on the COS players; every one was there, from Captain America to Deadpool to Harley Quinn, from Draco Malfoy to Daenerys Targaryen. Zombies, Disney princesses, Manga characters – I’d landed in one happy gathering of eccentricity and I felt right at home.

It was fun to help out the photo-session volunteers while Sean was taking pictures with fans. My job was to collect bags and slide them across a table until they were picked up by their owner after they got their picture. There was an extraordinary amount of excitement in the air, people were in great spirits and many were in a rather nervous state to meet someone they’d loved on the silver screen for so long. I met fans who were practising their pose, fans who were so elated they seemed to float, fans who were intimidated by the looming presence of Mr. Astin and had completely withdrawn, fans who were unable to speak out of excitement and fans who breezed through the experience; but all shared the happy look on their faces when they retrieved their bags. Not long after the photo shoot, I walked Sean to the stage for his panel with Sylvester McCoy about Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit, for which I personally was extremely excited because that meant I was going to meet Mr. McCoy. There was no waiting area, so Sean, Sylvester, his assistant and I were waiting outside the booth to be called. Sylvester McCoy was more than I could have dreamt off; charming, sweet, adorable, and a true British gent. I kept my professional distance and feasted upon the moment in observe-mode. It was actually really funny because both men were so busy chattering away that they did not notice when they were announced, so I almost had to push them in. Respectfully, of course!

The second day the fates allowed me to be put in the other job my eye had been keen on: Green Room Host. This meant I’d basically hang out in the Green Room all day, observing the guests in their free time, an opportunity no fan-girl would decline, right? Now, the job itself didn’t entail much: providing coffee and tea to the guests, serve lunch (and clean up), and guarding the entrance doors to make sure no one unauthorised would walk through them. I loved it though, mainly for the fact that it gave me permission to stare into the general direction of some of my on-screen heroes, without it being uncomfortable. We had been warned not to disclose any conversations we overheard while in the Green Room, but there was little to no danger to that for since the cubicle was set on the Comic Con floor itself and it lacked a roof, there was too much noise to overhear much at all. My absolute favourite moment, possibly of the entire weekend, was when James Marsters walked up to me and asked me to make him coffee; after which he went into an elaboration on how he takes his coffee and why (to be safe with the organisation, I’ll take that conversation as one for the guests’ privacy and will not repeat it here). I smiled, I nodded, I even participated in a dialogue and only let myself flood completely after he’d returned to his table, turning to my co-worker while opening the refrigerator for no reason at all to whisper-scream in a hyper state: “I just had a minute-long conversation about coffee with James-Freaking-Marsters!” (I did not say ‘freaking’.) Of course I pulled myself together immediately after that and the only reminder of my fan-girl moment was the lingering grin on my face.

During the second day I had some nice run-ins with Mr. Austin, who in the morning seemed to have the impression that I was waiting for him at the Green Room coffee table for another day of assistance, since he asked me if I was ready to go when he was. Confusion entered and the head organiser jumped in with the offer that I’d escort him to his table. This was less than a 50 meter (164 feet) trip, but I enjoyed the job given, so I did. Like a big brother, during the rest of the day, Sean checked in on me from time to time, with good-natured advice, showing off some of the best gifts he’d gotten, or a quick shoulder knead; perhaps he sensed how much the day cost me, or maybe he was just being polite. Either way, his encouragement was much valued. I would have liked having my picture taken with him at some point, but since the rules stated clearly that we were not allowed to ask (a rule broken by rather a lot of the crew I should say) and rules are to be respected, I never got the pic. Well, I did find some with both Sean and myself online, taken by visitors, which, even though they had not been allowed, I was secretly glad about not having caught them photographing, because now I have visual memories of one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.

If you ever have the opportunity to volunteer at Comic-Con, I can only say you have to go for it. You’ll meet wonderful, like-minded people, and have one hell of a blast while you’re in for the experience of a life time. I would have signed up again for one day this year, had the dates not conflicted with my return to school; I need more than 24 hours to recuperate and I don’t want to start the first day of my new internship as a zombie, no matter how fitting after a Comic Con weekend.. So you’ll find me and my best friend scouring about the stands on Saturday and we’ll be two of the excited fans, floating the air, standing in line and practising our poses with the sixth Dr. Who, Colin Baker. Sadly no one from the Psych Universe is attending again (please do next year, I can’t be the only one in the Netherlands longing to meet or even just catch a glimpse of you guys & gals!).

I’ll be having a marvelous time!