There are several reasons I love Winnipeg's annual Central Canada Comic Con. One is that it only takes me about ten minutes to drive to our fabulous downtown Convention Center, where it is held. The other is that there are usually a lot of tables selling a lot of back issues for not a lot of dinero. The costume competition is tons of fun to watch, especially since it always happens around Halloween. But maybe the biggest reason is the often quirky array of guests, and this year is no exception. The recently added Rebecca Staab being an example.
I guess it seems like a bit of a strange choice because her most prominent comic book credential is that she starred in a movie that was never officially released, the 1994 version of Fantastic Four. I sincerely think it's actually kind of cool to be able to meet someone from that film, something sort of peripheral to all the main stuff. So often at cons they get guests who were in shows that lasted a while, or movies that at least were released, usually successful. But I mean I never go to one and meet the guy who played Peter Parker in the very short-lived live action Spider-man show. Or what about the guy who played Dr. Strange in the pilot they filmed? What happened to him? Do these guys make convention appearances?
Rebecca is actually a former beauty queen (Miss Nebraska) and has done a considerable amount of work on television shows, even appearing in an episode of Seinfeld, which to me makes it doubly cool to be able to meet her. Seinfeld's one of my fave shows, and since Fantastic Four is my favourite Marvel comic, I plan to go up and shake her hand and get her to sign...something, hopefully an 8X10 of her as Sue Storm, though there has to be some legal hurdle to clear for her to sign pics of a Marvel-owned character...or does there? I dunno, I'm no lawyer. I've been scouring my collection of comic magazines for covers with her but no dice. Maybe just an extra ish of FF with Sue promently on the cover? That could work I guess.
I'm also hoping to finally get my hands on a copy of the film which I've never seen - though I realize it may be available online I hate watching long things on my computer. Some nefarious character is sure to be selling bootlegs at the con. Or maybe she'll be selling them. Ooh, I'm getting excited!
Just so it's clear, we do get an array of the more usual kind of guests. We have Jack O'Halloran - Non from Superman II, yay! - and Ray Park who was Darth Maul, the Toad, and Snake Eyes. Also, um, the guy that played Harry Kim in Star Trek: Voyager. And of course last year I got to meet Julie Newmar, Adam West and Marv Wolfman, which kinda blew my autograph budget, anyway. I'd go broke at some of the bigger cons.
6 comments:
As horrendous as the Corman FF movie (and it is horrendous) there's one VERY BRIEF scene that I think is better than anything in the entire big-budget later version.
Now I'm sitting here trying to figure out which Seinfeld episode she was in, and I can't place her. I could just go look it up, but that takes the fun out of it!
Which scene are you referring to, Rob? Now I'm curious!
This is awesome! I've only ever seemn a few stills of ths, but as I love me some Fantastic Four I'd be making a beeline for her table too.
How did it go?
Liss--I want to wait until Aaron sees the movie before I mention it. Unless he doesn't want me to wait, then I'll spill!
I have to say, I would like to see the film and have the fun of guessing which scene it is - but let's say that if I don't get a copy at the con, all bets are off!
Oh, and I should have mentioned it takes place the weekend of October 29-31, but I will certainly be giving a full report! I take the week after it off so I have time to read the comics I get.
& I believe she played a moderator at a PBS fundraiser in Seinfeld - so unfortunately she was not a "girlfriend of the week"
Be sure to also look for the scene where The Thing throws a punch and you can see a tear in the costume, right under his arm.
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