Just back from Otakon 2007 in Baltimore, and boy was it great!! ^_^!!

For those of you who went too, feel free to post comments on my take of the weekend's events.

I'll just skip to the highlight of the weekend: PORTFOLIO REVIEWS!!

Yes, TOKYOPOP's Portfolio Review booth was secretly pushed into the corner thanks to some last-minute additions to the schedule and whatnot, but...surprise-surprise, the reviews sessions were still a major success! We were located just across from the ADV booth in the dealers room, in a section labeled "FLEX SPACE" in brilliantly-colored chalk. Our space was frequented not only by artists, but also friendly and fun-loving con-goers who simply wanted a place to sit down. ^_^
First: a quick shout-out of thanks to all you talented (and persistent) artists out there who had the guts to seek us out (or hunt us down??) with such fervor! I could go on and on, listing every great artist that came our way, but I'm happy to say that with every session, there was a handful of real gems that I definitely plan on contacting in the near future! (wink, wink)

Anyhoo, aside from waiting at the Portfolio Review table for (unsuspecting) artists to show up, I had a grand time scouting the vast field that is...Artist Alley. @_@ I don't think I've ever seen such a large collection of artists in one place (except for on DeviantArt). And speaking of DA, it was incredible to find so many of my favorite artists pitching tent and selling their masterpieces before my very eyes. Nay, I didn't buy anything, but that's because my walls are already full of other's works (mainly along the Avatar and fantasy stream...)
Oh! Actually, I DID buy some beautiful jewelry from a booth or two--they 'll make great gifts to myself and others. ^_^

Aside from the splendor of talking to artists about fulfilling their dreams of being mangaka, there were also a few panels I checked out...
Murakami: It was great to see how full the room was, all just to see the incredible manp0rn-spewing artist in the flesh (mastermind behind GRAVITATION, for those of you who don't know). And I must say, even from a distance, she looked great. Much more attractive than I'd imagined. Also, pretty well-spoken and enthusiastic about answering her fans' off-the-wall questions. XD I can imagine she got quite a kick out of seeing nearly half of the panel attendees cosplaying as at least one of her characters. There were plenty of questions about her smuttiest creations yet--the MEGAMIXES, which I'm guessing are like her REMIXES only on steroids. @_@ Yippee~~
There was also a panel on EGL (elegant gothic lolita) that I found informative, fun, and perfectly targeted for the average American EGL member. I do hope they contact me to talk about the possibility of helping with G&L content for our mook.... Woot!

Another highlight of the weekend: KATIE CONNELL!
She's the newest addition to the TP family, and she is now the mayor of the TOKYOPOP website. For those of you who frequent the web enough, you may already know her penname: TheMischeviousFox. Anyway, this girl is a hoot! We met up with her the 2nd day of the con, and pretty much had a grand old time together for the rest of the weekend. I feel like we've got a lot in common (she even likes the SUPER MARIOS BROS movie like me!! ^o^!!) and she's so easy to talk to. <3 <3
Personal likes aside, Katie's a whiz at managing online communities, and has a great eye for picking out the flaws in a website. Namely, our own beloved TOKYOPOP 2.0. I know there are some of you out there that like the website as is, but i know there's plenty of space for improvement to make this the smoothest and most easy to understand it can be!! (Be all you can be.     ....@_@ What?)

I'd love to go into detail for every luscious meal we had in Baltimore, too, but I think I'll end it here, and let you simple imagine how great all those olives were...

Can't wait to hear any shout outs from fellow con-goers! <3