| ARMAGEDDON EXPO 2009 |
| Written by Benjamin Bartlett |
| Monday, 26 October 2009 15:22 |
 If you happened to be driving down Greenlane West this Labour weekend, you may have noticed swarms of peculiar, pale people with a skip in their step and a sparkle in their eye. Watching in awe, you would have wished with all your heart that you too could be in such a state of bliss. Armageddon. The one time each year that the freaks and geeks (including myself), are drawn from the safety of their dimly lit dungeons and lured into the deep clutches of pulp-culture. After conquering a queue that would put the Rainbows End log flume to shame, you are confronted with a labyrinth of stalls. Wandering dazed and slightly overwhelmed you're bombarded with Batman tee's, bargain DVD's, obscure comic books at ridiculous prices, shiny medieval weaponry and plate-mail to match. If the visual feast wasn't enough, the aural pillaging of every man and their dog with a sound system pumping loud, loud "Look at me!" music, pushed me closer and closer to the edge of insanity. Thankfully, there was a quiet cafe corner to retreat to with blueberry muffins and flat whites within a reasonable waiting time frame.  Not surprisingly... the main attraction was not the attractions, but the attendees. Everywhere you looked, were prepubescents wielding novelty swords, to even grown men and woman sporting full suits of armour and robes from their favorite anime's and movies. There was the odd questionable choice of costume for a family event, but nobody seemed to care too much. Which at first bothered me, but then I just accepted that it was Princess Leia, and she can wear what ever the hell she wants. All the children were pre-occupied any way; harassing R2D2 and convincing their parents to let them ride the doggy looking carnival rides. Not to mention lazer tag and glow in the dark mini golf! Then there was the weird-to-gross wrestling ring, and roller derby combo in one big room. Heck, don't get me wrong... I enjoy watching butch-lasses destroying each other on skates as much as the next testosterone filled galoot, and have been known to spend hours searching Youtube for the most gruesome knock out. But there is something about two sweaty men holding each other awkwardly and watching girls furiously and deliberately obliterate each other, that doesn't quite sit right in my soul. This room I mostly avoided.  I did manage to catch a glimpse of the Madman entertainment highlights. The guy presenting it was ultra laid back and just casually put on a trailer for a new Nazi zombie flick coming out named 'Dead Snow'; making parents cringe, children cry and me laugh - all at the same time. On a lighter note, if you're a fan of anime, or want to be, keep an eye out for 'Sword Of The Stranger'; it will be a goody. And if you generally like movies, I highly recommend you jump at any chance to see the newest Hayao Miyazaki flick 'Ponyo'. I was virtually wetting myself during the trailer. The time flew past, fun was had, the end of the day came... and I can honestly say I'm looking forward to next year. Already planning my cosplay costume. Although I can't decide on the Flash or Batman.. The fastest man alive, or Millionaire ninja. We'll see.  |
