1. On Friday evening, Jay Bosworth, owner of local chain Maximum Comics, hosted a cosplay version of Family Feud, as the “Wibbly Wobbly Pokemonny” family faced off against the “Deadpoolio” family. Contestants (all in costume) tried to guess answers to comics-themed survey questions, while Bosworth channeled Richard Dawson. Winners got Avengers toys and Spider-Man comic books; losers got boxes of Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat.
2. Local store Cheeseboy Comics had a makeshift altar set up at its booth, where fans could participate in (non-legally binding) weddings officiated by various costumed characters. On Saturday afternoon, I watched couple Jonathan and Celeste (who was dressed as Harley Quinn) get married by Lady Deadpool, in what Jonathan joked was probably the closest they would come to an actual wedding. A Cheeseboy employee blew bubbles, Celeste held a paper bouquet made from repurposed comic-book pages, and everyone yelled “Excelsior!” when the couple kissed.
3. Costumes galore! Some of my favorites: a Hulk Hogan/Deadpool combo, complete with a blond mustache over the mask; a man dressed as Power Girl, including prominent prosthetic breasts (sexist, or ironic comment on sexism?); a gender-swapped Han Solo and Princess Leia, with the man in Leia’s slave bikini and the woman sporting Han’s boots and blaster; a Superman wearing a full suit of armor, with the S logo drawn in silver on the breastplate.
4. Local comics creator Larime Taylor, whose serial-killer series A Voice in the Dark was published last year by Image Comics, offered original sketches at his booth, a common convention practice. The difference is that the disabled Taylor draws by holding his implements in his mouth, creating sketches as swiftly and skillfully as any other artist at the convention.
5. It was great to see artist duo Ninjabot (Arnel Baluyot and Estefania Rodriguez) return to town with a booth at the convention, after their move to Portland, Oregon, a few months ago. The married couple have become big stars in the fandom world, and they shared their plans for the upcoming Comic-Con International in San Diego, where they’ll be debuting an exclusive Blade Runnerprint
