The Doctor's Meditation/The Magician's Apprentice (Doctor Who Spoilers)

The best part of the ninth season premier of Doctor Who was the 6 minute prequel, The Doctor's Meditation. I saw it for the first time when I went to see the eighth season's two part finale (Dark Water/Death in Heaven) in theaters in 3D. I went with friends which made for an enjoyable evening. I will admit, I initially thought it would be the premier of the new season in theaters but I may have been confused with the new footage of the prequel. The re-watch of the last two episodes of the previous season were helpful in the fact that it refreshed my memory of the details that occurred prior to the Doctor and Clara parting ways. It was good to see Missy again, I do enjoy her character, I just wish there was more to her and we could see a better extent of her character than just the villain she is pegged as in the finale.

While it was interesting to see these two episodes now rendered in 3D, the most interesting portion of the evening was the Wil Wheaton interview and the prequel. It was great to see Wil back on the screen after the cancellation of his TV show. He interviewed both Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman about the upcoming season of Doctor Who and about the two episodes we had just watched, as this interview had been specifically recorded to be paired with the theater premier of the two part finale. While they were quite vague on details of the new season and the new character to be introduced, played by Game of Thrones alum Maisie Williams, they did reveal that the Doctor would be playing an instrument in the premier episode: the electric guitar.

It's really no surprise that the Doctor would choose a guitar as his instrument of choice. It is well known that Peter Capaldi once headed a punk band called the Dream Boys where he was lead singer and guitarist. Fun fact, Craig Ferguson was the band's drummer, a fellow Scot and host of the Late Late Show. Capaldi told Wil Wheaton that rather than taking inspiration for his Doctor from the eleven actors who have come before him, he would rather have the Doctor be more of himself. Rather than being the Doctor the Doctor would be him. This frame of thinking was clear when it was decided that Capaldi's Doctor would have his Scottish accent. The second Scot to play the Doctor, Capaldi is the first to use his native accent, where fellow Scot and Whovian, David Tennant used a British Accent. So, long story short, the Doctor is a rocker with an electric guitar and man can Capaldi still play. More of that soon.

Capaldi is in the middle, Ferguson in the back.

Getting back to the prequel, we find the Doctor in medieval England, inside a castle. Several camera angles show the Doctor sitting on the floor before a roaring fire, the camera then settles on a man in period clothing entering the room in the back ground. The Doctor turns to the man and asks, "How many days have I been here?" The man hesitates and replies, "About three hours?" "Three hours?" the Doctor responds in annoyance, "Well, very nearly." The Doctor suffering from his ever constant lack of the concept of time is trying to meditate and not doing very well at it.

Fans know it is very difficult for the Doctor to keep still, this was very evident with the previous Doctor (Matt Smith) and a series of short clips featuring the Ponds. The Doctor attempted to live out a day in their lives: doing chores, playing video games etc. He was a ball of energy worse than a hyper child.

The Doctor, our current one, makes a point to say that Clara was right about him not being able to focus and stating that he has attention deficit....something or other, he wasn't even paying attention when Clara was explaining a possible explanation for his restlessness. We come to find out that the man's name is Bors and he is indebted to the Doctor for saving his life...from a splinter. Clearly the first minute of the prequel relies heavily on a comedic charm, which carries through the entire short. We come to learn that the Doctor is supposed to meet with someone, someone who is sick and dying, someone he's known for a very long time. The doctor is cryptic and avoids giving Bors any real answers though he does ask. The Doctor spends three weeks in this place: instigating a mad hunt for a place to dig a well for better water to meditate with, determining the well needs a visitors' center, even plans a throne room extension with added sun roof.

After all of that, Bors--who we are led to believe is of simple mind--asks the important question--the whole point of this little side adventure of the Doctor. "What is it that you dread?" The Doctor denies this and he continues, "You're always making jokes, you never sit still. You're like a man in fear of days to come." The Doctor responds, with a joke, telling Bors that he thought he was an idiot which Bors thought as well. But the mere fact that this stranger who has only know the Doctor for a short time, has hit the nail on the head. He's figured out that the Doctor is doing what the Doctor does best: hiding out until he's figured out what he's going to do, or gathering the strength to do exactly what he knows he has to do when it could mean something terrible.

The prequel ends with Bors finally convincing the Doctor to tell him his story--why he came to this place and now feels compelled to leave it. The Doctor tells him that he was looking for a bookstore and stumbled across a battle field. It is the scene of this battle field where the prequel leaves off and the premier episode picks back up.

