FCBD RECAP

AMBER LOVE 04-MAY-2015 It’s technically “Star Wars Day” because it’s May the Fourth, however, I have no SW cosplay at this time. I don’t even have a t-shirt to wear. Instead, I’ll share some thoughts on Saturday’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. I was periodically sharing tweets and Instagram pics – @ComicFusion on both – throughout the day.

Comic Fusion’s owners Stacy Korn and Bill Meccia made the shop’s gaming room into our Artists’ Alley for the day. I got to have a table for three of the comic anthologies where my stories appear and I had some old cosplay prints to sell. I was so excited to be joined by creators that are my friends: Tom Schloendorn, Eric Grissom and one of our customers Chris Muller, who got solidified his engagement in the store last year with a Green Lantern ring. That made for a well-rounded Artists’ Alley, in my opinion. Tom is an inker, Eric is a writer, letterer and does graphics. Chris draws sketches and teaches kids. And I’m a writer and cosplayer.

As you have probably seen, I’m still struggling with hives all over from anxiety. Even on days when I feel relaxed or calmer, they don’t go away. They will start to heal in one spot only to pop up in another, like evil migrant germs or something. I didn’t know how my skin would feel in a costume because for the last two months, only about four shirts have been comfortable to wear. On the other hand, I didn’t want to gross anyone out in person so the more covered I could be the better. That’s why I decided on Saturday morning that I’d try donning a costume for FCBD. I wasted over an hour trying to curl my hair for it to turn out completely straight.

I hadn’t made the Moonstone/Ms. Marvel cosplay outfit for any particular reason other than I felt like sewing. But it was new and it fit (most of my closet doesn’t). It has full sleeves and gloves and a high collar to cover my neck. I was worried about the mask glue because that can make me break out on a good day. Somehow, the glue was fine and didn’t bother me this weekend. Speaking of the mask, it’s quite old and hasn’t been worn much but it’s held up okay. It’s latex so the stability is probably longer than silicone. It was made by Xtreme Design FX nearly 10 years ago.

Jesse Parrino, AU contributor and avid Heroclix player, was able to get the day off work and help out with everything from cosplay wrangling to cleaning up. Jim Fogarty has become a staple at our events as our photographer and we’re lucky because he loves taking cosplay photos. The creators know they can relax and have a good time because everything is so casual compared to a con. Across the street, one of the Flemington resident parked his custom made Batmobile (Keaton era) so people could pose and take pictures for free.

Throughout the day, I went from the table to being out front in Turntable Junction. The weather was so perfect and I could mostly avoid the direct sun because of the shaded courtyard. We had some surprise cosplayers, The Riddler, a little Spider-Man and a Godzilla (perhaps 1/100th scale), and Captain America. The Flemington Fire Department spent the day hanging out with us too. They had a truck in the parking lot for people to climb on and take pictures. We kept a “tip boot” out for people to leave them donations.

I brought stacks of SHAKESPEARE SHAKEN, SHELTER, and RISE: COMICS AGAINST BULLYING #2. I wasn’t expecting to sell more than one book and that’s because I knew in advance to save one copy of RISE for Jesse. I was thrilled that I sold more books and prints than I could have imagined. The prints were from my “peak” of cosplay days back in 2010 when I was feeling more liberated, healthier and motivated to make outfits.

As for the FCBD comics… well, I didn’t check any out! I knew some to recommend based on their series. For myself, I only took home the ashcan for DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY. I remember looking up at the tables and half of the piles were gone. I have no idea what the most popular ones were other than predictably, things like DC and Marvel. I know Action Lab’s GRONK was a crowd pleaser. Basically, as far as what people were talking about, I have to gauge that on my Twitter timeline.

COMING UP FOR COMIC FUSION

There are gaming tournaments all the time. Free RPG day is in June. But our real big event is the first weekend of October every year. This year our annual comic art auction will benefit CASA SHAW, a local organization that helps foster kids by conducting regular check ins on their environments and making sure they get the help they need. If you’re interested in volunteering as a creator for our AA, cosplayer, or to donate a sketch, let me know.

NON-SEQUITOR

After we cleaned up at Comic Fusion, I drove out to Kenilworth to say hello to my friends at Wild Pig Comics. It was an important day for the “Comic Geek Speak” Jersey Chapter. May 2, 2014, we lost our dear friend Jamie D. to breast cancer. I wanted to see the few folks I knew would still be there that time of day. Luckily, Dani O’Brien and Bill Ellis were among them because I was able to give Dani the Delirium of the Endless blouse I made for her – fabric designed by her husband Bill a couple years ago. Hugs all around for the group and in remembrance of Jamie.

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.