Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board Every 10 Years Forum "TWO TURDS OFF!!!"

Okay, okay, okay ......
But that's EXACTLY what it sounded like when the gentleman that came down from Canada began announcing his discount.

Anyway, the convention was WONDERFUL!!! And meeting the other LMBP'ers/LW'ers was INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!

Pretty much most of the people were the same as they are on the boards .... just a bit more intense.

It was great seeing Lash again. He was as fun as ever!! Not only that, but he was able to give the LSH creative staff his thoughts, concerns, fears, hopes and expectations. Now, all I have to do is sneak a preview copy of the new Legion of Super Heroes book in his next comic book stack!!!
hee-hee
"We're leaving now before we get lost!!"

And Stu was as marvelous as ever. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him and talking to him again. I'm not sure what excited him more, though ... the comics or the Star Wars stuff. But he had a GREAT time on the convention floor!! And it was great having him around.

Pov was there. *choke* Pov was a TOTAL BLAST!! Believe me .... if the two of us were there at the conference all by ourselves, we coulda gotten in SOOOOOO much trouble with some of the booths. AND at Sonic!!! :-D
Pov also learned some no-no's in Texas. But we'll delve in to those at a later date.

Quislet, Esq. was GREAT!! He was always quick with a laugh. And all in all, I enjoyed being around him. Except my face hurt from smiling so much!! And as smart as he was, Quis was able to talk down on my level. My first dealing with him was when I called up to Pov's room, and Quislet answered the phone. I didn't realize it wasn't Pov, so I just asked what room he was in. I was given the room number. THEN he asked who I was. Quislet is a very trusting soul. But, with all due respect, you were so much more than anybody could have expected. *hugz* to ya!!
(Sorry I wasn't the hott stud Pov had ordered!!!!)

Outdoor Miner has the comic timing of a professional. He could pop off with something that had the whole group laughing at the most ideal moment. Not only that, but he also knows the words to the M*A*S*H theme song (And Quis, too???). He's also got the patience of Job. My word!!! But after waiting in line for 37 hours or so, we were able to see it was all worth it. Way to go Miner!!!!!!!

Kent is an absolute delight!! He was a little soft spoken, but anything he said was worth listening to. He had the ability to follow a thought through and jump ahead to see some of the implications. Unfortunately, Kent reminded me that *I* was the reason we found out Outdoor Miner knew the words to the M*A*S*H theme song. Now, if only I hadn't spilled my drink on him Saturday afternoon. :-( Sorry 'bout that.

Yellow Kid was SOOOOOOOOOOOO much more in person than his posts would suggest!! He found humour in so many things. Sharp witted. And able to link things together lightening quick. It wouldn't surprise me to see his name listed as an assistant editor on some of the books in the near future. It was also so amazing to hear him talk about his family. Had anybody else said what he said about his family, it could easily come across as bragging. But with Yellow Kid? He was so sincere and genuine that you just wanted to hear more. Thanks buddy.

Stargazer was also there, and I really feel rotten that we grabbed lunch when we should have been waiting on him. But ... Wow. Stargazer's smile lit up the whole room. (Off the record, he also had some cute dimples, too. But, as I said, that's off the record!!) He was pretty quick. He was also another one that was extremely funny!! There's no way the group would have been complete without him. He was also quite charming. And he had a twinkle in his eye the whole time. Very upbeat and always positive. Thanks for giving us a chance.

The whole group was pretty amazing. I couldn't imagine a better group of people to hang around. ESPECIALLY at a convention. They were able to pick up on any small/obscure reference and run with it. It was like hanging around some of the great people I work with in the sense that I had to watch what I said, lest they just run right anything I say right in the gutter. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks to all of you. I needed a fun-filled, relaxed, easy weekend. And all of you delivered that. I owe you more than you'll ever know.

Here's hoping I didn't scare any of ya off. If I did, I'll go back in the kennel. Willingly, this time.

I'll talk about some of the creaters and the Powers that Be at DC a little later.
AND some of the fun stuff at the convention.

