Pittsburgh Comicon 2012 Wrap Up

I had a chance to attend the Pittsburgh Comicon for the first time ever this year. Pittsburgh is a comic book convention I’ve wanted to attend for years. One of my favorite artists, George Perez, is a perennial attendee at Pittsburgh, and I was always jealous of the people in Pittsburgh who got to see him year after year. So when the opportunity arose to head to the ‘Burgh this year for Pittsburgh Comicon, I jumped at the opportunity.

I was completely spoiled by staying at the Monroeville Doubletree. It’s right across the parking lot from the Monroeville Convention Center, where the convention takes place. Living in NYC, I usually bring the bare minimum of items with me to a convention. Who wants to lug a heavy bag on the subway and carry it around all day? As I outlined in my lead-up to NYCC 2011, if I want something signed, I’ll buy it on the show floor. But being so close to my hotel room in Pittsburgh made it possible to change out items throughout the day, which led to me getting my massive Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus signed by Stan Lee. That Omnibus was on me for about 10 minutes more than it took to wait on Stan Lee’s line. Then it was back in my hotel room, much to the happiness of my back.

What I loved most about attending Pittsburgh Comicon is that it is the best parts of a big con and small mixed together. There were big name guests there, but scale was smaller, which led to better interactions between creators and fans. It reminded me a lot of a version of the much missed annual Ramapo Comic Book Conventions in New York from the 80s and 90s.

If you ever attend a con that Barry Kitson is attending, head to his table! I met Barry for the first time this year, and he absolutely awesome! He sits behind his artist’s table doing ink and watercolor illustrations for fans all day. They’re amazingly detailed and FREE. The catch is you have to be patient, and stay at Barry’s table until it’s your turn. The illustrations average about 45 minutes each, so if you’re 7th in line, expect to be there all day. For people who can’t hang out all day, like me, Barry does quick 5-minute head sketches in between the full figure illustrations. Waiting at the table really isn’t a downside though, as Barry, the guys working his table and the fans hanging out could not have been a nicer group of people. I was happy to find out that Barry was an Arsenal fan. We chatted about that day’s match. After getting my sketch, I kind of wanted to just hang out at Barry’s table for the rest of the day anyway. Barry did the below ink and watercolor of Spider-Man in 5 minutes, 8 seconds. Yes, someone timed him.
Other highlights of Pittsburgh Comicon 2011:

-Getting not one, but three sketches from George Perez

Peter Parker/Spider-Man
 Wally West as The Flash
Wonder Woman

-Meeting Stan Lee, getting my Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus signed him and having the following interaction:
Me: You’re my hero, Stan!
Stan Lee: I like your taste, kid.

-Meeting Scott McDaniel, who is one of the nicest guys working in comics, and getting this awesome Spider-Man sketch from him. In case you didn’t realize, I really like Spider-Man.

-Having a crazy run on the roulette wheel at Casino Night and walking away with a 2007 Pittsburgh Comicon/Marvel Zombies poster signed by Arthur Suydam with a Zombie Batman (or is that Black Panther). I was so happy I bought the roulette guys a round afterwards.

-The Pittsburgh food. I missed out breakfast at Pamela’s. But I did get dessert at Gullifty’s in Squirrel Hill twice, had a great bowl of alligator chili at Fuel and Fuddle in Oakland, and drove out of town with a pack of smiley face cookies from Eat N’ Park. I think I put on 10 lbs every time I visit Pittsburgh. And I can’t wait to come back next year!

On The Couch #26: She’s Out of My League

She’s Out of My League opened the same weekend as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I chose to see Alice and clearly made the wrong decision. She’s Out of My League and Alice and Wonderland are polar opposites when it comes to expectation and actual experience. My expectations for Alice in Wonderland were very high and it really failed to deliver. My expectations for She’s Out of My League couldn’t have been lower. The trailer made it look like a Maxim dating article come to life. But She’s Out of My League ended up being a very enjoyably cute romantic comedy, one that I wouldn’t mind watching again (something I can’t say about Alice in Wonderland).

I chose…poorly.

Having spent some time in Pittsburgh, I thought it was cool that the filmmakers decided to incorporate the city into the movie. The two main characters, Kirk (Jay Baruchel) and Molly (Alice Eve) spend a date at a Penguins game and another atop Mt. Washington, or Mt. Worshington as the locals call it.

I actually had this wear-the-same-jacket-on-a-date-as-the-waitstaff thing happen to me. Not the best feeling.

But if you’re going to set a movie in a city as unique as Pittsburgh, go all the way with it.

Where’s the Steelers gear? I have it on good authority that everyone in Pittsburgh is required to own no fewer than two Stilllers tee-shirts, and that really is a bare minimum. This doesn’t include Steelers caps, hats, sweatpants and XXL fatty Starter jackets. The last time I was in Pittsburgh I overheard a woman describe a t-shirt stand in the Strip District as “They have great Stillers shirts, but they don’t have any in womens’ sizes.” She was wearing a Cleveland Sucks t-shirt. In her party were five other people, four of whom were wearing Steelers shirt. The other guy was in a Pitt shirt. This seems like the right ratio that the costume design department should have gone with for She’s Out of My League. Filming a movie in Pittsburgh without anyone in Steelers shirts is like filming a movie at Fenway Park without inbred Red Sox fans.

At least 4 of these people should be in Steelers gear.

Where’s the Pittsburgh accent? Everyone in this movie is supposedly a Pittsburgh native, but nobody had a Pittsburgh accent. A lot of the cast did have accents, but they were cobbled together from everywhere but Pittsburgh. Kirk’s mom sounds like she’s from Minnesota and his brother sounds like he’s from the east coast. A lot of time is spent downtown, but no one calls it dahntahn. Not once did someone use the word yinz.

Where’s the Pittsburgh food? Pittsburgh is full of some of tastiest high caloric food in the country. You’re not born able to fit into a XXL fatty Steelers Starter jacket. You have to earn it through multiple trips to Pamela’s for pancake breakfasts, sandwiches stuffed with fries and coleslaw at Primanti Brothers, cheese cake from Gullifty’s, and smiley face Eat N’ Park cookies. I’m amazed more of this movie didn’t take place in an Eat N’ Park. Kirk and his slacker friends look like they would frequent midnight breakfast pretty often.

The Eat N’ Park smiley face cookie. So happy. So tasty.

Finally, where’s The Exchange? I’m pretty sure I spotted a stack of NES games behind Jay Baruchel’s head in one scene. He clearly like to blow his hard earned TSA pay at Pittsburgh’s mecca of used video games, The Exchange.

I think America is ready for a movie that really takes place in Pittsburgh. A movie where people go to Jynt Igle for their chipped ham sammitches n’at to eat at The Point.

Despite wanting more Pittsburgh in the movie, I still rate She’s Out of My League as positively Razzy Fresh!