Stay Home Comic Con 2020 Review
This past weekend was full of fun and established an online convention. Stay Home Comic-Con was a replacement for the canceled Dutch Comic-Con. There were live streams all over the place and was a success given the last minute for a virtual environment. The audience surely made an impact by representing six of seven continents, which included Antaricia but not Africa. Having such a broad international audience was impressive and caused me to look forward to the event even more than before.
I began the day by getting ready for my panel in the morning. According to the program, my presentation began at 11:30 to 12 AM CET. Central Europe Time told me that times zones mattered and resulted in converting my time zone to theirs. CET was five hours ahead, which meant staring the panel at 6:30-7:00 AM EST. I might have started earlier than expected, but I was overly excited about my activity. I titled the live stream with “MC Anime Presents: Discussing Anime Genre.” I did the presentation before, but this time felt different. It marked an experience to my first ever live stream with me as the host. The performance mentioned genres like psychological, action, historical, and others. In the end, My finishing statement was, “Be open to all types of anime and explore the abundance of options for entertainment specific to you.”
I watched other live streams and had to minus five hours from the schedule each time. I looked around and found the Kickstarter for Noobs workshop. Richard Boom discussed aspects of crowdfunding, his mummy collection, the comics, and previous titles such as Bad Press Comics. For those wondering, Kickstarter is a crowdfunding organization dedicated to creative projects and give them money to start a new venture. He was able to get off the ground, and Sisterhood Comics was born. Sisterhood Comics began from a history of mummy sketches and mainly be a story later on. He briefly explained, “Why mummies,” and exposed the truth with Justin Gray. Justin wrote the Vengeance of the Mummy, and that was Richard's first look at mummies as his priority medium in horror. He ventured off with discussing his multiple hats like Comics for Sinners, Facebook Group Founder, and role as an artist. This panel was very informative and created an atmosphere to follow your passion even if it becomes exotic mummies.
The second panel that I attended was “Lecture – Tips for novice (fantasy) writers?.” Jesse van Willigenburg carried his energy and excitement throughout the lecture. He explained what to do and what to avoid in fantasy writing. In a story, you have many elements, and one is how to begin. Should you have an account with too much exposition or too litte? This question and others in the presentation are found in writing tips and advised strategies. A point that he stated which resonated with me significantly was “Show don't tell.” Anyone can tell a story, but those who show it are more likely for more success than telling. Fantasy is a genre that includes multiple subgenres and results in different content. According to Jessie, “I speak English, I speak Dutch, and I am a very vivid fantasy writer.” For Jessie, fantasy is what he offers to the world and enjoys doing it. He got this passion by simply exploring video games, which showed elements to make beliefs and other features. These graphics predominately shifted him forward and began writing what he learned from gaming. Gaming might be influential in Jessie's life, but you need to find your guiding light. If you are a writer, then never cease from writing and see where your passion takes you.
After Tips for Writers, I stumbled upon a live Studio Tour. Studio Tour was Instagram live and had Gerbart show you around his studio and home. Gerben den Heeten walked you around, and you got a close-up of his collections on the shelf. He goes off showcasing collections of figurines to Gundam kits to various books. The books on the shelf were something to see, for it allowed us to know his interests and career. He was a dedicated artist, and one book in his collection was Disney Animation: The Illusions of Life. It was clear that art was his muse, and as such, we got to observe how he operated. He expressed what inspires him the most throughout the studio was “The small and cozy feeling, and I close the curtains and be in a bubble.” The studio revealed which projects he did and what life was like in his creative crash space. There were numerous depictions of drawing guides like beauties of women to marvel characters coming alive. Gerben followed up with finishing some art commission project. For the first time, we saw him in action before the program ended.
The last notable panel for me at least was Live Glass Engraving. Vandenhoudt Stacey was the visionary behind the Miss Moose glass company. I went to her Facebook page, and my first impression was Krabby and Kingler's glass designs. From first glance, she was an amid pokemon enthusiast and glass designer. She began the stream right away with a glass jar and a drill used for engraving. The design was a flower dragon from 4mimigeeks. She took a break and showed us a little bit around the house and other glass designs she had. All course, the brief tour revealed more Pokemon, Harry Potter, and other fandoms engraved on the glasses. She only does engraving and does not paint or features on glassware. Commissions were available, and her page always has open all hours of the night. After the flower dragon, she began a commission of the electric-type mouse trio. The design revealed itself as Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu in chronological order by Pokemon evolution. When the model came around, I was under the impression of Russian stacking dolls. If these Pokemon were dolls, then Pichu would fit in Pikachu's body and then Pikachu in Raichu's body. I enjoyed the live demonstration of glass engraving and Miss Stacey at work for Miss Moose.
Furthermore, Stay Home Comic Con was a lot more than just a convention. The program had many noteworthy activities and amazing integration of many social media outlets for going live. My only problem probably was the differences in Eastern Standard Time and Central Europe Time. However, it did not take away but served as a reminder for guests far away like the Netherlands and other places. Stay Home Comic Con was four stars out of five stars and reflected the tough times we are going with right now. Be safe and be mindful of where you are and what you are doing during this pandemic.