The opening scenes of the episode were very good. It was a smoke filled, muddy terrain. Men running through mud during what I assume was the daylight, what little filtered in through the clouds and smoke. It is very clear this is a foreign place, another world perhaps, but definitely another time. The men have primitive weapons (bows and arrows) but the double winged prop plane fires on them with laser guns. The first few minutes you're thinking what the hell are those hands with eyeballs and how is this kid going to get out of this alive when they just sucked a grown man under the ground. The opening does well to pose a hopeless scenario and who better to help with a hopeless scenario than the Doctor. I love that you have no idea he's even arrived, your first glimpse is that of the sonic screwdriver landing at the boy's feet. The Doctor proceeds, as any passerby looking for a book shop but finding a war zone would, by giving the boy a speech about survival. You think, alright the Doctor is here now and everything is going to be ok. The Doctor will save this boy. The sonic screwdriver has a setting for creepy hand things. Then the bomb is dropped, not literally, a name is given. The Doctor wants to know the name of the boy he has convinced to live, that he will try to save: Davros.

This would be the moment where I lost my shit and yelled obscenities at my television. I missed half the opening credits while I tried to make sense of what I'd just heard. My heart sunk and I'm fairly certain I mirrored the Doctor's own 'Oh Shit' face. Those five minutes were fantastic and elicited the exact response Moffat was aiming for, I'm sure. How could the Doctor possibly save the boy who would one day grow up to be the creator of one of the most feared enemies of the Doctor? The same enemy responsible for the Time War and the near destruction of the entire planet of Gallifrey (thanks to Day of the Doctor, we know Gallifrey is safe just elsewhere). I am of course referring to the Daleks. We later find out he doesn't save the boy, he gets the hell out of dodge. He leaves behind the boy and with him his sonic screwdriver.

I did also like the tour of worlds we got to see after the credits: The Maldovarium, The Shadow Proclamation, the planet of Karn. We are also introduced to another weird looking creature, the Colony Sarff, who is hell bent on locating the Doctor for his master. You guessed it, Davros, dark lord of Skaro. We see the Doctor hiding on Karn where clearly the Sisterhood of Karn has some mojo to keep Colony Sarff at bay. He hears the message that is to be delivered to the Doctor. Davros wants to see him, for the last time. Now of course, you're probably thinking much as I was, does this message mean that it will be the last time because Davros is dying or because he plans to kill the Doctor during their final meeting? They have been enemies for centuries and more, it wouldn't be a surprise if this meeting would be a trap to lure the Doctor to his end at the hand of an old nemesis. Now we know why the Doctor hung out with Bors and co. for three weeks digging wells and building visitors' centers. If you heard your old enemy wanted to see you one last time and sent some weirdo messenger around to all your old haunts, you would want to lay low and hide out somewhere safe too. Somewhere you could think about your next steps and at the same time have a bit of a party with a guitar and a tank. We'll get to that.

But that's where the episode starts to lose it's excellence for me. When we find ourselves on Earth, once again in classroom Oswald. We discover that all the planes in the world have stopped in the air and aren't moving. Unit calls in Clara to try and get hold of the Doctor. He isn't answering his phone--we know it's for reasons of well digging and medieval partying--but of course Unit's plan B is to call Clara. But can someone please tell me why all of sudden Clara is acting head of Unit? She's asking all the questions and telling them they can't just go running to the Doctor without all the facts. She shuts down Kate, the actual head of Unit, like she's some know nothing newbie. I can appreciate that Clara knows things, having traveled with the Doctor, you pick things up. But along with the knowledge she also apparently picked up quite the ego. We know Clara to be bossy when she wants to be, but where were the signs that she also had a hankering for wanting to run Unit? Thank god Clara is here to do all the heavy thinking, who needs the Doctor when the ex-impossible girl is here to figure out the planes are just someone trying to get their attention. Way to solve the problem Clara...while also being really annoying. I cheered when she got exterminated later. But, I am once again getting ahead of myself.

We find out that Missy, yes The Mistress formerly The Master, is back and wasn't actually killed in the finale. She's come to meet with Clara to discuss the Doctor and his last will and testament. The same will and testament that is to be delivered to his closest friend, Missy, not his puppy, Clara. Missy explaining Clara's role in the Doctor's life, in her opinion, made me snicker. It's true, Clara has known the Doctor for but a fraction of his life when he and Missy have known each other for all of theirs. It only makes sense that his confession dial would be delivered to Missy, which would make her want to seek him out of concern, but who ever really knows with her. She certainly showed Clara to never assume her motives were anything resembling someone who's turned good (or gewd). But Missy does relinquish control of the planes to use Clara's assistance in locating the Doctor on Earth, but when is he?

