Planet Comicon 2014 was March 14, 15, and 16 in Kansas City.
In addition to the dozens of vendor booths of vintage and original comic books, artwork, and traditional convention merchandise (steam punk scale mail is a thing now – who knew?), the gaming room, and the towering wall of tshirts for sale, this year’s big draw was cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
And it. Was. Epic.
Mirina Sartis is even more gorgeous in person and has a really awesome shoulder tattoo, Jonathan Frakes was too busy flipping off Brent Spiner to watch where he was walking and tripped over a fan, Wil Wheaton still has Wesley Crusher’s haircut – why? Gates McFadden is intimidatingly graceful and beautiful (which isn’t a thing I thought could happen in real life, but there you go), and John de Lancie (Roz got to chat with him for a few minutes) seems to really enjoy the Star Trek fans and the Brony community.
I met LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner, and they autographed The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, and they were genuinely pleased to have their Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson appreciated and we joked together about Benedict Cumberbatch. I – your very own Goldberry Riverdaughter – made Data and Geordi laugh! And I didn’t even faint!
The Media guests seemed really cool and laid back. While the price for signatures adds up pretty quickly, the guests made it worth it for those who stood in the lines and the cost by chatting with you and genuinely being engaging. Non-Star Trek celebrities included Jewel State (Firefly), John Ratzenberger (Cheers and Star Wars), Lee Majors (of Six Million Dollar Man-fame, who Roz got to meet), and we shared our photo op with the one and only and incredibly charming Sylvester McCoy.
And the costumes! Oh, the costumes! Steam punk, gender bending, time warping, pony-fying (I don’t know if that’s the word for making something a My Little Pony, but I’m going with it), cross-overs. Anime, 90s cartoons, comic books, movies, TV. Deadpools, Winter Soldiers, and Venoms were everywhere; Roz counted 6 Winter Soldiers and 7 Deadpools. Everyone else had on some sort of geek shirt on (including us).
William Shatner made a Sunday-only appearance on a panel with the Next Gen cast, but meeting Shatner is an expensive hobby and by Sunday afternoon we ready to check out the other nerdy offerings in Kansas City. And also the barbecue. Mmmmm…
Jody “Goldberry Riverdaughter” Boyce
“Goldberry Riverdaughter” has been her friends’ and families’ resident book nerd since reading the Tao of Pooh at age eight. Since then her literary exploration has lead her straight to Lord of the Rings where she’s made her home. In addition to a staff reporter for Legendarium, she also runs Hells Hobbits. She has a degree in History, as well as a new-found penchant for disassembling literary canon. She lives with her equally nerdy husband and two gigantic cats enjoying table top games & cosplay.
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