Oz Comic Con
Over the weekend I attended Oz Comic Con Melbourne (OCC), another yearly event that hits our city. This year the show was held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre again. Out of all the large pop culture events hosted in Melbourne, this one has been running the least amount of time. I have attended each of the events and can say that over the years, there have been improvements. Although they still seem to have their moments of disorganisation. For the majority they appear to run quite smoothly nowadays.
This year I attended both days of the event, and to just enjoy myself. The show had a good guests, with names such as John Barrowman, Robert Patrick and Eliza Taylor to name a few. However, being the Stargate fan that I am, I was more interesting in seeing Rachel Luttrell and Paul McGillion again. It had been over 10 years since I last saw Rachel so I was looking forward to catching up with her again.
Saturday
On the Saturday a friend asked me to be her wingman, she says wingman I call myself ‘Bag Bitch’. It’s always more fun to do these things with friends. And this friend and I have a great dynamic when it comes to guest interactions plus we have a great time too. I also decided to wear my Stargate: Atlantis costume.
The event itself was very busy, the aisles were continuously packed with people walking around. Most of the exhibitor stalls were busy with customers, which was very nice to see. In fact the few I spoke to said it was a very successful day for them. I managed to avoid buying anything from the exhibitors. That was until right before I was leaving and an Agents of SHIELD poster caught my attentions. That came home with me!
Panels
I only attended one panel for the weekend and even that we only saw half of. It was the Stargate: Atlantis panel with Rachel and Paul. At the end of the panel, Paul auctioned off some of his scripts from the show. My friend won one, she jumped in with a bid at the last minute and snatched it up. After the panel we walked to the stage so she could organise payment for the item. We got to have a bit of a chat with them both too.
When Rachel saw me I could tell by her expression that she remembered me. I said “Nice to see you again Rachel, I can’t believe it’s been ten years since the last time”. She came over and gave me a very big hug and we continued to chat for a while. A fellow fan who was also in costume, came up to me and asked for a photo. We posed for one and Paul decided to sneak up and photobomb us.
During our conversation with Paul and Rachel, we were sharing our stories of the funny photos we’ve had taken at events. Paul promised that if we came back the following day he would give us a piggyback for a photo. Unfortunately, my friend could not make it the next day, but I think I knew that I had to after that promise.
Robert Patrick
I decided as it was my first time meeting Robert Patrick and I was in costume, I would get a photo with him. I brought a token and queued up like everyone else. As I went to get my photo, it was found that I had been given an autograph token instead. So I had to rush back to get it changed, the staff were extremely unhelpful and quite rude. Event though I stated I was in a hurry they refused to change the token over. I only got the issue sorted after finding a friend who was also a staff member. This was the only real issue I had over the weekend, that and the queues around the photographs were confusing. In the end, I got my photo and a hug from Robert so I was happy.
Community
Overall Saturday was a great day, it was awesome catching up and seeing friends it was just so much fun. I also have to comment on how much I love being a part of this amazing community. As my friend and I sat down for a bite to eat, we were watching the people around us. Taking note of all the different people there, the different ages and races. It was especially beautiful to see an old couple in their 70’s walking around together, holding hands. They were also in costume, these are the things I love about our amazing community. A community that has such an amazing impact on people from all walks of life. I am so extremely proud to be a part of it, it’s truly amazing.
Sunday
I originally wasn’t going to attend on the Sunday, but after the conversation with Paul the previous day I had to. Besides, I do always prefer attending on Sundays anyway, as they are the quieter day of the two. The show always winds down in the afternoon and there’s more chance of getting to chat to the actors. My plan for the day was just to hang around with other friends and catch up. So that is what I did, although after a conversation with Paul the previous day I did decide that I needed to get a photo with him. Then decided that I needed to get a photo with Rachel too, a ten years on photo.
Fun Photos
When getting my photo with Paul, I walked in and asked him if he was going to do what he promised the day before. He responded “Yes yes definitely” and then started stretching. This was such an amazing photo and I love it. In the past I have given actors piggybacks before, but never been given a piggyback for one. That’s what makes this photo such an amazing opportunity, we threw up some peace signs and the photo was taken. Thanks so much to the ever entertaining and lovely gentlemen, Paul McGillion.
Following this photo with Paul, I then went and got my photo done with Rachel. Rachel gave me a huge hug as I entered. We then pulled some funny faces and got our photo taken. I love being able to have such incredible experiences with these amazing people. I still never expect people to remember me, but it’s always a special and amazing moment.
Autographs
I decided that I needed to get an autograph from Paul after having such a hilarious and awesome photo taken. Also decided to get an autograph from Robert, on the photo we’d had taken the previous day. As things always quieten down in the afternoon, that’s when I decided to get my autographs. When I was queuing up for Robert’s autograph, I got to reconnect with someone who I had met at an event many years ago. It was good to have a chat with him and catch up after so long.
I had Robert autograph my Stargate shirt, the shirt that I have being getting autographed for the last 11 years. Thankfully Robert was able to find some room and autographed the pocket. He asked me where some of the other actors, autographs were so I pointed them out to him. The person in the queue behind me had an amazing airbrushed bonnet with an image of Robert. It was really interesting to see the reactions from the actors upon seeing this impressive piece of art that Robert then autographed.
After getting Robert’s autograph, I then went and got my autograph from Paul on the photo of us. Which turned out absolutely fantastic. Paul even made a comment that it was his favourite photo from the weekend. It is always great having these special moments, it makes everything worthwhile. I managed to catch Rachel again before she disappeared, and showed her our photo together. I also had the chance to chat to a few other guests before they all disappeared for the day.
Art and Jenga
Before the event finished I knew I had to go and make one more purchase. Something that I had seen earlier in the day that I told myself if they were still there I would buy. So I paid the amazing Jason Palmer’s stall a visit. And I brought myself an Agent May and Agent Carter print.
I managed to catch John Barrowman on stage after his panel before I left. He was playing Jenga with a massive tower of Tim Tam packets. I managed to snap some photos of it, it was definitely impressive. I didn’t actually speak to John Barrowman myself this weekend. He is definitely a crowd pleaser and adores his fans.
Overall the weekend was a really good experience, and I’m glad I went. Now I have more photographs to remind me of the awesomeness of events such as this. It’s always so great to hang out with mates and other like-minded people. I am so proud to be involved in such a beautiful, friendly and diverse community.
You can also see this review published in Women Talk Sci-Fi’s issue 45 of GENews, as part of the Women Talk Sci-Fi – the Next Generation.
COMPLETE GUEST LIST |
Rachel Luttrell, Paul Mcgillion, David Anders, David Giuntoli, Callum Blue, Robert Patrick, John Barrowman, Ingrid Oliver, Timothy Omundson, Lucy Lawless, Jake Abel, Samuel Anderson, Jed Brophy, Monica Rial, Rose Mciver, Stephen Hunter, Dana Delorenzo, Eliza Taylor, Dan Ewing, Tim Pocock, Marianne De Pierres, Paul Mason, Doug Holgate, Andrew Constant, Nicola Scott, Tristan Jones, Stewart Mckenny, Jason Palmer, Isobelle Carmody, Wolfgang Bylsma, Dark Oz, Tom Taylor, Livio Ramondelli, Mike Choi, Craig Bruyn, Paolo Siqueira, C.S Pacat, Marc Noble, Katie Houghton-Ward, Michel Mulipola, Dean Rankine, Colin Wilson, Variable, K&Aly Cosplay and Ivy Doomkitty. |
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