welll....once in a year...will be my own little private time...just 2 outta 365 days!!!
I had an amazing time at the convention in Belgium last weekend!!!
I started out leaving my country on Fridaynight to enter the land of the friendliest people I have ever met, Belgium! I could crash on a sofa at my friend Allan. He and I always plan this trip together; him and me and FACTS to make it very special every year!
But this time would become very very special, since it would be the first time I would volunteer beyond trying to get comicartists to FACTS, but I would also indeed assist the artists as their Personal Assistent during these days. Together with some other friendly folks we tried to cover the Artist Alley and I believe we did fine!
After a strange hallucinative night (no drugs but nerves and having no watch, made for some strange dreams somehow) Allan and I went for Gent and we saw Claudia Ohm and friendly giant Stefan before the entrance. Love her! She is just a great enthusiastic (not to mention gorgeous!) person. She made my saterday extra fun! Anyway, Allan and I could get in around 8.15 due to me working there and I immediately went for the artist alley.
Little did I know that this would also be the place where the actors would enter the premises so I had some great talks with Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson and Freddy Krueger a.k.a. Robert Englund (and wife). But my real superstars came in a while later.
Joe Jusko, Adam Hughes, Allison Sohn and Mike Deodato Jr. came in one after the other and I got to know the French artists Stéphane Roux, Guile, Jerome and mega-man Olivier Ledroit very good as well as the Manga-crowd Lildragon and the people from Mangafique, and let me not forget the terrible non-aggressive James A. Owen!!
It was so much fun to see them do their magic, while leeching-me just ran around like crazy to cater their thirst or appetite. Me just soaking in the presence of these artists...it was so amazing!!
I have memories that will last me a lifetime...Adam's shyness and fans, Allison's sparkling talkative and compassionate sight, Joe's gentle giant friendly artist, Lectrr's funnyness, Deodato's working style (never stops!!), Roux' class and he delivers!! every time, Ledroit's skills with waterpaint and his amazing Claudia-model that stills sends shivers through my memories!!. Also the talks with Englund (crazy yet straightforward and great talker!) and Hudson (he can talk! and still had lots to say!!)...
Other memories are of FACTS-teammembers; volunteering their asses off. What a great group! Dedicated professionals!!!
And the FACTS itself...great merchandise, loads of comics, awesome cosplayers...nothing beats it!!
And then meeting up with the visitors...always having too little time to speak with members of the Frank Cho forum, Weeklydose-forum, Yorick (congrats!! He will be a great name next year!!), Hautain, Antoon, Guido, Maarten, Allan ofcourse, Claudia ofcourse, Badr (great helper!!), and lots of people I seem to forget :)
Saterday was the longest day, also because I could join the dinner with all the guests.
Sleeping over with Little Red Riding Hood and her bunch of Manga-secrettallking Wolves was very intresting and Sunday was unexpectedly busy from the getgo.
The hardest part was saying goodbye to the guests (artists and actors) and to the FACTS-team after having spend such an intresting and intensive time!
Boom out!!
http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/boo...voom/FACTS2007/http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=49113
