C2E2 Day 1 In Review: A Robbie Day

Today's cosplay: Newt from Fantastic Beasts

Me with what looked like to me giant blueberry creatures

Panels:

Sorting Fair Play Throughout the Universe: Doctor Who and Inclusion

• Overall the feeling was this past season was a good step in the right direction but like any work, improvements can always be made. 
• The diversity both in front of and behind the camera was appreciated. Highlights Ryan being a POC with a disability who is shown to be thriving, the explicit discussion of racism and the civil rights moment in the Rosa Parks episode, and the conversation between Ryan and Yaz about the complexity of racism for different groups of POC's
• "It does not serve characters if you gloss over their lived experience"
• "It is important to explore how to not soft-peddle the negative parts of our history without becoming voyeuristic"
• There was also agreement that it is wonderful that Jodie Whittaker is not sexualized in her role, she is still clearly The Doctor, and that the previous showrunner would not have been able to write her so well. Also She has Pockets :)
• One interesting idea for wishes for next season was to have Jodie call out her own white woman privilege, especially in relationship with traveling with two POC companions

Love in Color: Authors Explore LGBTQ+ Romance in Comics and YA

• We need even more diversity under the LGBTQ+ umbrella to be explored
• It is important to let those who have an experience share that experience because it will be more nuanced then if an outsider writes it. There need to be more naratives about queer friendship.
• It is also important to remember that who you are aiming your story towards may not be who buys books but it is still important
• Books are a form of immortality, they support that we are here
• Queer kids need to see themselves on the spines of books (the author) not just inside 
• It is also important to share Queer stories with those outside queer culture
• There was also an Ace creator on the Panel which made my day. 

Ricanstruction: DC Comic's Heros team up with La Borinquena

• There was a discussion about the current state of Puerto Rico. 
• There was also a discussion about how in the beginning the magic comic book companies were small and more cutting edge on social issues but then they became corporate. 
• One of the authors of one of the stories talked about making stories personal and the importance of writing your issue, in this case, he focused his hero on helping the dogs of the island because he wanted to know what happened to them in the burincaon

Robbie Thompson

Funny how each year I get more confident walking right up to his table in artist alley. The first time I saw him at C2E2 it took until Sunday before I worked up the courage to say hi. This year I simply had a few tiny nerves and pretty much walked right up to his table. 

The recognized me while I was still in line to say Hi. (And yes every year he knows me makes it exponentially more likely he will know me again the following year, but Another Hundred people have gotten off the train and the face he still knows me makes me smile)

I gave him my poem for this year (See last weeks Blog post) and I gave him one of my business cards. He is in the if you write you are a writer camp. It is funny I fully support others who are writers or creators but when it comes to myself I feel odd saying I am an author. I also talked a little about his Deadpool/Spiderman cross over comics. (I don't know the character Deadpool but I do like the "All Ages" version in the crossover or maybe Robbie is just perfect and that explains it) 

I later came back because I found some of his comics in some of the remainder bins and wanted them signed. When I said I was sorry but I did not pay full price for them, he was all they have already been released and I get comics in the $1 bins too. I realized I forget comics are more disposable media in old issues ending up in a $1 bin is not the same thing as having your books remaindered which typically makes authors of published books sad. The second time is also recognized my costume. I guess earlier he just thought I was well dressed, Yep newt is a snazzy dresser