Per Matt
I had a great time at MomoCon this past weekend! So many great things I experienced. And with a blink of an eye, it’s over.
Looking back, I had fun the moment I stepped into the hotel (which served as the convention’s headquarters). Cosplayers were up and at ’em as soon as the convention started. I meandered a bit, pausing at the various fan meet-ups to take pictures and mingle a bit. The vendor room was housed downstairs, and it was always packed. It was always a good idea to pop in early, early or late, late, in order to beat the crowds.
I was thrilled to attend two of Mike Reiss’ panels, speaking about his career with The Simpsons, The Critic, Queer Duck and other projects. He goes a mile a minute in his panels, and he’s very, very funny. Much like The Simpsons. Reiss was kind enough to allow me an interview, which was even more enlightening on the behind-the-scenes actions of The Simpsons.
There were some great panels. I really enjoyed the Stars of Mass Effect panel, the BioWare panel, and all the voice actors’ panels, including voice actor extraordinaire, Mr. Steve Blum. The Fantastic Ladies of Voice Acting, starring Jennifer Hale, Brina Palencia and Marianne Miller was also a fun panel to attend. Attending the BevNerd podcast panel was a thrill as well. But my favorite panel of the weekend was the Toonami: Past and Present one. It featured TOM voice actor, Steve Blum, as well as Toonami Co-Creator Jason DeMarco, as well as three other Toonami employees who revealed some big Toonami announcements!
Attending the MomoCon 2013 Craftsmanship Costume Contest was another highlight of the weekend. Sitting in the front row and getting great photos of all the contestants was offset by my losing the camera the photos were taken with. Late night required visiting The Enchantment Under the Sea Rave, which featured plenty of cosplayers with glow sticks. I was thankful for the late-night panel, Convention Horror Stories, because I needed time to sit down and laugh for a bit at people’s painful stories of the past. Everyone laughed together. Hopefully, none will ever happen to me (knock on wood). And guess who was sitting front and center? None other than Mike Reiss, writer for The Simpsons. He told me there’s no better storyline for The Simpsons than true life. With that said, be on the lookout for next year’s episodes of The Simpsons. There might just be a few convention horror stories revealed there for everyone to endure.
Sunday was a day of catching up. I sporadically dropped by the karaoke, video game, card game and board game competitions throughout the weekend. I even sat in on a band’s performance or two, along the way. When I was really beat, I totally dug wandering and getting lost in the dealer’s rooms. Overall, I got some great photos (even if the camera was lost) and had an absolute blast during my very first visit to MomoCon. It will definitely not be the last!