*sliently whistling*

*hugz* to ya, buddy.
It wouldn't have been a LMBP/LW convention without you!!!!!

I'm so glad you guys had good time, and thanks for posting it allows me to live through you.

PS, I just noticed your signature, Beagz, BRAVO! I love it (I did not say that like Paris Hilton)

BIG HUGS to everyone for making this weekend an absolute blast!

This was really the most fun I've had in ages, and I can't wait to do it again...

Now we want the REAL gossip

Yeah, like did Lashie Poo get a chance to manhandle Mike Allred?

Okay, having never been to one of these board meets, a little etiquitte question. When hanging with your fellow Legion Worlders, do you refer to them by their real names or by their screen names? Are the two interchangable?

I would think I sorta used both.

Oddly enough, I can use Pov's real name when talking to him over the phone, but in person I seemed more likely to actually call him "Pov."

But I blame PART of that on the t-shirt he wore the first day!!

And we could all enjoy that anecdote if it were accompanied by PICTURES...

I think pictures are forthcoming! There's a great one of us with Barry, Mark Waid and Mr. Wacker.

And these guys were all Quissy, Stuey, Povvy-poo and Miner to me.

Except Yellow Kid, I prefered to call him Arthur. Seemed weird calling him "Yellow". And Allen is always Allen to me, but I've never liked the "Beagz" nickname anyway, it's harsh rolling of my tongue!

I kinda rotated between David and 'Gazer for Stargazer.
I'm not sure what the ryhme or reason is for it all though.

Cool! Can't wait. I have never seen a picture of Barry that I can recall, or Stu for that matter!

Certainly sounds like you guys had a great time. Hopefully ya'll can get together again some time when I can make it...

It is kind of funny though to switch back b/t real names and LW nicknames. I’m so used to using Pov, Quis, Far, Stu, etc., but it’s kind of funny to say them out loud in person.

It’s great to hear that you guys had such a good time! I can’t wait or the next one !

And don’t think it went unnoticed how Beagz described how great everyone was, when I bet everyone who met him is going “Wow, what a great guy he is!”…

Oh yeah...post pics!

We want Pics...glad you guys had fun in Arlington and made it home safely in the end.

If anyone has pics that need hosting to be posted here PM me! I'll gladly arrange hosting for any Dallas Con pics you might have to post!!!

You just wanna see them before anyone else gets to, Loser dear

I never said my intentions were purely altruistic...

I will *TRY* to get some of the pictures transferred over tonight.

I'm going to have to edit some of the pictures, though. So those may take a bit longer to post.

I'll also try to give a quick run-down of what we discovered at the Legion Forum (or whatever it was called) as well.

But suffice it to say for now .....
ALL of the DC people we met must have gone to the Julie Schwartz School of Fan Interaction. Ethan, Mark, Steve, Barry, Michael, Dan ..... ALL of them were just absolutely the nicest people you wanted to meet.

Just to give you some idea .....
When we left Saturday night, Mark and Barry were still signing and drawing. And when we got there on Sunday, it looked like neither of them had moved from their chairs. BOTH were where we left them, STILL signing and drawing.

Whenever you meet somebody, you always have certain expectations, fair or not. I remember the first time I met Julie. That man was just absolutely mind-blowing. VERY friendly, and he seemed genuinely interested in anyone he ever met. Grife ..... and the MEMORY on that man!!! I'd met some comic book people, but they fell WAAAAAAYYY short of my expectations. Still, I had unreasonable expectations for Julie. As impossible as it was, my expectations fell waaaaaaayyyyy short of Julie. The man just obliterated anything I expected. He exceeded anything anybody could imagine. Personally, Julie was a hero.

How does this tie in to the Wizard Convention? Well, Mark, Steve, Barry, and Ethan all did Julie proud. They exceeded any expectations I had. And once again, my expectations were quite high.

Thanks, guys.
You're the greatest!!!!!!


------------
Sorry .... had to correct some spelling.

Just what DID you get pics of Allen?!?

