2022 Astronomicon Wrap Up

This past Sunday I took in the Astronomicon to get a few of my custom cards signed.  This was the 5th annual version of this particular convention, but my first one.  I just recently found out about it and was pretty impressed with the lineup, so I decided to check it out seeing as I have custom cards of a few of the celebrity guests that I wanted to add to my autograph collection.

First off, I thought the convention was well laid out and well organized.  I guess I expected a smaller scale than what I encountered.  It was first class all the way.

The three signers I keyed in on were Nick Castle from Halloween, Peter Dante from The Waterboy and Kevin Nash.  If you're new to my cards or this blog, this is where my genesis for making custom cards really came from, to be able to create cards of things that didn't exist that I wanted signed cards of - in a nutshell.

So, I took to the convention armed with special edition versions of the above three cards.

No complaints about the signers.  My interactions are typically brief because I really don't know what to say to these people.  I'm truly awkward and introverted, in a textbook sense and not in a 'I'm just so introverted' trendy meme sense.  I assume they know I'm a big fan since I'm waiting in a line in order to pay them money to write their name on something for me.  I get the autograph and get the hell out of there.  I leave the the schmoozing for the people in line behind me who actually understand how small talk works.

The only time I break from my signer protocol is if I'm asked about my cards.  Typically the signers really dig them.  I usually get a "I've never seen one of these, where did you get it?" type of responses, and that gives me an in where I don't have to feel like a weird tongue-tied fanboy.  Unfortunately that didn't happen this go 'round.  The only pop I got was from MI native Kevin Nash.  "Big Daddy Cool" remarked "whoa, blast from the past" when presented with my custom college basketball card of him.

I got a photo signed by Danielle Harris for my buddy that was under the weather and couldn't come with.  I've gotten her auto before via private send-in, I just mention this as a lead-in to an observation.  This was the first time I ever saw Danielle Harris in person and she's is definitely a small breed.  I'm thinking if I had brought a backpack I could've snuck her out in it.  Other than that she was very sweet to me and everyone else I saw her interact with.

Then there was Peter Dante...  Even though he didn't mark out to my Gee Grenouille card, the dude was definitely in the zone.  He had earlier purchased quite a few boxes of girl scout cookies from the scouts that had gotten a vendor table right across from where he was signing.  He was then passing them out to any and all in the vicinity.  He offered me a samoa cookie and my first inclination was to go with the "nah, I'm good" but then I thought this *is* El PresiDante giving me a cookie, plus he wasn't really wasn't taking no for an answer anyways.  I handed him the card to sign.  He got through "Pete" before stopping and legitimately trying to get to know me as a person.  Where I'm from, what I do for a living; the whole nine.  I gave him the info he wanted and we chatted for a moment about me and my state of professional affairs.  He then went ahead and added "Dante #12" and I thanked him.  But, even as I was walking away he continued to call out to me by name and hype me up like we were old buddies.  If the convention was a party, Peter Dante was easily the life of it.  I'll 100% get an autograph at all future conventions I attend that he's signing at.

Big Daddy Cool

Here's one I've been sitting on for a little bit.  I came across the picture in an unrelated image search, which seems to be a pretty standard way for me to get inspiration for new custom trading cards.

Kevin Nash is a name that is recognizable to even the most casual of wrestling fan with him being part of some of the biggest story lines in the 1990's when professional wrestling was white hot.  Nash went through a number of gimmicks in the the two biggest promotions: Steel, Oz, Vinny Vegas, and Diesel. Then he found his greatest success as big bastard named Kevin Nash who was one half of "The Outsiders" that invaded the WCW, and later a founding member of the NWO stable.

1977-78 Topps basketball

What may not be so well known is that Nash played "Super Shredder" in 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja II: The Secret of the Ooze.  What may be even less well known is that "Big Sexy" played division-one college basketball.  The 6'10" Motor City native played center for the Tennessee Volunteers from the 1977-78 season through 1980.  Due to a physical altercation with the Vols head coach there wasn't a senior season for Big Kev.  From there he went over to play ball in Europe where an ACL injury ended his hoops odyssey.  A couple various careers later he would try his hand at pro wrestling and the rest is history, as they say.

This card was inspired by the 1977-78 Topps basketball card set.  I got really all the elements down with the exception of how the text ramps upwards on top.  Not exactly sure how that is achieved.  I tried a couple of different things that just didn't look clean enough for me.  I would have liked to make it more exact, but I don't feel like the level text doesn't take too much away from the over all optics.

I was stoked to add another basketball card to the proverbial Phantom Cardboard card binder.  I just love the funky look of vintage basketball card designs.

**A very special thanks to Kristian from kcdesignz for helping me clean up the Nash photo a bit.