Category: Road Trips
Loose in Las Vegas: 2015
Visiting Vegas has become something of an annual tradition with me but other trips and considerations kept me out of Sin City in 2014. Towards the end of that year, my friend Danny told me he wanted to go to ...
Show Review: Renninger’s Antique Extravaganza 2014
There aren’t many shows left in Florida that offer the sheer variety of items that the November Renniger’s Antique Extravaganza routinely supplies, so it’s understandable that the buzz surrounding this show usually starts months in advance. Whether you collect paintings, ...
Fanboy Expo 2014
I am always up for trying something new where conventions are concerned, especially given the disappointing stagnation many of the Florida shows seem to be in these days. I was sold on Fanboy Expo thanks to both the appearance of ...
Abbey Road on the River 2014
After my debut adventure at this show in 2012, I missed the 2013 installment due to a conflicting schedule. At the last minute I did try to swing it but by then the hotel was already sold out and this ...
Megacon 2014
I have always believed that there is an entity or entities that protect the fanboy in his pursuit of fandom and after Megacon 2014 weekend in Orlando I am certain of it. I have always been a creature of habit ...
- Comic Books | Conventions | Megacon | Orlando
The Florida Extravaganza Returns!
In January of 1991 at the behest of an out of state friend who wanted an autograph for his collection, I headed down to Orlando one Saturday morning to pay what I intended to be a quick visit to something ...
Cruising in California 2013
After all the time it took me to finally make it to California and the land of movie magic in 2012, it’s not surprising that I left that brief visit with a lot of my to do list undone. A ...
Megacon 2013
As a regular attendee of the Megacon convention in Orlando, Florida I have seen it go through many changes in the last decade. Some of these changes have been for the better and some for the worse and many of them ...
Loose in Las Vegas: 2013
After becoming a seemingly annual event for the past few years, I skipped a visit to Las Vegas in 2012 in favor of a more extended sojourn in California. This was partially due to not wanting to take two vacations ...
Show Review: Renninger’s Antique Extravaganza 2012
I am a regular attendee of flea markets, swap meets, garage sales, and the like but I can still say with 100% certainty that there is nothing else quit like Renninger’s fall Antique & Collectors Extravaganza in Mt. Dora, Florida. ...
Spooky Empire 2012
I have passed on the last couple of Spooky Empire events due partially to the lack of enough interesting guests to warrant the time and money and partly to the incredible Cult Fiction Drive-In show in Jacksonville ruining me for ...
Cruising in California 2012
Visiting California has been near the top of my to do list for a very long time. Even though I have traveled most of the United States, I never quite made it all the way to the other end of ...
ZAAT: Live at The Alamo!
By the early 1970’s, the road show era of motion pictures was almost extinct. The Jacksonville, Florida lensed ZAAT was one of the final films to be ballyhooed with individually tailored screenings when actor Wade Popwell once again donned the ...
- Alamo Drafthouse | Austin | Texas | ZAAT
Abbey Road on the River 2012
Louisville, Kentucky is a town best known for the odd combination of bourbon and baseball bats but on Memorial Day weekend for the last couple of years it has also played host the massive Beatles festival known as Abbey Road ...
MegaCon 2008
Traveling to Orland ofor Megacon this year, I was already bracing for what I thought would be certain disappointment. The guest list was the weakest I have seen in the several years I have attended this show, comic books are ...
Blood Bash
Prior to this past weekend, if I had been asked to make a list of the top ten people I would most like to meet, David F. Friedman would have been on it. Thanks to Andy Lalino and the organizers ...
FX 2008
Variety is a crucial element to a collectibles show. If the dealer base is not constantly evolving or their inventory is not turning over to make way for new merchandise, collectors will quickly tire of paying admission. Variety has always ...
- FX | Orlando | Peter Graves
MegaConned ’07
I was still reeling from the wake of the FX show a mere two weeks earlier when the 2007 Megacon stormed in to Orlando the weekend of February 17. With both events held at the Orange County Convention Center and ...
Weird Magic in Sanford, Florida!
The quiet little town of Sanford, Florida wasn’t very quiet on Saturday, February 10. Best known for being one of the largest producers of celery in the nation at one time, the city was celebrating the 50th anniversary of their ...
Monster Mish-Mash: ScreamFest ’06
On the return trip from Screamfest 2005, my friend Byron and I were unanimous in our resolution that the only way we would head back to Ft. Lauderdale next year was if the 2006 show looked a lot more promising ...
Draggin’ On: DragonCon ’06
I have always had a standing rule about not attending shows outside of my native Florida. It’s not a bias against other states, it’s just that I have always found that the expense and travel involved always negated any positive ...
ScreamFest ’05
With Megacon and FX both in the early part of the year, I usually experience a long dry spell in between conventions. To break up the monotony this year, my friend Byron had suggested we attend Necronomicon in the fall. ...
MEGACONNED ’05
Megacon 2005 proved to be a year of changes, but most of them were not for the better. Admission prices were raised $2 to $17 (advanced, $20 door) this year and the number of dealers appeared about the same. The ...
FX CON 2005
Anatomy of a Collectibles Show At the 2004 Florida Extravaganza Collectibles Show, I learned the intriguing bit of information that the 2005 show would be returning to the Orlando Expo Center. For the past several years, the waning show has continued ...
Velveeta, Las Vegas!
I recently ventured into the wilds of 24-hour everything, legalized gambling, indoor amusement parks, and buffets the size of a warehouse to meet two legendary cult filmmakers, Ray Dennis Steckler and Ted V. Mikels. For those unfamiliar with the history, ...
The Invasion Of ED Tucker
Last Tuesday night, May 18th, a fairly rare opportunity arose by which four crazed contributors to this 'zine could actually co-exist under one roof, albeit for a brief amount of time. You know how I am about reunions. Anyway, Ed ...
Megaconned Too
For those keeping score, 2004 is now my third time at bat for Megacon, the giant comic book / media convention in Orlando. Please see last year’s review for my philosophies regarding comic books, autographs, and “celebrity” status, if you ...
F-ex 04
On Saturday, January 10, I attended FX 2004, the 15th annual Florida Extravaganza collectibles show in Orlando, Florida. The first FX I attended was in 1991 and my mind was immediately blown the moment I set foot inside the show ...
MEGACONNED
The March 2003 show was the second Megacon I have attended. For those unaware, Megacon is large (for Florida) comic show held annually in Orlando, FL. The show is notable for both it’s size, selection, and what is probably the ...