Well, the picture of Barry should be forthcoming, in any case.

(I'm shy and unphotogenic... )

However, the Wizard Photographers may feel differently. =Þ

Feh. I've posted several pictures of myself over the years. If I can do it, anybody can!

Besides, from everything I've heard, you're pretty hot Stu...

STU has become a skinny little bitch and I'm TOTALLY jealous!!!!

(for real, dude, you looked great)

Awwwwww .......

Lash was nuthin' to sneeze at, either!!!!!

Bah! I was bloated all weekend!

Showoff.

I don't even look that good when I'm NOT bloated!!!!!!

I guess I shouldn't have eaten all those cheeseburgers.

*hugz*
Eat all you want.
You'll always look great.

Awww, shucks! And Lash looked as fantastic as ever.

Plus, to the extent that I have lost weight lately, it's largely due to the support from the diet thread on the Anywhere Machine...

By the way, I weighed myself when I got home and found I gained five pounds over the weekend.

But I don't regret it! I guess the effects of being on my feet all day were offset by all the good vittles I scarfed -- the nachos and steak and barbecue and beer, not to mention the footlongs and Fritos chili cheese wraps and onion rings and smoothies and strawberry limeades from Sonic Drive-In... I'd eat it all again in a heartbeat!

(The challenge now is to lose that weight in the next two weeks, because I'll gain it back over Thanksgiving...)

That 5 pounds is just fluctuation. Dude, you're SKINNY. Good skinny, not bad skinny. For real, I am SO jealous!!! I *really* wanted to dress you up in some club clothes.

Though I haven't lost to, say, what I was when I first met Stuey, I also must credit the dieter's support thread for helping me do what I have done.

If you'd brought that football jersey, I'd have worn it!

NEXT time, you're going with me to Cedar Springs Street!

And maybe karaoke...?

I didn't notice any karaoke joints in Dallas, but I'm sure they're there.

Stu might be photo-shy, but it's obvious to anyone whose met him that he's a good-looking young fella!

Allen, I never knew you met Julie Schwartz--that's awesome! From what you're saying, he sounds even cooler in person than his legend says!

Would you believe I met him a second time about a year later and he remembered WHERE we met the first time?

Whoa! That *is* awesome. Of course, I can see how you might make a big impression

One of my fav moments of the con was getting to see you say something similar directly to Mark. I believe he truly appreciated it.

And FWIW, I completely agree with you.

heh ....
Miner, I just hope I didn't become Super Fanboy!!! But it WAS pretty exciting to meet them. *blush!!*


ANYWAY ......
I managed to get to the hotel (after a mega-runaround from another Marriot branch!!!) early Friday morning ... just in time to catch the people as they were waking up. I think.

We all pigged out on breakfast, then made our way to the convention center, where Lash and I had to get tickets.

The line to get in the convention was quite a bit longer than I thought it would be, but once the line started moving, it moved in a hurry!! And we got in and *I* stood in awe!!!!!!!!

I meandered around the complex for a while, just shaking my head at some of the possible bootleg DVD's, pictures, and all sorts of various and sundry items.
After wandering a while, I hung out at the DC booth, where I noticed a guy going over a sketch book with a kid. Apparently the kid was wanting to break in to the comic book industry and become an artist. The tall gentleman was speaking with a slightly british accent, but was very encouraging. He mentioned so many things I guess I always took for granted. Like, if you have a power shot, make sure it's going the correct direction. It actually had more of an impact if it's going in a specific direction. (I never knew or even thought of that!!!!!) And several more interesting comments. I was really enjoying listening to what this man had to say. So I finally got nosey and tried to tell who on earth this guy was. Once I found out, through my incredible detective skills (thanks, YK!!!!!), I HAD to stay put!!! The kid left, and I walked up and introduced myself and told Mr. Kitson how thilled I was that he was working on the Legion!! About that time, the rest of the gang showed up, and I told them who he was.
Yellow Kid was impressed!!!! :-D
He wanted to know how on earth I knew that was Barry!!! If maybe I knew what he looked like. I had to tell him nope. If maybe I knew he'd be at the booth at that time. I had to tell him nope, again. After a few more questions as to how I knew it was him, I had to confess ... I read the name on his badge.
THAT was when Yellow Kid announced, "Great detective work, Beagz!!"

