It all started because of David Tennant.
Doesn’t it always? I had never been to any kind of comic convention before. But when I saw that the Tenth Doctor himself would be appearing at my local con (Awesome Con!!!) back in 2017, I knew I had to get tickets. I bought the full weekend David Tennant VIP pass. This would guarantee a photo and autograph. AND I’d get preferred seating at his main stage panel. To be honest, in the beginning, I figured I’d probably ONLY do DT-related stuff. And that I’d be perfectly happy with my con experience.
Don’t get me wrong. All of the Ten stuff was AMAZING.
I mean, I got to TOUCH the man, for crying out loud. (And I spent the better part of a day working up the nerve to show him my Doctor Who tattoo that was inspired by him).
But what really made me fall in love with the con were the PEOPLE. Oh, the wonderful people. I marveled at all of the amazing cosplayers. I got into some really cool conversations with super-rad vendors. And best of all, I met a wonderful new friend while waiting in line for autographs. And maybe it’s just me, since I’m a particularly egregious variety of extrovert, but the crowds just energized and excited me. I was so moved by the fact that not only was everyone basking in the glow of glorious fandoms, but they were also super inclusive and welcoming of all types. I was depressed when the weekend was over.
But then . . .
My line-waiting, Tennant-loving new friend and I, both of whom have pretty high-stress jobs here in DC, decided to spontaneously ditch the District for a weekend and head to Chicago for Wizard World two months later. DT was scheduled to be there. (Among other incredible Doctor Who guests.) We planned a whole weekend of Ten-related fun, photo-ops, and shenanigans. I got up at the crack of dawn. We flew to Chicago, shuttled to our hotel room… And then . . . got an email notification that David Tennant had canceled his appearance.
Now, had Wizard World been our first con, or our first opportunity to see Ten, we probably would have spent the weekend sobbing on the floor. (Which we saw a fair number of fans doing, unfortunately).
Instead, we decided to make the most of our weekend.
And to be honest, eliminating all of the Tennant-related activities from our schedules gave us a much fuller, more diverse con experience. We still did the Whovian stuff. We went to the Barrowman and companion panels. And we took selfies with Catherine Tate and we gushed over Alex Kingston (seriously, she is the most beautiful human, inside and out) while getting her autograph. But, we also did things we wouldn’t have otherwise. Like talking smack about football with Superman (Dean Cain) and posing for photo ops in front of the DeLorean.
Before I knew it, it was time to start thinking about Awesome Con 2018.
One of my best friends, who is a SUPER talented craftswoman, decided to get a booth to highlight her leather goods and jewelry. She was wondering how to showcase her work as a first time vendor. I suggested that she could build me a cosplay. I’d wear it to the con and enter it into the costume contest. I’d like to blame it on the wine… But, I truly believe that my previous cons had such a big impact on me that I was ready to get even more involved.
And that’s how I wound up wearing a 100 percent handmade, custom, leather Wonder Woman costume for three days. I even modeled the costume on the main stage. My dear friend Lynn won Best Intermediate Craftsmanship!!!
It was while I was Wonder Woman-ing on the exhibit hall floor that it really hit me:
Cons can change peoples’ lives for the better. I can’t tell you how many times kids stopped me and asked to take a picture, clearly inspired by the character. (Mostly little girls.) I have really short hair and I decided not to wear a wig. That choice opened up tons of amazing conversations about how you don’t have to look like Gal Gadot to embody the Wonder Woman persona.
And even on the last day of the con, when I decided to do my last laps around the exhibit floor in regular clothes, people came up to me and said, “Hey, weren’t you Wonder Woman?” It was mind-blowing that the simple act of cosplaying initiated so many exchanges about body confidence. About smashing stereotypes, being a good role model, and accepting people for who they truly are.
Sure, in order to truly make the world a better place, we’re all going to have to do more than just go to a few conventions. But when I think about what I’ve learned and experienced over the past year of cons – patience, courage, friendship, tolerance, inspiration, humor, and love, among other things – there are a lot of lessons that we can bring to the world at large.
Share your memorable comic convention stories in the comments!
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