My spring Comic Con tour started in Toronto and ended in Boston. If you're not in the know about all-things-Comic-Con, then you probably don't consider the "man behind the curtain," or, who puts these things on.

Wizard World puts on Comic Cons all over the country, including Toronto, Philly, Chicago, Mid-Ohio, Austin, and New Orleans. Their latest acquisition is the "Big Apple" Comic Con for 2013, but that's not the same as the New York Comic Con. Comic Cons in other areas of North America are put on by other companies, like the San Diego "International" Comic Con and, of course, East Coast Cons like Baltimore and Boston.

The Boston Comic Con was a lot of fun. Toronto had a ton of celebs and so, was more about individual fans of individual celebs...and, Yu Gi Oh. There were lots of tween, teen, and young adult boys looking for the opportunity to play in tournaments. You had Artists' Alley, of course, but there were more browsers than buyers because the crowd was more interested in celebrity-sightings and photo opps, using the vendors as a sort of time-filler/killer. In Boston, the focus was on comic books themselves. The celebs? Guys like Al Jaffe of MAD magazine. There were also a ton of families--including mom, dad, and older teens with younger siblings. There were great costumes at both Boston and Toronto, basically, fans who dress up as characters from everything to Star Trek and Star Wars, to X-Men...there was one Merlin from the SyFy show of the same name in Toronto, and one Katniss Everdeen in Boston.

The space was different in Boston, all encompassed in one long, very wide hallway, or branch, of the Hynes Convention Center. The Hynes Convention Center is accessible via the Prudential Center and Copley Plaza off of Boylston Street. Great location near high-end shopping and eateries, as well as more family friendly venues, right in downtown Boston. The hallway was lined with vendors selling all kinds of interesting things, but also, lots of comic artists and indie film-makers, as well as people in costume for photo-opps with fans. On the right side of the hallway, or plaza-level, there were separate rooms for speakers like me, as well as a zombie movie-marathon, while the left had a very large space used for Artists' Alley. There were artists from all the major Marvel and DC groups, as well as Th3rd World and the artist for Cinderella, a great female-hero driven graphic novel. There was about 8,000 fans trolling the Boston Comic Con, mostly in costume. There were no lines, plenty of space and lots of friendly, smiling faces. There was a real fun-vibe happening at the Boston Comic Con. And I was there on the second day. Which tells the whole story, doesn't it?

In Toronto, the speaker rooms and celeb Q&A's took place in one wing of the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto, also near  restaurants as well as the famed Rogers Stadium and CN Tower; the featured rooms were in the center of the wing with hallways and access doors on both sides. Further down, you could find tournament rooms and on the second level, there was Artists' Alley--a warehouse-sized space that had food vendors all around the perimeter, artists and authors in the center and at the back, celeb photo/autograph stations. Like the Boston Comic Con, Toronto had two main rooms for speakers--one large (480-person capacity) and one smaller (350-person capacity). I was originally scheduled for the smaller space, but like Boston, we made a few last minute changes to accomodate the show. Wizard World offers VIP ticketing so for every event or speaker over the course of the day, there were two lines--one for VIP ticket-holders and one for people with general admission day passes. There were two long lines of people waiting to enter the room for my show...which somewhat freaked me out when I realized what was happening. I've had large audiences before--but never people willing to stand in line for 20 minutes to see me. And in Toronto, unlike Boston, no one in attendance was a family member or friend--but I did meet plenty of fans of my books, and, of vampires in general, and, of the supernatural, and, of paranormal romance, and, of superheroes...so it was a real mix that made for a very enthusiastic, engaged audience.

The fans for my Boston show numbered upwards of 120 or so. In Toronto, my audience was almost double that. Of course, the room in Boston seated about 120 (as opposed to Toronto--which seated 480!), and yes, there were people standing up in the back in Boston. Now, what made the Boston audience even more awesome was the surprise. What surprise? Let me explain:

I was scheduled for a room without a projector; the problem there is part of my show at all Comic Cons depends on a multi-media presentation I made specifically to go along with my talk. Without the visuals and sound  to go with my presentation, it would be like serving pancakes...without the syrup. Dry. And tasteless. So, the promoter for Boston had offered to rearrange the zombie movie-marathon so I could do my show properly. Very generous of him, because it meant tweaking the schedule. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make the changes in time to get into the program. So as I spoke to a full room yesterday, while the fans were just awesome and super-engaged in my talk, actively asking questions and sharing comments, I mistakenly thought most were in the room for the zombie-flicks. After I closed my talk, and the kind applause resounded around the room, not only was I bombarded by pop culture enthusiasts, but I realized as we cleared the space before getting George Romero's Night of the Living Dead on the silver screen, that the room was empty of all but five people. That crowd, the people who squished-in, even stood up, to listen to my talk weren't just being polite, they were there specifically to see my show. I am a Native Bostonian and there were five people in attendance who knew me--so what about the other 110 +/- folks???