Lo and behold, up walks Mark Waid!!
And then Steve Whacker!! Hail, hail!! The gang's all here!!

We got to talk to all three of them!! IT WAS GREAT!!!! I even got a picture of all of us!!! I'll try to get that posted shortly.

We finally decided to go grab something to eat, so I, being the decisive individual I am, got us to Sonic, where everyone seemed to enjoy pigging out again!! As bad as it sounds, I LOVED the Frito-chili-cheese wrap!!! It was so much fun just kicking back and enjoying being with everybody!! Until we remembered that we were supposed to meet Stargazer at the DC booth 15 minutes ago!!!! So we rushed back to the convention hall went to the DC booth! (But I don't think we found Stargazer there!!)

After that was over, we wandered around for a little bit more until it was time for the Legion Forum. THAT was SOOOOOO COOL!!!!! ESPECIALLY when Steve announced "YOU'RE THE INTERNET!!"

Mark was VERY funny, as was Barry and Steve. They all enjoyed themselves. They played quite well off of each other. Lots of laughs.

Mark announced that there is a new directive at DC - The Legion of Super Heroes takes place in the future. Whatever happens in the future happens. It's up to current continuity to work it's way to whatever the future holds for the 31st Century. And the 31st Century has changed.

Well, at Q&A time, I had a question regarding the comment that "Everything in the 31st Century had changed." Bart Allen, one of Waid's creations, originally came from that era, so I asked what effect this would have on Bart. Mark announced, "That is a GREAT question!! NEXT QUESTION!!!!!!!"
*sigh*
I really had a great time. :-D

After the forum, we found Stargazer at the back of the room!! COOL!!!!!!!!!

We plodded back to the booths, where there was a lot of cutting up going on. And TONS of tacky shirts!!!

We eventually got in line for the signing at the DC booth with Mark, Steve and Barry. I think Quislet was in front of me, and he saw a HUGE stack of the Titans/Legion of Super Heroes crossover books next to Mark. He asked Mark to autograph one, and Mark happily pulled the top on off and signed it. (Pretty sweet, seeing as to how some of the booths were selling the exact same book for $4 to $6 each!!!!) Mark's got such an incredible sense of humour!! I asked for one, too, and he happily signed it. I then passed it to Steve Whacker, who asked, "Are you sure you want me to sign it??" My response was, "Of course!! You're a part of this team!" That was when he said that if he signed it, he had to make a correction to the cover. He wrote in Barry Kitson's name in the credits. How cool was that?? I asked him to sign it, and he insisted on giving Barry some MUCH DESERVED credit!! Next was Barry, and he was just sooooooo incredible!!!! He signed it and I thought I was just gonna pass out. It doesn't get just a whole lot better than this. :-D

After a bit, Pov and Lash were worn out, so they headed back. Just a few minutes later, the rest of us headed back, as well.

Most of us opted for supper. Lash stayed to meet a friend of his and went out for the evening. We wandered around and finally hit a steakhouse. With a live band. Hee-hee!!! THAT was interesting. The high spot of dinner was when the band played the Pocahontas Hokey Pokey. (Don't ask!!)

After we left, tummies full (read: miserable!!), we made it back to Pov's and Miner's room, to wait on Kent. We just shot a bunch of stuff around the room, having the best time. It was almost like a room full of old friends coming back together and catching up on old times. Who knows? At this rate, maybe WE are the inspiration for The Legion of Super Heroes. After all, we ARE the internet. :-D

More on the trip later!!!!!!!!!!

------
Changed "Mark" to "Steve" talking about "You're the internet" comment.

JEEPERS H. TUTU! Who took that picture? I *do* look the part of the adoring fanboy, which is what I am indeed. I can't say enough good things about Wak, especially after seeing them in person!

