ZOMBIE CON REPORT
March 29, 2008
I am so far behind on my con reports, it is not even funny. For example, here I am writing about a con I attended at the end of March just a couple of days before the 4th of July. Well, as they say, better late than never. And hey! On the bright side, I am writing about a con I attended this year! That’s progress, right?
So, Zombie Con was a one day show that was held in Greensboro, NC at the Clarion Hotel near the Piedmont Triad Airport on one of the rainiest Saturdays of 2008 so far. I mean it was coming down in buckets, which made getting my stuff inside for my dealer’s table a bit of a nightmare. But you know, other than fighting the elements, I gotta admit that this was a neat little show to be a part of. Hmmmm. Now that I think of it, some of my best cons have been on rainy weekends.
 I drove over with my old buddy, Robert Harris, aka Old Man Cadwell from Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever and even requested that we be put together along with a new friend of mine, horror author Kristy Tallman.
I met Kristy back at Stellarcon just a couple of weeks before this show, and was pleased that I got more time to talk with her at this show and also meet her husband. I can’t say enough good things about both these folks. They are what my pop used to call “good people.” If you get the chance to get to meet them at a show, I suggest you do. In fact, you can check out Kristy’s website at http://www.kristytallman.com/ and find out when she might be at a con near you.
 I was also just a couple of tables up from a buddy of mine from the NCWCCC, Thomas Boatwright. Thomas’ book, Cemetery Blues, proved to be a big hit at this show, and he was getting swamped to do commissions left and right. This guy is one of the most talented artists I know, and he is also someone I suggest con-goers seek out, if you get the chance to do so. In the meantime, swing by his site at http://boatwright.deviantart.com/ and be prepared to have your mind blown.
 So, anyway, I had brought a few Halloween-themed Dennis the Menace cartoons to sign and also a few of the horror magazines I had written for previously. But I also dragged out a ton of monster items I had bought about fifteen years ago when I was on a Universal Monsters kick and managed to sell and trade quite a bit of the merchandise. You can see some of the goodies I had out for sale in this photo, to the left of Robert.
That inflatable Frankenstein got quite a lot of attention, but no takers to buy him. So, he remains with me until I can find him a good home. At the show, I told a few folks the story about how I came to own him, and got a good response from that tale. I really need to write that up one of these days, especially since I got him on one of the rare occasions that I asked like a Grade-A Jackass. But that is a story for another time, kids…
 One of the best things about a small show like Zombie Con is that if you stay in one spot long enough, all the
interesting sights will come to you. You never know who or what might walk past you. You could see a zombie puppet:
I never did find out for sure what this was exactly. I mean, it is a zombie puppet, but does that mean it eats human beings like a zombie would or does it eat other puppets? Believe it or not, I’ve actually laid awake these past months pondering that question a little more than I should…
Of course you can’t have a Zombie Con without zombies. This kid’s costume was pretty amazing--
--but this fella’s zombie costume had to be seen to be believed. I’m just sorry I couldn’t get a better shot from where I was sitting.
 He actually took part in a charity event at the show called “Whack-a-Zombie.” For a price, you could take three swings at him with a plastic whiffle bat, and there were some power swingers stepping up to get their licks in. I have to give him props for going that extra mile for a good cause. If it were me, I would have opted to just write a check.
 There were a number of other beasts hanging out at Zombie Con that day, including this very impressive Fungus Monster:
Luck for all us good citizens there was the occasional crime-fighter around to keep these nasties at bay:
 Luckier still, there were also a number of beauties, including this little lady who was crowed the Zombie Con Scream Queen:
So, the show was a short one, lasting from 9:30 AM until 4:30 PM. But like all good cons, it ain’t the quantity of time you spend there, it’s the quality. And this was indeed a quality show. Given the chance, I would be delighted to attend some of the future Zombie Cons, especially if I could unload some more stuff that has been piling up in my closet.
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