Svengoolie’s second day at C2E2 promised to be a long one. In addition to his scheduled photo op and autograph signing, he’d also participate in a special “45th Anniversary of Svengoolie” podcast panel hosted by John Siuntress from Word Balloon. When Svengoolie and crew arrived, we quickly went through security and up the escalator to the main hall. It was fun watching people’s reactions to him – especially since many initially assumed he was just a skilled cosplayer.

As mentioned in my previous post, the crew’s first order of business was an interview with voice actress, Tara Strong. Once we reached her, they began filming post haste. I’m looking forward to hearing this interview on TV since, despite having witnessed many Svengoolie interviews over the past twelve years, I can never hear any of them. From what I could see, it went well, and the guys working with Strong were visibly starstruck; also wanting photos with Sven.

We brought our bags and equipment to “base camp” (a table we’d scoped out the day before behind the scenes) and noticed the spot once full of available golf carts was now empty. This meant Svengoolie had no choice but to hoof it to the photo-op area and pronto as it was scheduled an hour earlier than Friday’s. This photo op brought in more people including some familiar faces such as Sarah Goolie and Drew the Svenard’s Man. The last time I saw those two was at Flashback Weekend last August. In a shocking twist, I learned the two have since been married! I’ve been so out of the loop since leaving Facebook and Twitter last year (though I ain’t never going back).

A big, if not belated, CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah and Drew!

When the photos were done, a C2E2 staff member handed Jim the keys to a golf cart that was waiting nearby so Svengoolie wouldn’t have to walk back. Much to the surprise of myself and Sven, Jim passed those keys over to me since he had other business to attend to. If you could’ve seen the look on Svengoolie’s face, you’d swear I’d been handed the keys to a small passenger plane with instructions to fly him over the Grand Canyon. Sensing his trepidation, Jim lectured me on the importance of keeping Svengoolie safe as if I’d contemplated slugging a 5th of vodka before taking the wheel. Having worked at Brookfield Zoo, I have a lot of experience driving golf carts and even had to get certified in a golf cart safety course. If you think that’s overkill, try cruising through a zoo full of thousands of people on a busy summer day to pour plastic into an empty Mold-a-Rama machine. 

I’ve got great news, folks…I drove Svengoolie back and he lived to tell the tale. Later, Jim rejoined us and said we had an hour and a half to kill before Sven’s signing. With their permission, I went to Artist Alley on my own. First, I went to see John Beatty who, among other things, inked the original MARVEL Superheroes SECRET WARS 12 issue limited series 40 years ago. I was thirteen then and it helped transform me into a dedicated comic book collector for the next twenty years. Beatty was selling facsimiles (a comic reprint with all the original ads and letter sections intact) and I bought one for him to sign. He was personable and we discussed MARVEL’s famous love-him-or-hate-him Editor in Chief, Jim Shooter, who made the book happen while also lamenting the impact SECRET WARS had as the first big event comic. Now, every summer MARVEL and DC interrupt their main titles with some “event” that usually falls flat. I hate to tell you, MARVEL and DC, but it isn’t much of an “event” if it’s happening yearly. 

From there I headed to Patrick Horvath’s booth to grab a fun variant cover of his fantastic “Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees” comic. It’s about an adorable bear named Samantha living in her cute, anthropomorphic town where she owns a general store. Every once in a while this seemingly sweet bear takes a day trip to the city so she can brutally murder someone. Yes, Samantha also happens to be a serial killer. After she discovers another homicidal maniac starts killing in her hometown she knows she’ll need to deal with it before the police pick up on her activities. It’s a great book that recently completed its limited series run and, in my opinion, stuck the landing. It’s definitely worth grabbing when it comes out in a trade paperback later this year. The issue #1 variant cover I chose is an homage to Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax” and much cheaper at C2E2 than I’ve seen it going for on eBay – plus I got the author/artist’s signature which made it even better.

There’s a misconception that good deals can’t be found at conventions. Further debunking that theory happened the evening before when I landed a brand new Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Volume 5 for less than offered on Amazon, In-Stock Trades, or CheapGraphicNovels.com. And that was even before the absence of paying taxes and shipping. 

I headed back to Svengoolie and crew with plenty of time to spare. I’d already had my Svengoolie: Lost in Time comic variant covers signed by Svengoolie and co-writer, Jim Roche, at Nightmare on Chicago Street. It was now time to get his other co-writer, Chris Faulkner, to add his.

We gabbed about past C2E2’s before leaving for his signing. Instead of just an hour to sign like Friday, he’d get a whole hour and fifteen minutes today (woo-hoo!). And, after gazing out at the turnout, I knew he’d need all the extra time he could get. Instead of one long line, this time there were two of them! 

I saw Drew and Sarah Goolie again and congratulated them on their whirlwind romance. I’m looking forward to seeing them again at Flashback Weekend and hopefully this time with their pal, Nanette. 

Once again, it was my job to take photos of fans with Svengoolie using their own phones or cameras.

One man brought his sketchbook full of beautiful drawings and asked Sven if he’d draw a self-portrait caricature in it. 

Another man (dressed as Sven) brought his homemade Svengoolie Teddy Bear to have signed. 

After accommodating his fans, we all walked out onto the main convention floor hoping to garner footage for the show. These are the most unplanned moments of his “Svengoolie on the Road” segments

.This year he…

…spoke to Cosplayers (while I photographed a few myself)!

…posed in a Barbie box!

…interviewed a group that creates ALIEN replicas!

…had fun with the DeLorean from Back to the Future (1985)!

Afterward, Svengoolie returned to base camp while Jim and I scoped out the upstairs hall where John Siuntress would interview him. The panel wasn’t for another hour but there was already a long line to get in.

We reunited with Svengoolie and the rest of the crew before two C2E2 staff members driving golf carts picked us up to bring us to the elevator.

Once we reached the upper floor, we followed them through a catacomb to the hall’s side entrance. At this point, the fans were all seated and we joined them before Siuntress introduced Sven.

And this, my friends, is where my telling of this story ends. 45 minutes into the discussion, I realized my train would soon leave the station. After a brief goodbye to Jim (and Svengoolie via email the next day), I high-tailed it out of there and headed home. It was another successful C2E2 for Sven and I’ll be working with the crew again at Flashback Weekend.  And I look forward to telling you all about it.

Dave