I’m totally exhausted after a massive weekend in Melbourne for Oz Comic-con.  Ross and I headed down to the city on Saturday for the much-anticipated event.  I was excited, not only because I adore conventions, but because Stan Lee was going to be there.  Seriously, who wouldn’t get excited about the opportunity to be in the same room as Stan “The Man” Lee?

I have to say from the start that I have never been to a crazier convention.  There were so many people there and the lines were astronomical.  Ross and I had pre-purchased our tickets, and we still had to wait for a good forty minutes to get into the venue.  Once we did get in, we could barely move.  There were so many bodies jam-packed into the convention centre that you couldn’t even walk, you just got swept along on a sea of people.  Within ten minutes of being there, I got elbowed in the face, pushed from side to side and had my backside grabbed multiple times.  Not only were there too many people there, but it seemed like so many of the convention-goers just weren’t behaving themselves.  People were getting really aggressive and pushy, and it was truly unpleasant.  The worst part was that you couldn’t even have a good look at any of the stalls.  There was no way to stop and browse because there wasn’t a spare inch of space in which to stand, and stopping would cause a domino-effect of people slamming into you from behind.

We also realised very early on that we had no chance of getting in to see Stan Lee.  The lines for photos and autographs were insane, and we didn’t even bother lining up.  We had intended to go to Stan’s panel interview, but when we saw the mob milling outside the stage area, we decided to give it a miss.  We didn’t even stay at the convention for two hours on Saturday.  That was long enough to leave us sweaty, hassled and in dire need of some personal space.

Sunday was infinitely better.  We got there much earlier, and although we had to wait to get in, the lines seemed much better managed.  Once inside, it wasn’t as crowded and people were a lot more polite and considerate.  We got to do a lot of shopping and browsing around.  I didn’t really buy very much, but Ross came home with some serious swag, including a tonne of artwork, some lovely new comics and a bag of collectables.

I also had the opportunity to take plenty of photos on Sunday.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

I was spellbound by this Beast cosplay.  Later in the day, I saw this guy walking around barefoot, with the leg of his pants rolled up.  He had gotten Stan Lee to sign his foot, and was planning to get it tattooed later in the day.  He was such a sweetheart.

This guy was Sim Tin-Tin!  Such a clever idea.  It really set him apart from all the other Tin-Tin cosplayers.

Angel.  This guy had put so much effort into his costume.  His wings actually unfolded, and it was very impressive.

A fab goth Mad Hatter.

The Thing!  This guy was one of the nicest cosplayers I met all day.  He was happy to ham it up while I took his photo.

Ross with Loki.  This guy looked like he’s stepped right off the movie screen.  He even had a staff that lit up.  I was very impressed.

Me with Michaelangelo, my favorite turtle.

I’m not such a fan of NCIS, but when I saw this costume I squealed with delight.  She had it down pat!

This is my favorite photo from the day.  This man is the most incredible cosplayer I’ve ever seen.  He looks so much like Jack Sparrow that I do a triple-take every time I see him.  He even moves like the jolly captain.  My heart was palpitating while I was talking to him, and it was all I could do to resist licking him.  The detail in his costume is amazing as well.

All in all, we had a pretty sweet time at Comic Con.  It wasn’t perfect, but by Sunday I think the organizers had ironed out a lot of the kinks, which was great to see.

Did you go to Oz Comic-Con?  How did you find it?