Con Report: ACEN 2012 (part 4)

Unfortunately no comic updates this week, however we do have the final installment of the ACEN 2012 con report!

Previously at ACEN….

Trevor sold some stuff, did some panels, and hung out with a rock band. Now he had to find a way to cap off the perfect weekend. Will he succeed? Read below to find out….

SUNDAY:
Sunday morning is always the most difficult day to get out of bed. While you’re always excited for the last day of the show, you’re also super exhausted by being so active throughout the days preceding the last day…and also you probably stayed up later than you should have the night before.

In my case, it was definitely a little of both – having stayed up until 3am with some of the other guests the night before.

Another plate of unlimited bacon later (and some other breakfast foods), however, and I was set to go for the final day of my favorite show!

One of our neighbors, Yelp.com, took off so upon going to the floor the group relocated to their spot and started selling. Lots of kids and cosplayers were about, showing off their costumes and having a fun time on the final day.

Lots of great commerce and friends / fans came to the table today to say hi, thanks for the great panels, or to make purchases while they could. Several of the staffers stopped by the booth as well, to say hello or buy copies of my latest projects. I even had a few guests stop by the table, including Cassandra Lee (voice actress on Madoka Magica and K-On!).

As the show was wrapping up, my artist buddy Gabriel Baustia completed a commission piece I paid for: a water color cover image of Albert the Alien in an alien space port. This will be tweaked digitally to include destinations and various status of the flights, but here’s a scan of the raw image:

Albert the Alien at the space airport – commission by Gabriel Bautista

After the show ended, we broke down our tables and said our goodbyes to friends and fans. Then put our stuff in the car and headed back into the hotel for one final celebratory drink to end the show right. The VIP lounge opened for dinner, so we had a final meal as a group and then went our separate ways.

ACEN has been and continues to be my favorite show of the year. They treat their guests very well, and I have such a fun time attending this show as a guest. The fans are great, and I’ve made friends with most of the staffers and volunteers, and even many of the attendees over the years.

The other guests were great to meet and hang out with as well. It was a lot of fun chatting up the voice actors late at night, getting to hang out with the Eyeshine band, and with many of the staff and volunteers for the show. I can easily say many of these people have become my friends.

And of course, it’s always a pleasure to exhibit and spend time with my comic friends. These are my brothers who challenge and inspire me. Who I look up to and enjoy spending time with – during and outside of conventions.

Thank you to the fans, staff, volunteers, panel attendees, and everyone who made this an absolutely awesome weekend. It was a real pleasure to be invited back as a guest this year, and I hope to be invited back again next year.