The Grand Rapids Comic-Con, the one of the few times of the year many nerds, present company included, get up in the morning, get out our Sunday, or in my case, Saturday Comic-Con best which we have hopefully washed beforehand and depending on the person can be anything from a hockey mask and Hawaiian shirt or full Mandalorian armor and go out to to see their fellow enthusiasts. Many of us look forward to it every year, including myself. It’s the thing I most look forward to covering here at The Collegiate, and the venue has changed slightly over the many years I have worked here but the thing that has always been the same has been the fact that it has always been in Grand Rapids. So imagine my surprise when I learned this year the Grand Rapids Comic-Con would emanate from Kalamazoo. But as is tradition and my nature I made the trek out to Kalamazoo to cover the con and I was not disappointed.
Upon entering, I first took in the sights, psyching myself up as I always do. As I was doing this I just so happened to run into Din Djarin, he didn’t have much to say then again Mandalorians are a people of few words. However, he was kind enough to pose for a picture before leaving I assume to go find Grogu.
I then had the pleasure to talk to Vince from Half off Toys. A very nice man who specializes in vintage or throwback toys. Generation 1 “Transformers,” “Star Wars,”“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and beyond “I do a lot of vintage stuff, maybe stuff people saw as a kid. And Vince knows something about vintage toys because he was selling them when they weren’t vintage and were just toys as in his own words “I did my first show in 1988, that was in Elkhart, Indiana” and of course who better to sell these classics than someone who was selling them in their heyday.
I next ran into Senator Padmé Amidala which was surprising given the fact we were a very long way from either Coruscant or Naboo. Still, the former queen was kind enough to stop for a photo before leaving for what I can only assume must have been some more aggressive negotiations
I next caught up with Jake Pauwels from Adventures in Adria as well as Roll for Sandwich, the former channel sounded interesting but the latter was fascinating, in the words of Pauwels himself it’s where “I roll dice to randomize a sandwich for lunch every day and eat it whether it’s good or bad” and he admitted it has sometimes ended badly though nothing too extreme. In his own words the idea came to him due to his 2-year-old being calm in her high chair for lunch and him improvising the show from there and the rest they say is history.
I then ran into Lucy Kushinada who was far from either Night City or the Moon though she seemed to be enjoying the con much more than either of those two places. Thankfully she was nice enough to pose for a picture though hopefully this doesn’t make the Arasaka corporation mad at me.
Finally, I spoke to Shaunie Borton and Philip Levy of Beacon Academy Midwest. A RWBY cosplay group who are according to Borton recognized by Rooster Teeth themselves aka the people who own RWBY. In the words of Borton “We are the largest RWBY community in the Midwest.” Branching off that, Levy said, “We started around the Chicagoland area but we have since expanded very quickly to Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan – obviously we’re here. We are all over the Midwest.” And may I just say these two were a treat to talk to, and it’s a pity this is the first time I have ever seen them at a con. But that just goes to show you, friends, that there’s always something new to find at one of these cons. To finish off, I’ll share the last words Levy left me with: “Keep moving forward and keep doing what you love. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