Flash back to our medieval setting of the prequel, with a crowd cheering and clapping as Bors stands in an arena holding an ax. He is prepared to fight and awaiting his opponent. At the same exact time, Clara and Missy determine the Doctor would not be hiding at a crisis but instead at a party. Missy transports them immediately to the exact location using vortex manipulators (Captain Jack Harness' own favorite cheap and nasty form of time travel), in time to hear some sweet guitar riffs, while the Doctor rides into the arena on a tank. Bors wanted an ax fight, so the Doctor faces him with an electric guitar playing none other than the show's very own theme song while wearing sunglasses and telling some bad jokes that nobody will get for a few hundred years. Until he spots Clara and Missy in the crowd and plays the first few lines of Pretty Woman. He explains to the crowd that despite all his accomplishments the past three weeks, including introducing the word dude centuries early and having the crowd demonstrate it "You're a dragon fighting..." "DUDE!!", he would be leaving them that night.

I will admit I enjoyed this portion of the episode; for the interactions between the Doctor, Bors, and the crowd. His introduction of Missy as the evil Stepmother, plus his homages to former Doctors, "Yesterday I wore a bow tie, today a long scarf. This is my party and all of me is invited." Bow tie referring to the Eleventh Doctor who thought they were cool and the long scarf belonging to the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker). Davros' messenger thing shows up in time to announce that the Doctor's friends had finally led him to the Doctor. He returns the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and the Doctor stares at it with shame. This leads Clara to ask the question: "What have you done?" We then find out exactly what he did or in this case did not do and why he no longer had that screw driver. A little boy on a battle field calls for help and gets no reply except for the sound of the TARDIS as it disappears.

With quick thinking, the Doctor agrees to go with Colony Sarff to see Davros, if no one dies and likewise Clara and Missy immediately request to be taken with him. The Doctor refuses and loses to a democratic vote by a bunch of snakes. They all teleport to snake man's awaiting space craft. But what do we find out then? Our dear simple minded Bors has been a plant the entire time, a Dalek humanoid plant. Why? Why was that necessary? Just to show us that the Daleks found the TARDIS? If the messenger found his way there, would it have been too much to have him find the TARDIS and bring it along when he hand delivered the Doctor? Or just have it be assumed? There was no need to explain how the TARDIS wound up on Skaro with the Doctor. I think we would be smart enough to figure out that it was found and taken there just like the Doctor was. I liked Bors when he was just some ax wielding medieval dude who was smart enough to know the Doctor was dreading something. Instead he's mindlessly looking for the TARDIS in a trunk, under a table, finally finding it behind a tapestry which clearly is the only thing large enough to hide a big blue box. Again, I was annoyed.

We soon come to find out after the three have arrived, thanks to gravity, that they are not in a space station but actually on a planet. Missy explains this to Clara after the Doctor is taken away, by opening an airlock which doesn't kill them but would have probably been better than the alternative. Not only was the Doctor taken to see Davros; but all three of them were now guests on the planet Skaro (home planet of the Daleks). If one could really call them guests when surrounded by creatures who would sooner exterminate them than serve them tea and biscuits.

The Doctor is brought to Davros and the two strike up a conversation. But I'm sorry, can someone give Davros a neck support? I know he's dying but how ridiculous is it for him to sit there talking with the Doctor--what should be a serious conversation--but he looks like a bored teenager holding his head up with his hand on his chin. He's the dark lord of Skaro for pete's sake! He is surrounded by all sorts of machines and cables, but he has to flail his arm around on the controls like a baby with no motor function, then prop up his head again so he can watch the Doctor during the montage of their past. But not just that, one second he holding his chin and the next second his arm is down and then he's holding up his head on his own. But wait, then he's holding his chin again and then he's not. Oh my god, can we just pick one and stick with it? This ruined the entire conversation. I was more focused on his inconsistent bursts of strength where he could hold his head up and actually look like an arch nemesis.

