Looking back at this year’s event, it felt like there may have been “a bit” of chaos behind the scenes, but the Event Staff and Volunteers did an excellent job of putting on a convention.
In an unusual turn of events, I was actually scheduled for a panel on Thursday, the con’s opening day. So, I worked a half-day and decided to go the “casual cosplay” route, with my Varsity Green Lantern.
The guest who had suggested the “Roll Dice, Build Character” panel reached out to me, to ask if I would mind moderating the panel; I told him that I’d be happy to do so. And did. Not only did our panelists have great stories to share, but members of the audience had excellent questions for how go introduce gaming to not only their kids, but also older family members.
After Roll Dice, I went to see my friends from Geek Parenting Podcast and their, “Growing your Geekling” panel. I jokingly asked, “Why am I not on this panel,” to which Sarah responded, “Do you want to be!? Come on up!” I’m glad that I did, because it was a lot of fun.
I spent the rest of the day hanging out with friends – some of whom I hadn’t seen since last year’s event – and roaming the floor.
On Friday, I went with the comics version of Sam Wilson’s Captain America.
I only had one panel on Friday: Castoff, a game in which two competitors have to recast a movie or TV show. Our movie was “Clerks,” but our challenge was to recast it… with non-human animated characters. After watching the movie for the first time in over ten years, I went with the following choices:
- Dante – Garfield
- Randall – Iago (Aladdin)
- Veronica – Rebecca Cunningham (Disney’s TaleSpin)
This choice met with LITERALLY. NO. VOTES.
- Caitlyn – Minerva Mink (Animaniacs)
- Jay and Silent Bob – Woodstock and Snoopy
For me, this was a complete no-brainer: I mean… they were the ORIGINAL Jay and Silent Bob: Woodstock never shuts up and Snoopy – especially as Joe Cool – just stands there being chill. They were the ONLY choice, as far as I was concerned.
I lost the Dante and Veronica castings to Brian Griffin (“Family Guy”) and the squirrel from Disney’s “The Sword in the Stone,” respectively. But, my other choices went over well with the audience.
I spent the last couple of hours hanging out and catching up with friends again.
Saturday (Day 3) was the final day of the convention. I started the day in Nick Fury cosplay.
My day at the con began with the Giancarlo Esposito panel. After which, I decided to buy a photo op with him. Sidenote: Mr. Esposito may be Gus Fring and/or Moff Gideon to most, but he’s always going to be Buggin’ Out (from Do the Right Thing) and Mike Giardello (from Homicide: Life on the Streets) to me. In an added bit of coolness, when I asked if he’d mind holding a Moff Gideon figure in the picture, he did with no hesitation. And gusto.
I’m officially putting in notice that if Mr. Esposito returns to FanX, I want to either moderate his panel or interview him for FanX TV. So it is written, so let it be done!
After lunch at Blue Iguana and a costume change, it was time for a little wandering before GeekShow Podcast’s panel; the panel was fun (no surprise there).
Next, it was time for the “Oh Captain, My Captain” panel that I moderated. This panel also saw the debut of my newest cosplay: Captain Benjamin Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
This panel was about Star Trek captains; the last time it was held, we didn’t have all of the new captains we’ve gained from Paramount+, so it was interesting to be able to add them to the conversation. I had excellent panelists for the this and the audience questions were equally good! I even threw a minor curveball at my panelists and asked them who their favorite captain and XO combination were. I started by telling my choice:
- Captain: Will Riker
- First Officer: Cmdr. Elizabeth Shelby
- Ship: Enterprise (1701-D, Galaxy Class)
I like this combination because, to that point, it was the first time we’d really seen a captain and XO who not only were not always on the same page, but didn’t always get along (in a large part due to Sheridan’s sometimes brusque manner and very focused career advancement plans – “I’m here to do a job, not to make friends.”). Despite their differences in approach, they worked together well.
After that, it was time a very fast costume change – back to Fury – and a hustle to the panel for “From the Battle of New York to the Blip: The Strange Lives of the Citizens of the MCU” panel. We tried to look into how the average person would deal with a hole opening up in the sky with aliens pouring out of it (annnd attacking the city). Or a scenario like:
Person 1: “Hey, there’s a giant head and hand sticking out of the Indian Ocean…”
Person 2: “Huh… Must be Tuesday. Pass the butter.”
This panel was also a blast. It was mostly lighthearted, with a couple of questions that had some gravitas. The audience was just as in on the fun, too… which made it all the better.
I finished the evening with the 2022 Cosplay Contest. There were some truly amazing entries. I would like to offer my congratulations to all of the winners!
Thank you to the FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention event staff, personnel, and volunteers for putting together a great event.
Thank you also to my fellow moderators and panelists for sharing your energy and insights.
And a huge “Thank you,” to the people who attended the panels – AND the con… – and for your passion, enthusiasm, and your participation!
And now, enjoy some some of the pictures of I took at the event:
Until next year…! 
