This past weekend I got to go to my first Comic Con FanXperience in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah. What’s more, I was invited to be on a panel called “Once Upon A Time and Grimm: Why Adults Love New Age Fairy Tales,” along with authors Aneeka Richins, Sara B. Larson, Nicole Giles, Mikey Brooks, and J.R. Johansson, as well as Daniel Bishop the Storyteller.
When my 14 year-old son, 3 of his buddies, and I ventured into the Salt Palace Convention Center, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Suffice it to say, it was not like any conference I’d ever attended. The place was crawling (and rolling, zombie-walking, floating, etc) with characters from every comic book, movie, fairy tale, and TV show imaginable. In the ballrooms, panels and presenters entertained and enlightened. In the halls, princesses, villains, dinosaurs, and Ninja Turtles posed for pictures. In the showroom, fans perused booths hawking toys, costumes, books, and artwork. Fans could play games, get their photos with celebrities and notables, pose with giant trolls and Darth Vader, sit in a Batmobile, mingle, and snack on great food to their hearts’ content.
Wendy Toliver in Red Riding Hood cosplay
Panel at FanX15, Once Upon A Time and Grimm: Why Adults Love New Age Fairy Tales
Wendy Toliver listening to fellow panelists impart their knowledge and ideas about fairy tales
There was so much to do; never a dull moment. What I loved most was how friendly everybody was. Every time someone wanted to photograph or videotape me, they politely asked permission. Many stopped me to tell me they loved my costume or warn me that the wolf was trying to get me. Little girls followed me around as if I was a Disney Princess. And, of course, “Once Upon A Time” fans flocked over to me to tell me how much they adore Red.
While on the panel, I announced that I’d written a book about the popular, lovable, intriguing OUAT character, Red, and that ONCE UPON A TIME: RED’S UNTOLD TALE (Kingswell) is coming out Sept 22, 2015. To hear the audience cheer, and to have so many Oncers come up to me to say how they couldn’t wait to read it, made me so happy and excited about the book and the show and all the magically wonderful things it represents.
FanX was an experience I’ll never forget, and I can only hope that I get to go to more Comic Cons in the near future.
Wendy Toliver 