Guest Post of Holding: Erica from The Geektastics!

1. We survived Denver Comic Con 2013! YAY! What was your most favorite thing about it?

Getting to meet Eddie McClintock and Saul Rubinek from Warehouse 13… and guilting Eddie into giving me a hug at the Warehouse panel.
Story time! I was asking the last question at the panel when he pulled the mic away and said “No.” When he have the mic back, I kind of blurted out “You’re so mean!” So he gave me a hug and let me finish. Really though, Eddie is a great guy. At his autograph table he pulled his chair around to the front so he could get close to his fans and hug everyone! Saul was tons of fun, too. When Anthony and I got our picture with him, he put his arm around me and said “I’ll hold on to the girl, you go over there” and pointed behind him. Saul also asked us what we did for a living and chatted for a bit. Nicest guys ever.

2. What was the worst thing about this year’s convention?

The freaking lines. I usually don’t mind lines so much, it’s kind of a given at cons. What I have a problem with is when the con staff lock us out at the front doors for half an hour with no explanation, causing us to miss our panel. That’s just not cool. Also, I can get kind of claustrophobic in big crowds, so Sunday in the Expo Room was rough.

3. What words of wisdom would you provide to anyone going next year?

Spend the extra money and get a VIP pass. You’re going to get into panels a lot easier, and you can get to the front of autograph lines. I know it seems like it’s not fair to others, but if you don’t, you run the risk of missing so much.

4. What was the craziest costume you saw?

Craziest? Like, strangest? There was a huge guy in some kind of death makeup. Not sure what he was from, but it looked awesome. Funniest? The guy dressed as Galactus. He was wearing stilts and had a tiny Earth in one hand. Really impressive, but I bet it was impossible to get around. Laziest? Chick wandering around in a bikini. Not as a character or anything, just a bikini with skulls on it. We figured it was just for attention, which I find annoying. If you’re going to take the time to dress up, put some thought into it.

5. What type of swag did you purchase, or want to purchase?

We wound up with seven posters, mostly Marvel characters. Anthony spent most of the con looking for Nightcrawler pictures, and since he’s not terribly popular, he only found one. I got one with the tenth and eleventh Doctors in front of the TARDIS. The artist has worked on lots of cartoons, so it looks amazing. I also picked up an eleventh Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, which I’ve been dying to get for a long time, and a bust of David Tennant as the tenth Doctor (swoon!). Add to that our autographs from Saul Rubinek, Eddie McClintock, and Wil Wheaton, and I think we came out pretty good. I would have liked to find some anime dvds, but I wasn’t looking that hard. Too much Doctor Who swag to look at.

6. Did you go to any panels, if so – which ones?

You mean the only two we actually managed to get into?! Yeah, only a little bitter. We went to the Guild panel featuring Sandeep Parikh and Robin Thorsen. Pretty funny, Sandeep showed a few videos from projects he was working on. Not bad, overall. The Warehouse 13 panel was the only other one we got in to. Showed up an hour early, almost didn’t get in because of the wave of humanity that suddenly showed up twenty minutes before it started. Thankfully, one of the guys that was waiting an hour with us talked to a staff member and got us in before the other panel ended. I’m glad he did, I almost missed out on a hug!

7. Being a geek girl is awesome. What is your favorite part about being a geek girl?

Cute actors to geek out over. Seriously, look at some of the guys we get to drool over! Nathan Fillion, David Tennant, Matt Smith, David Boreanaz. Yum. I do wish some aspects of geek culture were more accommodating for girls, though. American comics (i.e. DC and Marvel) are almost exclusively made for guys, gaming culture is pretty insular as well. Whatever, I can still geek out over my own interests.

8. The zombie apocalypse is upon us and you have to choose one journal to use: a Moleskin, a comp book, or a 1990’s Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper?

Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper would draw too much attention. If I’m going to keep a journal, might as well use the good stuff. I’ll take a Moleskin.

9. Tell us a bit about your steam punk outfit. It was awesome!

So the steampunk outfit was kind of pieced together from stuff I already had, plus some awesome accessories. The dress came from an awesome website that designs gothic lolita dresses and costumes, called fanplusfriend. I highly recommend them, they do high-quality work. The corset came from the renaissance faire, as did my red-tinted steampunk goggles. My necklace, which I absolutely love, I got from the anime convention, NanDesuKan, though I don’t remember the artist that made it. I still need a ray gun, but I want to make it myself.

10. Do you have any costume ideas for next year already?

Not yet. I know Anthony wants to make some clockwork wings for my steampunk costume, so we’ll see how that goes. I usually wait until the last minute to decide what costume I want to do.

11. Firefly is one of the best Science Fiction shows ever. Are you a fan? If so, what is your favorite episode and why?

Heck yeah I’m a fan, I have a Serenity tattoo on my chest. Next goal: Have Nathan Fillion sign right above it, and get it tattooed. Jaynestown has to be my favorite episode, mostly because I like the song. But the best thing about Firefly has to be the quoteability.

12. Who has the more dedicated fans: Doctor Who or Firefly?

In many ways, Doctor Who fans are, because a lot of the fans have been fans for decades. That’s true fandom right there. On the other hand, without Firefly fans, we may not have gotten the Serenity movie.

13. What is THE number ONE best Anime of all time?

Mushishi. Beautiful animation, unique storyline, awesome characters. Plus, it’s a great gateway anime. Easy for anyone to get in to.

14. What is THE number ONE best Manga of all time?

I’m biased here, because my first manga was Ranma 1/2. So my answer will always be Ranma. I love Rumiko Takahashi, she’s a true inspiration. Manga-ka for over 20 years.

15. Which is a better medium: anime or manga?

Trick question. There will always be anime that are better than their manga counterparts, and vice-versa. Since anime often starts as a manga series, they really go hand in hand. They can also have diverging storylines, as sometimes the anime starts (and ends) production before the manga itself is complete (see: Fullmetal Alchemist. Two very different storylines).