I’ve just returned from attending my first con / comics expo in many years. There was a lot of local creative talent on display: it was very good to see a number of my graduate students on the show floor, both in the crowd and behind the booths, showing their wares. The Expo took a huge section of floor space, with events spilling out into several locations in the Calgary Stampede complex. (And I got into the Expo free! A very kind woman give me her day pass as she was leaving the show).
While it was nice to see actors I knew in the flesh: William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Summer Glau, and Felicia Day (who, along with the cast of The Guild, appeared to be having a great time), I couldn’t help but feel a little odd when observing the totemic relationship between fans and their idols.
Paying to stand in line for an hour to receive an autograph and photo op with Michael Hogan that takes all of five seconds is not “meeting” the actor, no matter how important the subjective experience might be… and owning a photograph is not owning a portion of the person. (You can experience this “psychic relationship” to objects in reverse, too: give someone a sweater, and most people will happily take it. Tell them that it used to belong to a serial killer, and watch them instinctively, and instantly, shed the garment. It doesn’t make any kind of rational sense to do so, but that’s humans for you).
Next year the Expo returns to its usual April timeslot – I’ll have to be more prepared next year, and lock off an entire day for the event.