Meanwhile, Missy and Clara are found by a Dalek and taken to where the TARDIS is being kept in...you guessed it, a room full of Daleks. Missy naturally tries to save her own skin by convincing the Daleks that with her help they can use the TARDIS as a weapon to rage war anytime and anywhere. This works all of three second before...exterminate! Bye bye Missy. Followed very quickly by Clara Oswald as she tries to make a run for it and is shot in the back. Woo hoo...I mean...poor puppy. What hurt the most was seeing the TARDIS hit by a beam of laser and supposedly being destroyed. How could they do that to Sexy?!

But if the TARDIS was destroyed how did the Doctor get back to the battle field to speak to the boy again? How was he able to be there to tell him he wasn't going to save him but save his friend? How could he say the one word I never thought I would ever hear him speak while raising a weapon? Exterminate. What the hell Moffat?! You and your damn cliff hangers leaving me shouting obscenities at the TV again. Could the Doctor be capable of killing the boy? Of course, he has killed before, been responsible for the deaths of others, it has been a dark part of his life that has followed him for centuries. But I don't want him to be capable of saying that word and meaning it. Ever.

My theory based on the scenes of the next episode: Davros is the one that sends the Doctor back to that boy in the muddy field of war. He wants to see if the Doctor is capable of  "pulling the trigger" and killing a child and making it so that the Dalek race never existed. Why else would he ask the Doctor is he was ready? Plus that would explain the Dalek type weapon that the Doctor appears with.

So my overall opinion of the premier episode: I was unimpressed, especially for a season premier. It had its enjoyable moments and for that I give it a C. I did not have high hopes coming into it which helped, but the rest of the season is going to have to do much better. We shall see.

Germany: Familie und Entspannung

As the past would dictate, this post has been delayed again and again. I had not anticipated how long it would take me to recount the most interesting details of my Germany trip...then I went on another trip. So stay tuned for the next travel post forthcoming.

If you haven't guessed it, this post is about Germany. Annual vacation time spent visiting family specifically my grandparents. Familie und Entspannung literally translates to Family and Stress Relief, how I spent two weeks worth of vacation from the 16th through the 31st of July. The time went by far too quickly as time does while on vacation. But it's never truly a full two weeks that you can enjoy even if that's how much time you've taken off from work. This is mainly due in large part to time loss and jet lag.

Two weeks is about the most vacation we can request at one time, at least where we work. For anyone who has traveled internationally before, you know that two weeks is not a lot of time for all the traveling involved, especially when you have to span an entire country and an entire ocean to get where you're going. Living nearly on the western coast of the United States, flights from Phoenix, Arizona to Frankfurt, Germany always involve touching down in a state on the East Coast and some length of layover. Then it's a 8-9 hour flight on top of that from the Eastern State across the Atlantic to Germany. We were traveling for over 30 hours from the 16th to the 17th, counting in layovers, losing time across time zones and a train ride, from the time we woke up to the time we finally arrived on my grandparents' doorstep. You arrive exhausted to the point you can barely keep you eyes open. But you have to stay awake until the evening so that it's easier and quicker to get adjusted to the new time zone. It took us a good three days to get adjusted which wasn't bad, but that there was also not a lot going on those three days.

Mom and I--yes we did a plane selfie.

But there were good parts to all the travel too. Flying with Delta was actually pretty great. They provide lots of snacks, have lots of movies to choose from and games. I kicked butt at solitaire and placed in the top three scores in the game, I got sixth place, kept playing and got third. So it then became my goal to get second and first--easily obtained. I also played some mahjong and tried learning Italian. When all you can do is sit, you get through a lot of movies, some which I had seen and some I hadn't. On the way there: What We Do in the Shadows, Seventh Son, Home. On the way back: Big Hero Six, Cinderella, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, The Imitation Game. Delta airlines also has the greatest safety video I have ever seen.

Stef M filling up the High Scores.

We woke up at 8:00am every day to the sounds of the church bells ringing, as they do every morning at that time, and again in the evening at 6:00pm. The sound of the bells echoing through the small town is one of my favorite sounds ever. Breakfast with my grandparents at the kitchen table consisted of fresh bread and broetchen (rolls) with wurst (sausage) or jams--a traditional German breakfast. It's rare to eat a hot meal for breakfast like we do in the states, those are reserved for lunch and sometimes dinner. Lunch tends to be the main meal of the day, followed by coffee (or tea) and cake or other pastries in the late afternoon. Leaving a smaller dinner consisting of bread and sausage or left overs from that day's lunch. This is the norm, or at least it is for my grandparents which we followed along with for the most part. But we were on vacation, that means enjoying yourself and the food that you just can't get back home. Several lunches and dinners consisted of delicious currywurst (bratwurst with curry sauce), wienerschnitzel, traditional German meats from the butcher and of course...German beer. Add in German chocolate and gummi bears for my sweet tooth, oh and traditional Italian ice cream (yes, Italian). Germany is a popular place for Italians, which luckily led to two different ice cream shops in our little home town.

