Super Mega Fest Comic Con
Article by Paulie
Back In January, I was perusing a Blogspot blog for information on Long Island Who, a Doctor Who convention I'd been to the last two years. I would find out that Sylvester McCoy was scheduled to appear at a convention in Marlboro, Masachusetts - not a half hour from where I lived.
From there, I would go to the website for Super Mega Fest Comic Con, and discover a whole host of celebrities that would be in attendance - from Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes, to McCoy's "Hobbit co-star William Kircher, to wrestling stars and legends Maria Kanellis, Chris Jericho, Bret "Hit Man" Hart, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, as well as Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox from CHiPs, and Barry Bostwick and Patricia Quinn from Rocky Horror Picture Show, as well as a whole host of others. I had a new cosplay to debut, and wanted to network and meet more like-minded people in the area, so I bought tickets for the April 17th event.
I got to the Best Western, a short walk from the Royal Plaza Trade Center, at noon and registered, and then played a waiting game, as the convention center wouldn't be open to the public until 4, and that was for those of us with SpeedPass. I met Erik Estrada in the lobby, would had wonderful things to say about Michael Dorn (in his pre-Star Trek: The Next Generation days), as well as telling me that he had given Dorn the nickname of "Blood" during the show. I also saw Sylvester McCoy, who had remembered meeting me in November 2013, despite being very ill for the inaugural LI Who. He told me that he hadn't been that sick in years, and thankfully hadn't been sick since then.
When it came time to descend on the convention center, I waiting in the SpeedPass line, and made my way in, to scan the convention center for places to sit, eat, charge my phone, and buy the best merchandise. One person recognized my "Professor Yana" cosplay from Doctor Who, and it was a Tenth Doctor cosplayer.
I made my way beyond the vendor and artists alleys to where the celebrities had their tables. I first approached Chris Sarandon, who had photos for sale and autographs, from his appearances in The Princess Bride, Fright Night, and Nightmare Before Christmas. I inquired about photos of his Deep Space Nine episode "Rivals", but his agent said they didn't have any. I told Chris about the Blue Report, and that we were in the business of interviewing former Star Trek stars and guests, and he assured me that his agent would get in touch regarding such an opportunity.
Next, I would stop at the table of Jonathan Frakes, to tell him how he and his wife shaped my youth, as actors, and how his life as a director has influenced my adulthood. We talked about season 2 of The Librarians, the Q&A on Saturday, and my intention on a photo op with him, as well as other projects, and I also informed him about the Blue Report, and he said his agent would contact me about a future interview.
Saturday, I got into my Seventh Doctor cosplay and made my way to Marlboro. I got Sylvester McCoy's autograph on my copy of "The Light At The End" Big Finish Doctor Who audio story, and his approval on my cosplay, as you imagine he would. I organized a photo op with Bret Hart and Roddy Piper, got their autographs, bought some merch, participated in a Doctor Who cosplay photoshoot, and took a picture with a Mr. Clever cosplayer that I'd met briefly at Long Island Who.
Sunday, as I hinted, was all about Jonathan Frakes. I went to the Q&A and asked him what it was like, working with Star Trek alumnus John Larroquette, Matt Frewer, and Rene Auberjonois on The Librarians. He let the crowd in on the secret that he was instrumental in acquiring Rene for his role in the episode "Fables Of Doom", fielding perhaps more questions on his time as a director than as an actor on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I spent the next hour, perusing the merchandise, making new friends and networking, and waiting for my photo op with Frakes. Honoring the late, great Leonard Nimoy would finish my weekend at Super Mega Fest.
