Welcome to the Legion!

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Full disclosure, I love the convention floor.  I remember as a child when my best friend and I went to our first convention, I walked the floor for hours and never wanted the day to end.  I had never dreamed of what wonders could be found on Artists Alley and I still have many of my Marvel Hero cards signed by Stan Lee and other greats of the time.  With that being said I plan on spending as little time on the floor this year at C2E2.

The panels that I attended ran a wide range of topics, I decided I wanted to see what I could learn rather than chase shiny announcements or story arc previews.  I was not disappointed.  Though I am not an artist I still found myself enthralled listening to Reilly Brown (Deadpool, Lobo) and Andy Schmidt talk about the importance of writers loving the English language while artists tell a compelling on the strength of their visuals.  I had never considered the balancing act that went on between the writer and artist.

Next I found myself in a panel run by teachers who were struggling with social norms as well as data driven education to introduce students to graphic novels.  The hill is less steep than the past but it is still a slow process.  I was shocked at the revelation that graphic novels are used in veterans care as well as special needs classrooms because they tend to reduce aggression in students.

I chose to attend a panel that is outside of my regular reading habits.  Prism comics and Geeks Out presented a panel on the importance of LGBTQ materials in libraries.  I realized the importance of this topic as I heard stories of defamation of materials or the fear of approaching materials by readers who don’t necessarily want to be outed by reading their reading material.  I grew up with a library that was a bit musty and uninviting unlike the modern library which is inviting and aimed more toward younger readers.  Many kids today see the library as a safe place where they can find information and stories that fit their lives.

What I learned today more than anything else is that cons have so much more to offer than meeting your heroes (which is great) and spending too much money on things you shouldn’t (which I did).  It is easy to get star struck and forget that cons are a great place to make yourself a better fan and be a better person.

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M. Espinos