Not every day was spent just eating food, a lot of our time was spent wandering around town. We walked a lot, everything is conveniently within walking distance. The shops, restaurants, cafes, salt water spa, old buildings, parks, ponds, the river, forest trails, train station. Bikes are a popular form of transportation as well, it would be my choice of transport if I lived there, you can bike to the other villages or take the bike onto a bus or train for longer trips. The public transportation system in Germany is great, making it easy to get around on vacation without needing to rent a car. Every year, we take a two hour train ride north from the Frankfurt airport, to the small spa town of Bad Sooden-Allendorf. This usually involves at least one train switch 3/4 of the way there in the large city of Gottingen, changing from the fast-moving ICE (Inter City Express) to the smaller and slower regular trains. This is necessary because the bigger ICE trains don't stop in every small town, in order to criss cross Germany at high speeds. It's a great way to see the country and it's varied cities--all from the comforts of a cushioned seat without having to worry about getting lost.

One day in particular was set aside to celebrate my grandmother's 91st birthday. The main reason we spent an arm and a leg to fly in July. Her birthday was on the 21st and began with a visit from the pastor. He stopped by the house, chatted with us all before heading on his way to tend to his pastoral duties. We went out in the afternoon, around 3:00pm for coffee and cake--which is a thing you do on a German afternoon. My cousin, her husband and their children joined us, as did my Aunt and my other cousin. I enjoyed a delicious slice of cake and a latte. When finished, we moved outside and enjoyed a round of beers and ice cream for the kids. It was a very enjoyable day.

My Opa Gunter and Oma Irmgard (even at 91 still one cool granny).

Another great thing to do while visiting the local area, is hiking in the woods. We had decent weather for a majority of the time, but unfortunately some rain on and off. Rain and dirt trails do not mix well and makes for trudging through mud rather than hiking. This of course meant we only made it into the woods once in the two weeks that we were there. It was a shame, but we made good use of that one time and made it into a 10 km wander through the woods. The bugs were less than friendly and my legs looked like they'd contracted chicken pox from tiny bees, itchy as hell. But nothing a little bug bite spray couldn't fix. Then there was our 30 km bike tour through the countryside. The weather was less than cooperative giving us 15 minutes of pouring rain which required 10 people with bicycles to hide under trees. It was not a great time to be sans jacket. The cool breeze helped marvelously to dry my shirt--until the sun came back out. Both the hiking and bike ride had they're additional rewards as well, besides just the exercise.

How could someone not enjoy walking in this gorgeous green forest?

During the hike, we came across a variety of wildlife (no not just bugs). At the halfway point on the trail, deeper in the forest than I ever recall being, a deer crossed our path. Really we came stomping along in it's path and it ran away. I caught a long enough glimpse to tell it was a fairly young dear and watched it spring out of sight. Mom missed it and at first she did not believe me that it had indeed been a deer.

Forest dwellers: Snail, frog, beetle

The best part of the bike ride, other than the enjoyment of getting to ride around for such a long time, was being around people that were enjoying it as much as I was. These were not young people either, they were all much older and put me and my out of shape body to shame. I was usually towards the back of the pack, going slower, for two reasons. One: as previously mentioned, I was out of shape. Two: my mother was even slower than me and I agreed to not go on too far ahead and leave her behind. I'm a good daughter. Although, a couple times I did move ahead but I was always in sight...I hope. But the best part...the bike rider's rest stop we wound up at on the way back, where they serve beer. I did not have a beer, because I was dehydrated enough and stuck with water. But the fact that you can go on a long bike ride and then stop at this place for a rest and have a beer--it's fantastic. Germany knows how to treat their bicyclists. They even served foods as well, and they were an inn for kayakers as well, but you sleep on straw beds. Yeah, you read that right, straw beds. It's like camping except sleeping bags on straw...inside a house. Seems odd but certainly peeked my interest.

So that is the summary of my Germany vacation, the interesting highlights. I enjoyed it and it ended too soon, like every vacation. Next year, we plan to go in October--that will be a fun time.

This Past Week in Marvel News

This past week brought on a few interesting tidbits in Marvel news. Updates on the upcoming Deadpool movie, season 2 of Agent Carter, plus a fake news report promo for Ant-Man.