It was awesome to see so many people pack the room just for my show. I loved my time in Toronto, too--don't get me wrong. It was fabulous. But being in my hometown and having people who didn't know me show up just to see me was pretty amazing. I was humbled, and grateful.

My Comic Con tour continues this fall. Stay tuned for more details! What am I doing in the meantime? Well, for starters--TED. No, it's not what you think. I'll be presenting in the field my Doctorate is in, Medical Humanities, for a TEDx talk in New York this June. I'll also be participating in an event at Yale this summer. By September, I'll be back on the Wizard World Tour for at least two of the three fall Comic Cons scheduled in Mid-Ohio, Austin, and New Orleans.

So what's the big deal? Why are hundreds of people packing into rooms at these Cons to see me? Well, you'll just have to see it for yourself. I can tell you that I do have a book chapter coming out on vampires in popular culture in the definitive book edited by Jody Pennington, Evil in Pop Culture, coming out next year. And yes, there are other projects in the pipeline. A hint? Sure!

Things aren't always black and white...sometimes, they're in Shades of Grey...and other colors, too: Purples, golds, reds, blues, but I've already said too much. ;)

So, you want the dish? The insider-info on all the dirty details??? Sure, I can help you there. Hang on to your hat!

CW-darling, Torrey DeVitto, who plays Melissa Hastings on Pretty Little Liars and Dr. Meredith Fell on Vampire Diaries, is as sweet, nice and TALENTED as you would imagine her to be. She has natural grace under pressure and handled difficult fan-questions during her Q&A with husband of one-year, Paul Wesley, like a champ. Yes, I was moderating the panel. And yes, Torrey was sitting next to me. She was wearing a super-flattering black and white jacket and killer heels. Donning the in-style of darker hair with light-ends in loose curls, she shined. Plain and simple.

DeVitto and Wesley married a year ago this month on the 16th; DeVitto's talents go way beyond the silver screen to her violin. Yes, she's a terrific musician. Her father was a drummer for Billy Joel and her middle name is in Joel's honor. She even played her fiddle for Christie Brinkley at Brinkley's wedding to Peter Cooke.

What I loved about the couple was how Wesley generously shared the spotlight and limelight with DeVitto. There were about 400 screaming females of all ages in the 45-minute Q&A that took place at 3pm EST at the Metro in Toronto. The "talent," as celebs like Wesley and DeVitto are called at events like this, enter the room a few minutes after the session starts. Because, as moderator, I had to lay down some ground rules first. And, get the crowd even more frenzied for their brush with Vampire Diaries fame. Tough job, but someone's got to do it.

The two came running in after my intro and got right to work, engaging with excited fans. Wesley had no problem joking easily with fans, even when one made a comment about how small Wesley is in person. DeVitto picked up the question, explaining how television cameras add height and width to people. And she's right. A television camera adds about ten pounds to a person's perceived frame, and, because of perspective, adds a few inches as well. Wesley also admitted to having slacked a bit on his daily Vamp Diaries work outs, saying playfully, "What do you want? I'm tired...," followed by his signature James Dean-like smile.

DeVitto and Wesley were tight-lipped about next week's season finale, hinting only that Stefan develops a new relationship.

Another interesting revelation was when a fan asked Wesley if he'd ever watched the evolution of Joss Whedon's Angel to prepare for his role as the Ripper. Wesley stunned us all by saying he's never seen Boreanaz's work. Ever. We were all a bit disappointed to learn that Wesley isn't a fan of the genre he's a part of. But that's what acting is all about, isn't it? As fans, we'd like to imagine the people who portray some of our favorite characters are just as enthusiastic as we are.

Wesley also revealed that if he wasn't acting, he'd be writing. I found this of particular interest as a writer and writing professor, and almost handed him my card right on the spot.

DeVitto said she always knew she wanted to be in show biz while Wesley said it was something that evolved over time for him. His favorite movie: Goodfellas. DeVitto, on the other hand, named three--including Newsies.

