Just got back from SuperNova Pop Culture Expo at the Sydney Olympic showground. Had a bad start arriving with 11 bucks and a visa card only to find out they only took cash (should have known i guess). Anyway left the lobby dissapointed only for the girl on the door to offer “Hand Stamp?”, “uh, yeah, thanks” I replied and casually wandered off hoping I hadn’t been busted. 15 minutes later (my calculated “just nipped out” time) I strolled back in with a group of people and flashed my hand stamp confidentally, and walked straight in, bonus!

Inside was a hodge podge array of stalls, screening areas, overpriced food points and grown men dressed as Klingons. Not too different from a linux expo really.

So, after a quick scan I spotted Chewbacca (the star of this expo), since he’s a peculiar looking 7foot 3 inches with an armspan that could encircle you twice over. He was a nice chap, a Brit oriinally now living with a slightly large American woman in Texas. I got a huge warm handshake and a bit of a chinwag but no autograph since he was charging. Later on, I sat in on a Q and A by two Scots who were artists on The New Xmen and Ultimate Xmen. They were funny and entertaining even to me whose knowledge of the world of comics is limited. I also got to sit in on BatGirl’s QandA from the old TV series, Yvonne someone who was very American and smiled with that plastic surgery tightness that you see in aging LA yanks.

Spotting David Mack, a recent Daredevil artist, with a few people around his desk I zoomed in for some chat and an autograph. I had to stand just behind a group of wanna be comic artists who were asking all the dedicated fan questions with a great deal of earnestness, “You have such an unusual style of layout, it’s really non-linear.. So just how do you put them together?” etc. Not wanting to even attempt to converse on the praticed comic fans’ level, when I got my chance to butt in and question him I opted for some friendly small talk thinking perhaps it might be light relief. Indeed it seemed it was. On discovering that I was unsure of the location of his home, Cincinatti, he started drawing me a map of the US, which he realised resembled the body of a cow. After filling on the cow’s head, tail and legs and adding a few states he signed impromptue Mack original and laughingly said could I send him a copy for his sketchbook. I could see the diehard fans seething that some perky, know-nothing chick had casually aquired her own piece of David Mack art and it hadn’t even cost a penny. Pleased with my trophy, and David’s assistants’ email, I bounced away leaving the vulture fanboys to circle him once again.

I made friends with a volunteer worker called Rory who managed to get me a lovely blue supernova tshirt for me to take home. Freebies galore and a wookie handshake to boot!