First up, Nerdist revealed a new photo of Deadpool played by Ryan Reynolds, slated to hit theaters in February of 2016. They also shared news of the movie's proposed rating. Previously there had been talk of a PG-13 Deadpool much to the chagrin of fans, fearing a watered down Wade Wilson. Simon Kinberg (producer) ensures a rated R movie, which if true would make this the first ever R rated comic book movie.

In a recent interview, Ryan Reynolds promised a big slobbering kiss, with tongue, to whoever originally leaked the test reel. He basically credits the leak for securing his role and the movie adaptation after ten long years and  only one Wade Wilson-esque role in an X-men movie (X-men Origins: Wolverine).

Looking at the new image, they are clearly drawing their inspiration from the leaked test CGI footage.

Next up, Marvel released a new promo for it's upcoming July movie theater release of Ant-Man. The video is of a fake news report on Marvel's fictional WHIH news network and it's show News Front. This promo in essence links Ant-Man to the greater MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) by featuring fictional journalist Christine Everhart (Iron Man and Iron Man 2, played by Leslie Bibb).

The 28 second clip starts off with Ms. Everhart teasing a discussion of the fallout in Sokovia (the ficitional country in which the latest Avengers: Age of Ultron was set). Then "in other news", she goes on to say they will also be revisiting a case from a few years ago. This case involving the former Vistacorp employee turned cyber criminal, Scott Lang and his pending release from prison on July 17th. Nice one Marvel, I see what you did there. His release from prison, coinciding with the movie's release in theaters on the same day. The clip ends with Christine Everhart urging viewers to "follow" them online for more stories, giving the news network's twitter handle @WHIHOfficial (https://twitter.com/WHIHOfficial) and Google Plus page (https://plus.google.com/u/0/+whihnews/posts).

Hint: Follow them soon, there may be a news story premiering tomorrow, July 7th.

Last but not least, Marvel gave us further updates on the second season of Agent Carter. The show which took place in the time period directly after WWII and the disappearance of Captain America from the first Captain America movie, The show revolves around our heroin, Margaret "Peggy" Carter and her life spent busting her chops to show her worth as an agent in the SSR.

With San Diego Comic-Con looming, Marvel released a photo of the poster they would be giving away in limited quantities at the event. The second season was picked up after the success of Agent Carter's freshman start, much to the happiness of fans (myself included, no surprise as I love the entire WWII era: the music, the fashion, the beginning of the golden age of Hollywood).

Lucky for me and anyone else into that era, the new season is set to take place in Hollywood. Show runners hint at a Noir Film vibe with all the glitz and glamour mixed in with the crime and grit. This giving the second season a versatile environment to work with.

If you plan to be at SDCC this weekend, swing by the Marvel Stand #2329 to grab yourself a poster, or grab me one if you'd be so kind (while supplies last).

Marvel's Agent Carter S2 SDCC Poster

Phoenix Comicon 2015: Discover Your Inner Geek (Better Late Than Never)

Back at the end of May, I volunteered for Phoenix Comicon, as I have done for the past four years. I am a Photo Booth Coordinator which means I assist with ensuring the celebrity photo booths run smoothly during the convention. It's hard at times and a bit stressful, but I love it. I've had many great experiences over the years.

You may be asking yourself, but that was over a month ago. Why are you only writing about it now? Excellent question. My excuse: Work. It's been incredibly busy and demanding, to the point that most evenings I would be too mentally exhausted for much else than sinking into a vegetative state in front of the TV. I've been binge-watching so much Property Brothers, I've started adapting their lingo and pointing out design features in stores. Good knowledge to have, if I ever decide to renovate a house. But I digress...

Phoenix Comicon has in the past few years found itself on a list among the best comicons in the country. It's grown in size dramatically since it's inception with record shattering attendance year after year. Two years ago, we were around 55,000 attendees (possibly a bit more, I don't recall the exact figure). Last year, we hit an amazing 77,000 attendees, by far the highest count in Phoenix Comicon history. This year, 75,501 attendees. While this was a bit of a drop in attendance, it has been named the most successful year by our leadership. This is of course a great thing to hear, knowing that I was a part of its success.

