Editorials

Rhode Island Comic Con Day 1: A View From The Trenches


Hello readers! Well, the second annual installment of the Rhode Island Comic Con, held in lovely Providence (home to RISD, Talking Heads, and the greatest coffee shop ever, theĀ Coffee Exchange). It was a fantastic two-day event, with much to see, do, and explore. As the photographer on duty representing Anime Herald, it was great to be there. Here’s a little recap of my experience, for your reading pleasure.

Day One started off rather quietly, with the check-in at the press counter. Badges were issued, wristbands were adorned. Enter the show floor! A veritable plethora of dealers, artist booths, and autograph tables. Also of note were the great deal of amazing props and nerdy delights. A full-scale R2-D2 (to satisfy the Star Wars nut side of me that I embrace with pleasure), a life-sized Rancor, two Batmobiles, it was truly a sight to behold.

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Destination one was to explore the show floor, say hello to some people, and get some cool shots in. We popped by the Robot God Akamatsu booth, where we got to talk to the two gentlemen behind the awesomeness that is RGA. If you dig robots (and who doesn’t?), then this stuff is right up your alley. Pure gold. The full-page sketch that Frankie B. Washington did in the contest prize is just insane!

After much exploring, photographing, talking to folks, and looking through the many goodies that the vendors brought along, it was time to hit the panels. First up: Billy Dee Williams Q&A! This was great in many ways. Mike and I scored some great seats (second row!), and it was fascinating to hear this man of many talents speak in great lengths about his career, his life, and his art. I won’t put many details about the dialogue, but do check out Mike’s article on it right here at AH. It’s absolutely worth reading.

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Next up was the Voice Over Panel. Peep the names. Jeremy and Zachary Shada (Adventure Time), Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Phil LaMarr (Futurama), Larry Kenney (Thundercats), and the legendary Allen Oppenheimer (Masters of the Universe). These guys are giants in the world of voice acting. And to see them talk about not only their careers in the voice acting world but to actually strut their stuff in a script reading of the Chinese Restaurant episode of Seinfeld (in some of the voices that made these guys so well-known) was hilarious and amazing to see. Easily one of the highlights of the entire convention for me.

Last for Saturday was the Batman panel, with Burt Ward and Adam West. It was highly entertaining, and was truly a treat to hear these two gentlemen speak about their experiences on the original Batman television show. Both of these guys have a great sense of humor and a fabulous wit. Unfortunately it was the shortest panel of the entire weekend, but Mike does have a write-up on this panel on the site as well. It’s another must-read.

This concluded the first day of RICC! Do stay tuned for day two’s recap. Until next time!

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