Ummm... not to imply that I'm sold on the new LSH because the guys involved are hot.

Oh, feh. Why lie about it. I've never been a good liar.

The guys involved are hot! The new Leigon rawks!!!

I love the way Projectra looks so much, that I am inclined to agree (but where is Kinetix, sob sob)

One step at a time, I guess. I'm so thrilled to have a non-snake Projectra back (especially looking as hot as she does under Barry's care) that I'm dealing well with the current loss of Zoe, Gates and others.

I think I'm the only one that liked snake Sensor, I have to say that I was attracted to her personality, though.

Didn't they say somewhere that some characters may not be what they seem? I seem to remember reading this in one interview, specifically when they were talking about Projectra...


Oh, and we want more pics!

One picture? That's it?!? What a big bunch of teases you all are. Come on, make with the rest of the pictures!!!

BTW, that ONE picture you did share was great! Nice to see some of the people behind the relaunch (you know, just incase it sucks and I need to send hitmen... ).

Now let's see some more pics!!!

When I asked Barry if any of the characters were really snakes in disguise, he emphasized that they had NO INTENTIONS of rehashing ANY old storylines and stuff. Yay!!

'Tween Sonic and the con, I think we'll all be joining the dieter's thread AND the Legion of Substitute Poverty Lads!

I could kick myself for not getting some of those DVDs and t-shirts.

Well, you still have nearly a year to save up for Boston '05! If I'm going I can make sure you spend lots there!

and don't forget the big SD!

Ohhhhhhhh SD AND Boston?!? So many cons nowadays...

Rhino, if I go to Boston you HAVE to come!! We'll go to the Ramrod!

Is the Ramrod safe for me?

Well, unless I hit the lottery or get a big raise I won't be able to do San Diego. Personally, I'm thinking the lottery is more likely. Boston, however, is driving distance for me, so that's a definite possibility! And if I go I could definitely be talked into doing a side trip on the way through to pick up stray New York area Legion Worlders!

I can hear 'em at the Ramrod now-- "Who's that hot Latin boy with that sweet Southern dude?"

Cobie, I'll protect you!

Huh...ramrod...is that like an East Coast fast food chain that we don't have here in Cali?

Lash and Rhino taking me out to a club called Ramrod? That sounds like the beginning to an R rated movie to me...

Cobie-

Flee when you hear a techno version of the theme from Deliverance!

Heck, *I* was ready to flee when I heard it in Pov's room Friday night!!!!

(Boy, THAT should start the speculations!!!!!)

THAT explains why nobody was home when I called from the airport.

We were all having our fill of hot beef at that time, IIRC...

I heard a lot of things in Pov's room. Sadly, they were mostly attributable to gassy foods!

I'm not sure "R" is the appropriate rating here. But Ramrod seems like a fairly common name for a gay bar. Shocking, I know.

You guys are lookin’ great! Awesome! Beagz, you rock! More pics!

And Pov—Holy awesome shirt!

Holy crap! Is that the Shadow Thief stealing Lash's wallet in that pic?!?

What doesn't sound llike one to you?

DEATH!!! DEATH IS STALKING ME!!!!

Maybe Death is just a big Legion fan.

I think I ate lunch with the same Shadow Thief once before!

You won't believe the shocking full-length picture Mark is looking at on the back of this Legion poster!

(By the way, you can see the new Legion logo on the front of that poster, above Brainy's head.)

Oh, so *that's* where you stuck the snapshots of you and.....I've said too much already.

Did Wacker say that at the Con?

Man, I'm going to have to take a vacation to catch up on the boards

Yes, at the Legion panel, he looked at our group and said "Oh .. you are the internet."

He also said he has a friend check us out for him

Was it Steve that said that or Mark?

I thought it was Mark .... whoops!!!!!!!

I'll try to go correct one of my posts, shortly!!!!!!

If memory serves, he said "You're the Internet", meaning "You're the guys from the web site", during introductions.

It became our rallying cry.

How'd he know who you guys were? Were you guys holding a Legion World banner?