Phoenix Comicon takes place in the downtown Phoenix Convention Center and this year it took up all four levels of two buildings along with programming in a few surrounding hotels. It is usually held Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May, but it has flip flop a bit the last couple years, due to availability of the convention center. This year it was held the weekend after Memorial Day and next year we will be the first weekend in June. It's already very hot at this time, so having most of the programming and entertainment indoors helps a great deal. There is a connection between the two buildings underground as well as a sky-walk connecting above. You add plenty of escalators and elevators and it makes for a layout that is easy to navigate.

View from the 3rd floor of the North Building, overlooking 3rd St. and the West Building with the Hyatt behind it.

We had a great group of actors that were invited out this year. Ron Perlman, Edward James Olmos, Jason Isaacs, Alison Hannigan, Alexis Denisoff, Charisma Carpenter, Christopher Lloyd, Jim Beaver, Karl Urban...to name some. There were a few I was excited to meet from the moment they were announced, then there were others that surprised me and left me glad to have met them afterwards.

Thursday (May 28th) was the official first day of the convention. But things started for me on Wednesday when I arrived at the convention center around midday to help with setup. We setup all the equipment, hung signage and prepared things for the weekend ahead, then finished up around 5-ish. I went home for the last time. On Thursday, we had our full blown dress rehearsal with the photographers and volunteers. No photos are scheduled on Thursday and it gives us additional time to test the equipment and the setup. This also included training for any of our volunteers that were able to attend. We finished up at around 6:00pm and I met up with some friends for a Comicon Kick-off Dinner at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant. A couple of my friends were Phoenix Comicon virgins and out-of-towners, so we discussed their first day and other things--topics that a large diverse group of fangirls are prone to discuss when gathered together.

The Photo Booth area prior to setup on Wednesday.

After dinner, we took turns seated behind the wheel of a gorgeous '67 Chevy Impala. If you are a fan of the CW TV show Supernatural, or just a fan of classic cars, you get it. An hour and a myriad of pictures later, after inhaling enough of that old exhaust smell, we finally parted ways. The Impala went back home to Vegas and the rest of us returned to our hotel rooms or home (I live about 10-15 minutes from downtown but it's still so much more convenient to get a hotel room). I split a room with three friends and fellow Phoenix Comicon volunteers every year which makes three nights in a hotel downtown quite affordable. I always recommend to anyone to make a similar arrangement when attending the convention (or any convention for that matter). It's cost saving and leaves you never more than a five minute walk from all the local goings-on.

My friends and I with the Impala.

Yes, that is my foot on the gas. Vroom vroom.

Friday was Day One! The first official full day of Phoenix Comicon and quite a light day for us at the photo booth. This of course meant that this would be the day that we would actually be able to see some of the convention. Saturday and Sunday would prove to be incredibly busy and would leave no time to enjoy the con except for what was directly on our floor. We shared the third floor with all the costuming groups and the guests' signing tables. So not bad company by no means. But our floor was just one spot and so very far from the Vendor Hall--shopping, food, and artists oh my! 

This year I was slotted for the afternoon shift. But similar to previous years, I was there from early in the morning to late in the evening all days. What can I say? I'm a work horse (or a glutton for punishment), but it's worth it. Friday, we only had one booth running and most of the guests hadn't arrived yet. So once I finished helping with final preparations and stuck around to help train and place volunteers, I decided to wander. I left behind my radio and told one of my counterparts to text me if I was needed. Down I went, three different sets of escalators until I hit the Vendor Hall floor. I wasn't there to shop, not that I didn't want to, but when you decide to spend your money on photos, you tend to be frugal with what you have left. It was my goal to spend an hour, maybe two, finding and chatting with my comic book artist friends. I found all but two (one was wondering around and the other hadn't arrived yet). Now, the Vendor Hall is massive, I mean seriously huge, you could spend hours wandering around looking at everything. Its where you'll find all the comic book artists, authors, and vendors peddling their wares.

Walking through the crowd down in the Vendor Hall.

I sped-walked up and down the aisles, I was on a mission. My mission (there was no choosing necessary or exploding messages) was to locate my friends and acquaintances in the comic book field. I met most of them through my former manager from Barnes and Noble. He's making his way through the world of comic book creation and has worked on a few projects. But also sells his artwork in addition to taking commissions. He currently lives in San Diego where his fiance goes to school. One of the comic book creators/artists I stopped to chat to was actually a former high school teacher of my sister's. I bought his newest comic for her.

