Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

ECCC Show Diary: Day 3

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Jay here. It’s a little after 1 AM, and I have to be back on the con floor in about eight hours, so this is gonna be short.

Today started with the always-fantastic “Taking Fandom Seriously” panel. This is the second year Andréa has put this panel together, and it’s incredibly fun: a group of hardcore fans who also work in comics–in creative or publishing capacities, or as a field of academic study–talking about bridging and occupying those worlds simultaneously. The take-away both years has basically been “there are so many cool ways to engage with things you love.” <3

The bookend on the other end was our meetup / second birthday party at Phoenix Comics. You turned out like whoa, we reprised the Hamilton cold open from the live panel yesterday, and I GOT A COMICS SHOP FULL OF PEOPLE TO SING THE X-MEN ’92 THEME SONG TOGETHER, which was something I did not even realize had been a life goal until it had happened. And then there was SO MUCH CAKE. (For the folks who asked: the cake came from Little Rae’s Bakery, and they were awesome to work with.)

If there’s anything the party drove home, it’s how awesome our people are: the listeners who turned out, our stupendously wonderful hosts, all the friends and fans and pros and–look, I’m tired and slightly tipsy, but I’m getting kinda teary just writing this. You are amazing, and seeing y’all concentrated in one place, celebrating and being splendid, was a pretty damn special way to close out the night.

(Actually, we closed out the night by migrating to a nearby bar and getting fancy Scotch and absolutely brilliant breaded-tofu sandwiches. I realize that doesn’t sound very appetizing, but trust me: they were stupendous.)

PHOTOS AHOY:

I got the Monster Scouts "Wicked Specs" merit badge. (And then I colored 'em in with a red sharpie. Is anyone surprised? Yeah, I didn't think so.)
On my way back from the panel, I picked up a Monster Scouts “Wicked Specs” merit badge. (And then I colored ’em in with a red sharpie. Is anyone surprised? Yeah, I didn’t think so.)
The sharpie kinda bled, but I've decided I can No-Prize that away as energy spillover.
The sharpie kinda bled, but I’ve decided I can No-Prize that away as energy spillover.
Speaking of sharpies, I'm really happy with the L in this knuckle tat, for my friend Ryan. (It's a reference to his game Katanas and Trenchcoats.)
Speaking of sharpies, I’m really happy with the L in this knuckle tat, for my friend Ryan. (It’s a reference to his game Katanas and Trenchcoats.)
People kept telling me about the X-Men dogs, but I only saw them in passing until today. In addition to being ridiculously adorable, they are also super chill and friendly.
People kept telling me about the X-Men dogs, but I only saw them in passing until today. In addition to being ridiculously adorable, they are also super chill and friendly.
We did a BUNCH of bad X-Men sketches, but this matched set, in someone's zine, are my favorites of the day: My Kitty...
We did a BUNCH of bad X-Men sketches, but this matched set, in someone’s zine, are my favorites of the day: My Shadowcat…
...and Miles's Magik.
…and Miles’s Magik.
Alison, as our Sunglasses fairy, at the party!
Allison, as our Sunglasses fairy, at the party!
CAKE!
CAKE!
With Nick and Simon, our awesome hosts at Phoenix Comics!
With Nick and Simon, our awesome hosts at Phoenix Comics!
Lush stuff I tried today: The Hand of Friendship soap smells a LOT like cherry Starbursts; and the Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo + Veganese conditioner combo left my hair ludicrously soft and smelled pretty great.
Lush stuff I tried today: The Hand of Friendship soap smells a LOT like cherry Starbursts; and the Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo + Veganese conditioner combo left my hair ludicrously soft and smelled pretty great.