Up, Up, and LCTC Away

Many who know me know that I have an appreciation for comic books and superheroes.  I find the artistic ability and  creativity of the artists as well as the depth of writing and complex story arcs simply fascinating.  And with the success of comic movies at the box office, the superhero genre has never been so popular.  That is why when the second annual Lexington Comic and Toy Convention was underway last weekend I had to stop by and see what was going on.  Here's a list of the things that I found most interesting on the day.

5) People, People Everywhere: The convention center in Lexington was hopping with people.  They were everywhere.  We arrived about twenty minutes after the doors opened and there were already long lines for tickets and long lines waiting to enter the hall.  Once inside, there was hardly any room to turn around without bumping into to someone.  It made keeping up with three young kids pretty hectic at times but pretty much everyone we encountered seemed to be gracious and courteous.  Last year's event was attended by more than 4,000 people and this year's event more than doubled that number with nearly 10,000 people buying tickets.  Needless to say, I think the success of this event will grow each year. 

4)Creativity Abounds: There was no shortage of creative vendors in attendance at the LCTC.  One of the most impressive was a man named Robert Love who cut aluminum pop cans into pieces and attached them to wooden cut outs to create various works of art.  Some of his creations included Spider-Man, Star Wars characters such as Darth Vader and C-3PO, and other various comic book characters.  Another vendor, Tee Minus 24, was selling unique t-shirts and pins.  The best of these were faux campaign shirts from the world of Star Wars.  The two tickets for the shirts were the Kenobi/Skywalker ticket and the Palpatine/Vader ticket.  They also had a t-shirt that featured some Hobbits as the Breakfast Club.  And the number of phenomenal artists who were selling their own sketches and independently published works was unreal.  As someone who cannot draw a straight line using a ruler, I have a great appreciation for the enormous ability these artists have. 

3) Goodies, Goodies, and More Goodies: The number of actual comic books in the building was staggering.  I would have no idea even where to start guessing.  I picked up a few items to add to my collection.  The one I can't wait to check out was graphic novel called Good and Evil written by Michael Pearl and drawn and inked by former Marvel Comics artist, Danny Bulanadi.  It is published by No Greater Joy Ministries and is a comic adaptation of the Bible.  I am looking forward to getting started on reading it.  And did I mention that the vendor gave it to me for free?  Can't beat that price.  I also picked up a stash of comics for an average price of $0.67.  But my daughter, Laura-Rae, may have come away with the best haul of any of us.  She collects pins for her denim jacket and she was in luck at LCTC.  There were pins everywhere and she was able to pick up several for roughly $1 apiece.  She couldn't have been happier. 

2) May the Force Be With You:  Two key actors from the original Star Wars trilogy were present at LCTC.  Billy Dee Williams, who portrayed the swindling, double-crossing leader of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian, and Peter Mayhew, who wore the Chewbacca costume.  I did not get either man's autograph (Williams was charging $40 and Mayhew $30) but it was cool to see them up close and see the line of people who were waiting to get something signed.  My nephew, Byron, waited in line for nearly an hour to get Billy Dee Williams' autograph and he enjoyed every minute of it.  The only problem was he wanted a picture and the lady assisting Williams with photos was sent on a pretzel run and so he was not able to get a pic with Lando. 

1) 1996 NCAA Champs: The highlight of the day for me was meeting an integral member of the 1996 NCAA champion Kentucky Wildcats, Derek Anderson.  Anderson was there selling and signing copies of his recently published book, Stamina.  In his book, Anderson recounts succeeding despite the odds being stacked against him and he encourages people to never give up and fight through adversity in order to succeed.  His appearance at a comic convention was a little unusual but for a diehard UK fan like me, it was more than awesome. 

LCTC was a smashing success and I am already looking forward to next year's event.  I know this year's event was a year's worth of hard work and organization.  Kudos go out to Jarrod and Jaime Greer, the organizers of the event, for a fantastic event.  Keep up the great work and I can't wait to see the talent you have on display this time next year!