 After that mission was complete I hunted down the Cazador Productions booth run by Mike Flores (the booth and the company). I met Mike at the Salute to Supernatural Convention in February, along with the hosts (Thomas Cowley and Ryan Denton) of the Supernatural the Crossroads radio show he produces. We discussed the season finale of Supernatural, as fans do and he asked me about my volunteer role at Phoenix Comicon. The Crossroads boys do a great show, I binge listened their entire back catalog (60+ hours of audio) in a little over a week. If you're interested in episode reviews and interesting as well as entertaining discussions, check them out www.supernaturalthecrossroads.com. 

When I returned to the booth, I got back to work but took a moment to have a photo with two friends (and SPNFamily) and Jim Beaver (Bobby from Supernatural). He was very nice and great with his fans. On Saturday, I had him in my booth and at the end of the photo op he gave us the greatest compliment, even though the beginning nearly gave me a heart attack. He started off, "I hate these things." Cue holding my breath. "These things are usually so impersonal. This was quick, but I still had time to shake everyone's hand and say hello. It didn't feel rushed. This was great, good job." I started breathing again. I thanked him and showed him out of the booth. That was super cool.

My friend Amber, Jim Beaver, Me, and my friend Shannon.

The rest of Saturday was madness. Yes...that's all that need be said about Saturday. Just kidding...but there was a lot going on. I did not make it away from the photo booth and I was there from morning until night. I left exhausted, at the end, but not as exhausted as last year. I call that a win in my book. Saturday is the busiest day for obvious reasons: people don't have work, big day for families, all the guests are there. There were some great experiences that day. I was surprised by a couple of the actors--really cool individuals. None of the actors that attended this year were returning guests, so I had not met any of them before and you never know what to expect. Great examples: Jason Isaacs and Edward James Olmos. Jason--who you might know from Harry Potter, The Patriot and Black Hawk Down--was great with his fans. He even set up his phone during his photo op to record a time lapse video of the entire thing, which he then shared with us and the photographer. I could kick myself for not getting a photo with him, but I didn't have any money left to spend after the photos I had already paid for. Jason also complimented us on our photo booth.

                                                   Jason Isaac's time-lapse video.

Edward James Olmos was awesome, every time he showed up for his photo op, he would spend time taking photos with all of the staff. Normally, we're required to politely decline photos with the guests, because it's against our policy, but there was no refusing him. He would point at volunteers in a 'hey you, come over here" fashion and pull them in for a photo. He didn't leave until he had accomplished his task to have photos with everyone, including me. I let all my volunteers go first and then I was the last one, before he went on his way back to his signing table. On Sunday, I believe, we were running behind in one of the photo booths. Edward stood in the middle of the booths nearly in our printing area, playing with his grandson. It was adorable. We had asked him if he wouldn't be more comfortable sitting inside one of the booths while he waited and he politely declined, he didn't mind waiting right there.

Me and Edward James Olmos.

Sunday was Back to the Future! Yes, I and a friend got our photo with Doc Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd. Sunday in general, was not as crazy as Saturday and everything ran very smooth. It always winds up being the case on Sunday, all the kinks with the equipment have been worked out and we're running like a well oiled machine. Speaking of machines, we also had the Delorian onsite for attendees to get photos with both Christopher Lloyd and his iconic time traveling car. It was a popular photo op, as was his solo op in our photo booth (both of his photo ops were in my booth). Another actor that was really cool to meet was Alexis Denisof, husband to Alyson Hannigan and most notably known for Angel, Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, and Grimm. At the end of his last photo op on Sunday, we had just sent through the last attendee and he was hanging out just in case there were any stragglers. He asked if any of us wanted a photo. I politely declined, and he asked if we were sure. I told him we were required to politely decline unless he insisted. He said he thought that was the case and then insisted that we all take photos with him. Great guy.

The Delorian, Sunday after the con closed.

My friend Shannon and I with Christopher Lloyd.

Me and Alexis Denisof.

So, that's a good chuck of what happened through out the entire weekend of Phoenix Comicon. It was crazy, but fun and awesome. I can hardly wait until next year. Meetings won't start until January of 2016, which seems such a long time off. But at least, I have Fan Fest to hold me over. Fan Fest is a smaller convention that Phoenix Comicon premiered last year. We hold it at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. It's much smaller than the main convention, more relaxed atmosphere and it's held in December, so the weather is a stark contrast to what it is in the summer. We have guests that come out and vendors, but there will be just one photo booth running the entire weekend. I wasn't able to attend last year, as it was the same weekend as my mom's birthday, but this year I'm good as it's the weekend before. I'm really looking forward to Fan Fest this year. Hope to see some of you local folks there!