For me, it was a late start on Saturday, as I got up at 8am to much hustle. We wanted to get breakfast and get the fan table set up before the Dragon*Con parade. And what a great parade it was. Many of the fans and groups went over and above to deliver great displays. Hopefully, there will be a mass of Venture Bros. fans marching next year. (In fact, if you're interested in being part of the parade as a VB character, visit this People's Republic of Venture link. 

Much like Friday, Saturday was a whirl of fun and people. Great costumes, interesting panels and attractive exhibits. We talked to fans, gave away swag, stickers and such. The Monarch created by Hazelfo continued to be a center of attention. Everyone had fun posing with him. And we continued to push the point of our table, which is that fans of Venture Bros. need to be visible, vocal and a solid fan base. Not that it means everyone should dress in a costume and go to a convention. But a simple letter or e-mail to [as] or to those who air advertisements during VB airings, really goes a long way.

The time, however, flew by. And before long, it was time for another [adult swim] panel. Needless to say, I didn't want to miss it, especially considering that the last [adult swim] panel had been just Publick and Hammer. This time, it was Publick and Hammer and a lot of other [as] talent. Animators, artists, voice talents, writers... representing your favorite [as] shows. It was a great panel, with my favorite question being "How many minorities work on Minoriteam?" lol  It was a great panel and I got to chat with some of my new friends (that's you Nightwing) and see some more cool VB costumes (thats you fiawol).

So I return to the fan table and give my poor husband a much needed break. And I sit and chat. Sweet fans were very generous with donations (which helped cover printing costs for flyers, the banner and other related swag production costs). And on the table is my DVD. And in the lull, a man walks up and stops to look at the table. He was very nice and friendly and started talking to me about the DVD and it's artwork. And I take a look at his name badge.... and it's Bill Sienkiewicz! Needless to say, ubergirl geek mode kicked in. I've been reading comics for decades now. I was a big fan of New Mutants and I've followed his work since. His Classics Illustrated of Moby Dick is also on my bookshelf. As I said, he was very nice and friendly. We talked about his art and he said that doing the Venture Bros. DVD art was a fun project that he really enjoyed doing. He also kindly offered to sign my DVD. And pose for pics. Smart man, Sienkiewicz. After the first photo, he suggested we take a second, just in case. It was while posing for pics that he was talking about how much other comic artists love Venture Bros and how some of them were already interested in doing the DVD art for season 2. I looked up and said, "You can tell them yourself now, cause there they are." Looking beyond the photographer, there was Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer walking towards the table.

So I'm a geek. I admit it. And I was in geek heaven. Three greats at my little fan table. Needless to say, I loaded them all up with goodies. I had gift bags of snacks for Hammer and Publick (RC Colas, Moonpies, those little pecan pies, chocolate, nuts and some vegan snacks just for Doc). There were also badges, stickers and stuff to hand out. Sienkiewicz naturally got plenty extra of the badges featuring his artwork for him to share with his fans. They seemed to really like the fan table and they were so nice. The also gave me a poster for the www.needcoffee.com event that night. And were nice enought to sign my DVD as well. They also posed for pictures, but... the pics didn't come out. lol

I was glad I finally got to meet them. As excited as I was, my brain can barely remember it. I'm sure I said something stupid, I always do. But they really are extremely nice and very genuine. It really made my weekend.

Needless to say, Publick and Hammer drew in a crowd and eventually had to head off. So I remained at the fan table grining like a loon until it was time to pack up. We wanted to make sure we got something to eat and unwind a bit before the www.needcoffee.com event. Not much to say until then. We just admired the great work of the many costumes we saw.

We also got to run across Number 21 and Dr. Girlfriend again (I remembered them from last year).

Not only do they both have great costumes, but she can do the Dr. Girlfriend voice for a sentence or two.

Then it was time for the www.needcoffee.com event, which is properly called the Gonzo Film Festival. For those who don't know, it's a continuous run of clips and shorts. Some are original, others are older, like the commerical for pork and bacon sausage. But almost all are funny. Some are cringingly bad (Ludwig VonDrake). This event also involves lots of freebies, handed out left and right. From mugs and mousepads to DVD sets like Home Movies and Sealab. It starts at 10 pm and runs until about 6am. And with the promise of an unaired episode of VB to be shown... interest in the event ran high. We  showed up and were lucky enough to meet up with the photognome.

Oh yes, he won one of the autographed posters that night along with a well costumed Dr. Venture who got the other. It was a great night with little sleep. And the perfect ending to a long, yet exciting, day.