A Sketch from Tracy Yardley!

We interrupt whatever passes for a regularly scheduled update for something a little different. This previous weekend, the girlfriend and I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to attend Momocon. I've been to a number of local cons up north but none of them compare in size to an event like Momocon. First off, you had to ride down about six escalators just to get to the proper convention floor. Secondly, once you finally arrive, you are greeted with a car show. That included – and this is going to matter to exactly nobody reading this – a screen-used Herkimer Battle Jitney from the 1999 motion picture "Mystery Men!" It's the finest non-lethal military vehicle ever made! Considering the Ben Stiller starring superhero parody flop is a minor cult classic at best, I can't imagine anyone else in attendance was excited by this. But I was. Because I think "Mystery Men" is one of the funniest movies ever made. You can ask the GF. I actually shouted "Is that the Herkimer Battle Jitney?!" when I first saw it. 

So, anyway, why am I bringing this up? Because it made me happy. But mostly because one of the reasons I traveled to Momocon is because it had a few "Sonic the Hedgehog" related guests. Jason Griffith was probably the main attraction for the hedgehog-inclined crowd. I know Griffith is the iconic voice of Sonic for many fans, having been tenured as the English voice actor for the hero from 2003 to 2010. I was basically checked out of the games during that period and have barely watched the dub of "Sonic X," so I can't say Griffith has much personal significance to me. Says a lot that the game I've played the most featuring him as Sonic is "Super Smash Bros." Besides, we were only there for Saturday and the lines were long.

No, I basically only had one goal at Momocon. I wanted to meet Tracy Yardley – should I spell that with an exclamation point? – and get him to draw a sketch for me. The dealers' area was massive and filled with people selling all sorts of stuff. Some of which, like home-made fudge or tea bags, were barely connected to the anime/animation/gaming focus of the convention. Not too much specifically "Sonic" related stuff for sale, though I did spy one booth selling Eggman and Werehog body pillows. Did the girlfriend have to talk me out of buying one? I'll never tell. 

After much walking around and navigating of crowds, I finally found the aisle where professional artists and comic people were shilling their wears. Seated under a little sign featuring the blue hedgehog was Mr. Yardley. After a few people ahead of us asked their questions and left, I approached the table. I said my piece, about how I had been a lifelong reader of "Sonic" comics and how I felt Yardley and Ian Flynn's arrival on the Archie book really revived a faltering series. Finally, I sheepishly admitted I run a small "Sonic" blog called Hedgehogs Can't Swim. And that I would like a sketch of Sonic drowning to, ya know, fit the theme. Yardley was happy to oblige and drew it up in about ten minutes. I stood by awkwardly and watched, not sure what else to do but really impressed that he whipped up something so professional looking in such a short amount of time. He even asked if I wanted modern or classic Sonic. What a pro!

Here it is. Pretty cool, right? Probably the closest I'll ever come to having my little endeavor in this fandom acknowledged professionally. I assured Mr. Yardley that this wouldn't be even in the top ten weirdest things he'd draw that weekend and he agreed. I can only imagine the dumb-ass shit people have asked him to sketch at conventions...

In an attempt to squeeze a few more words out of this post, I'll say this as well: There were quite a few Sonic related cosplayers at the convention. Most of them, it seemed, were femme versions of Sonic, Tails, and Shadow. I'm sure there are interesting psychological reasons for why that is. Probably because most any lady looks cute wearing little hedgehog or fox ears. I'm too shy to ask cosplayers for pictures usually and the Saturday crowds were massive enough that trying to single out someone was  awkward. I did convince a very nice Rouge cosplayer to pose with my partner, who was dressed as Lilith from "Darkstalkers," since they were both bat-themed. For that reason and that reason alone, I assure you.

We were only there for a few hours, mostly to meet friends and people watch, so I can't pretend I got the full breath of the Momocon experience. Still, it was pretty cool to visit a con far larger than what I'm used to. If nothing else, I will probably treasure the sketch from Yardley for years to come. Think I can convince the missus to let me frame it and hang it up in our bedroom? It'll go great next to my Eggman body pillow...