By Patchpocket Professer
A fantastic post-pandemic showing of thousands gathered at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City for FanX, which took place September 22 through September 24, 2022. Fully half of the visitors came in full regalia or sported a favorite insignia (mine is Batman). In the crowd, fans wore all manner of masks and wigs to portray zombies, knights, Marios, Obi-Wans, and more hailing from movies, TV, novels, video games, anime—indeed, the entire media universe—and did I mention comic books?
Unversed as I am in these universes, I am fascinated less by character and story and more by how people perceive themselves. Free to explore themselves and write their own stories, FanX fans expand our universe by dressing up and committing to the character.
Throughout the convention, I overhead groups debating the pros and cons of various iterations and adaptations of the comic canon. They showed off their elaborate creations with justifiable pride. I overheard fans geeking out about another person’s costume or a booth or a certain celebrity, and their conversations amped up the enthusiasm—there’s no doubt this convention goes to the core of who these attendees are and how deeply fantasy affects our lives. Now in the company of fellow travelers, these folks throw off their public face and let their hearts show.
Friendly convention-goers in extravagant costumes graciously posed for photos. Harry Potter, of course, was well represented, and a remote-controlled R2D2 shepherded by a handsome couple was a head turner. Blue faces, green faces, two-toned pink and white faces bobbed among the crowds. Even Christ was represented by a man in a robe. All the stories that have vivified our lives in each of humankind’s extant generations were represented. Not being steeped in comics, I often did not know who was being portrayed. Still, I enjoyed the mystery and the atmosphere of it all.
There were rows and rows of exhibits and celebrity booths with actors from every fandom, and I didn’t know where to start exploring. I was really inspired by Brent Spiner from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Gaten Matarazzo (the young star of Stranger Things) commanded a long line of fans. Giancarlo Esposito had a booth too, and his panel was among the most anticipated of the convention. There were also long lines of fans waiting for photos and autographs on Celebrity Row from the likes of Cary Elwes, Tom Cavanagh, Dante Basco, Ron Perlman, and Charlie Hunnam. Some of the celebrities, including Matarazzo and Spiner, wore masks. In some parts of this galaxy, at least, the pandemic still threatens.
And there was a lot to learn from the FanX panels. In the Star Trek panels on emotional intelligence hosted by David and Brandi Jackola, Brandi Jackola expressed the ethos, “We wanted to be these funny, quirky people, and we are!” The Jackolas talked at length about two Star Trek franchises, Discovery and Strange New Worlds, and described how the events of the show are not as important as the emotions sparked by them. They divided the categories of emotional intelligence as follows:
- Self-awareness: Aligning your thoughts with your standards. Being aware of what is going on around you.
- Self-regulation: Thinking before acting.
- Motivation: Desiring to act in service of a goal.
- Empathy: Inhabiting and listen to the feelings of another.
- Social Skills: Integrating your actions with empathy; being a pacifist doesn’t make you passive.
Developing emotional intelligence can be difficult, but one way we do it is through storytelling—and we’ve been doing it throughout human history. Star Trek has always stayed current and was often prescient, with “Spock being the best character of the entire franchise because of the insight he offered us.” Star Trek shows us both how we can be and how to celebrate our differences.
It may all be fantasy and meaningless to some, but these messages are significant. All of us long to express who we are. This was my first comics convention. I already can’t wait for the next one. FanX shows us how to find truth by immersing ourselves into these worlds and into these characters—and what we’re left with is profoundly real.
FanX Salt Lake: September 22 to 24, 2022
FanX Salt Lake
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