Comic Expo

Last year I went to my first Fan Expo in Toronto, and I had a ball, so I was really excited to hear that there was a Comic Expo taking place in Busan this past weekend. I was certain it was going to be mainly Korean comics, but I figured it might be cool to learn about Korean comics. And who knows, maybe they'd have some North American comic stuff, or a funky Korean interpretation of North American comics--like an anime version of the Avengers or something.

After two and a half hours of travel time on the bus and subway, KyoungHwa and I finally arrived at the Bexco Convention Centre in Busan at around 3:00. There were people in costumes walking around the main plaza area outside the main entrance, posing for pictures for anybody who asked. I was disappointed to not see any familiar characters, but they still had some funky get ups.

The dude in Burgundy is the king of Korea. They are bowing to their king. They are not worthy.

The creature with the red cape has brought shame upon his family, his king, and his country.

Great shame.

Once inside, my heart sank down to my feet; this "expo" was just four short aisles of comic artists selling nothing but comics, banners, key chains, and not much else in terms of merchandise. And three quarters of the comics looked like some sort of variation of Sailor Moon.

There was one North American vendor in the bunch, though--a fellow from Halifax--so I bought a comic from him to support a fellow Canadian.

It turns out that this expo was just a small show that happens once every two months; the real expo happens later this year. Hopefully I'll be able to check that one out as well.

Although the expo turned out to be a bust, I did manage to score a couple of treats, so it wasn't completely a waste; and I was more than happy to spend the day with KyoungHwa, who apparently has seen more of Canada than I have. She plans on going back yet again in February to visit friends in Regina and Edmonton. She's a friendly soul and great company to have when you're spending close to three hours in transit.

After the two of us parted ways, I decided to take advantage of being in Busan on a beautiful Saturday, and I called up Nate and Kirsten to see if they'd be down for some Mexican at Fuzzy Navel. Instead, they invited me down to the beach to hang out with them, Scott, and Hye. I'm ever so envious that Haeundae Beach is right at their doorstep.

One of the many reasons I love Nate and Kirsten is that they're the type of people to bring supplies to make your own mojitos to the beach. It was a perfectly gorgeous day for drinking on the beach.  Thank God the warm weather has arrived.