Bristol Comic Expo!

On Saturday, we went into Bristol with the intention of going to Grillstock for the day. A few days before hand, we realised (read: the boyfriend told me) the Bristol Comic Expo was in town on the same weekend. We realised we could quite easily go to both, as the expo started and finished earlier in the day than Grillstock did. And then the other half asked me why the name Anne Stokes was ringing a bell, as she was one of the guests at the expo. Once I finished squeeing at a pitch normally reserved for non-human hearing, it was decided we absolutely definitely had to go.

And it was awesome. I got to meet Anne Stokes and get a bunch of stuff signed by her. (And if you're not familiar with Anne Stokes, go check out her artwork on her website by clicking here. No, seriously, go now. This post will still be here when you get back.) She was very tolerant of me and my extreme fan-girl-ness. I have two amazing new signed prints to hang up on the walls, and a gorgeous dragon pendant that will no doubt become my favourite necklace ever.

We had a great walk around the expo, got to talk to a lot of cool people, see some amazing costumes (even had the kiddo pose with a stormtrooper and a clonetrooper for a photo!), and get some amazing stuff. I picked up an awesome print of Chel and Wheatley facing up against a dragon (I know it makes no sense, but it combines two of my favourite things, so that makes it awesome) from ReaperWorks. I also was introduced to a brilliant artist, Jess Bradley. Her stuff must be seen. (That's a hint that Jess's website is another one of those that you must go look at right now, and this post will still be here when you come back.)

The other major highlight of our time at the expo was meeting Mark Buckingham. For those of you who don't have a clue what that name means, he's an artist - in fact, the artist of one of my favourite graphic novel series, Fables. I not only got to have two of my books signed by him, but we got to sit and listen to him talk about various Fables and The Unwritten stuff in a panel straight afterward. He's a really nice guy, and it was a real pleasure meeting him.

Now, you may notice something missing from this post: pictures! I'm sorry, I meant to sit down and take a bunch of photos of all the stuff from the day, but haven't gotten around to it yet due to other life stuff. Pictures will be coming soon! Stay tuned!

LCG Day

Yesterday was LCG Day at Proud Lion! For those of you unfamiliar with what that means, an LCG is a Living Card Game. That is essentially a collectable card game, but everyone gets the same cards - no nonsense of buying a dozen booster packs in the hope of getting that one killer card, like in other custom card games (Magic, I'm looking at you!). Because everyone gets the same cards, everyone is on even footing. It makes for a much more satisfying game that way.

It was a good day, with games running most of the day. The games played were Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Netrunner. I had a chance to play the Star Wars LCG for the first time, and loved it. I even won! Although I still maintain it was down to lucky cards and the generosity of my opposing player / teacher.

I get the feeling the Star Wars game will be creeping into our personal game collection at some point in the future. I also can see me eventually giving in to my desire to try the Game of Thrones LCG while I'm at it!

Tomorrow: Free Comic Book Day!

Yep, it's that time again! Tomorrow marks this year's Free Comic Book Day! Wherever you are, whatever you do... wait, I sound like I'm going to break into song...

Anyway. Tomorrow, look for the nearest local comic shop and show your support! Each shop will probably have their own rules, but what it boils down to is completely free comic books. I personally will be showing my support for Proud Lion in Cheltenham, where there will be live music and awards for people in cosplay. There are a lot of different comics in the selection this year, from Peanuts to Transformers to Avengers to MouseGuard to... well, you get the idea. There truly is something for everybody, so please, please find the time to help out local comic shop owners!