Now, in case you're wondering, the schedule for a celeb at Comic Con is rather grueling. You're meeting and greeting people for several hours in the morning; you get a short break for lunch before prepping for your next appearance--usually a Q&A--followed by more photo opps with fans. Your hand is cramped by day's end; your throat is dry. You can only see blue spots before your eyes because there have been cameras flashing in your face the entire day. You don't have time to change, so you're sweating--all day--with only brief moments of privacy to touch up and refresh on the go. You have to smile constantly. You can never slouch. And eating or drinking is out of the question because press and photogs are always looking for that "everyday" moment to sell to mags. Even walking down the hallway is a chore because you can't do it without being followed by flashes and promises of eternal love. And the thing is, these actors are just people. Like you and I. They simply embody the ideas writers pull their thinning hair out to develop for you, the fans. And yes, I pull my hair out on a daily basis.

Speaking of hair, Wesley claims to do his own trademark spike.

As moderator, I had to wrap the session at about 3:50pm to get the next celeb (Gerry Ryan) in the room on time; not an easy thing to do, given that the Q&A line at the mic was still 20-people deep. But Wesley and DeVitto were very personable with their fans, giving each question careful consideration and elaborate answers--the kind that you wait in line for 45 minutes to hear. Luckily, Paul Wesley was gracious enough to offer to do further meet-n-greets in his booth stationed along Artists' Alley on the upper level.

Before Torrey DeVitto left the stage, she looked for me to shake my hand, thanking me for my work. She cued Wesley to do the same before their hasty departure. I was holding my cane in my right hand and wasn't quite ready for the back-handed hand-shake so Wesley apologized and shook my other hand, also thanking me before being deluged by fans asking him to stop and take a picture with him. He was being ushered out by his manager and bodyguard, even though it was clear he loved his fans and would have stayed in the room all day chatting them up if he could.

Wesley and DeVitto's first-class flight to Toronto wasn't as easy as one might imagine; not only was Joan Rivers a passenger (so one may find their fashion choice of the day under scrutiny on her next episode of Fashion Police), but the couple had to endure their plane being struck by lightening! DeVitto said it sounded like one of the plane engines had died when they were first hit; she thought the plane was going down. While Wesley joked that he knew they'd be fine, having previously read about how a plane's construction is meant to hold up to lightening. He laughed as described the odd way the pilot came on the speakers, commenting about how it was Friday the 13th so weird things were bound to happen. Indeed.

Before DeVitto and Wesley's session was set up, SyFy's Being Human cast members, including Meaghan Rath, Sam Huntington and Sam Witwer were doing their own Q&A. I was prepping for my spot with Paul and Torrey so was unable to sit in on their session but did rub elbows with Huntington, Rath and Witwer as I was getting on stage for the Vampire Diaries show at 3pm. The chatty threesome, particularly Huntington, were super-friendly with fans and staff. I didn't have time to get too involved but can tell audiences that as I was prepping on stage, Witwer gave me a good, hard, long look. Up. And down. Witwer is six years my junior so I was terribly complimented, especially given his rumored connection with the gorgeous, Alexa Davalos. Three people were responsible for my look that day: Kate Somerville (and her insanely good skin care), my colorist, Jason (who made my hair absolutely perfect for the occassion even though I'm the worst client in the world), and of course, the indominable Roberto Cavalli (for his Moorea batwing blouse that not only helped me keep my cool all day long, but helped me look the part as well). Oh, and lest I forget to mention the adorable, Dr. Irwin Smigel, who has helped celebs like Kelly Ripa keep their smiles whiter and brighter for years--thank you for your generosity.    

Three years ago, I went through a terrible trauma. More cruelty than anyone can imagine. It caused me to have health difficulties that included neurological symptoms like losing feeling on my left side, decreased mobility, weight gain, and depression. So as I stood on stage yesterday with the talented, generous and kind Paul Wesley and his lovely wife and co-star, Torrey DeVitto (whose million-watt smile is even more dazzling in person than on screen), I felt as though--with the help of friends mentioned above and my manager, as well as the love of my life, Bob--like the vampires I so passionately study, write, and speak about, I was born again. Into a new life. A better life. One where dreams can come true. And the cruelty that has caused not only me, but all of humanity, to turn to fanged-monsters as our saviors, has disappeared.

My one regret? Not having the time to tell Torrey and Paul that they'd be perfectly cast as Ana and Christian in the upcoming movie production of Fifty Shades of Grey. Oh, and by the way, if you are a fan of James' work, I can only hint at connection to an upcoming project surrounding the now infamous "mommy porn"--the dominant to Ana's submissive, as it were.
 
More to come on Toronto Comic Con 2012!!! And stay tuned for next week's reflection on the Boston Comic Con:

Must. Eat. Brains.