Small conventions are getting rarer and rarer these days. And, while the big conventions are definitely great opportunities to meet pop culture and comic book legends (if you can stomach the price and the long waits), there is something magical about the more intimate setting of a smaller con, with some of your favorite characters and passionate vendors. Dallas is lucky to have a few of these conventions throughout the year.
All-Con 2018 is one of Super Kaiju’s favorite weekends of the year. The amount of care and effort they put into the programming, as well as the stellar line-up of guests, makes it something we always look forward to. And, adding to the ranks of their previous Star Wars guests, All-Con 2018 welcomed four incredibly important representatives of the franchise (Of course, Brandon got very excited about each of them and stammered a lot. Apologies in advance.)
We first caught up with Derek Arnold (puppeteer and performer for The Force Awakens, Rogue One and The Last Jedi), following our great, brief interview, gave us even more stories, especially about The Last Jedi. As you can see in the The Director and the Jedi, the incredible documentary on the home video release, the creatures and characters that Derek portrayed were vastly important to the overall production. We highly recommend asking him about Luke Skywalker milking him, which is a weird phrase to write but is now canon. (His confidence in Solo was also very exciting, as if we couldn’t line up any earlier for opening night.)
Angus MacInnes (Gold Leader) was a real delight to talk to, especially because he patiently listened to Brandon as he described his visceral, nearly-tear-filled reaction to his triumphant appearance at the end of Rogue One. He also signed in gold ink, which was a nice touch.
David Ankrum (the voice of Wedge Antilles) was as personable and kind as ever and we can’t wait to see him again. (For more Super Kaiju conversation with the legendary voice, check out our video interview from All-Con 2017. He is the best.)
Brandon is still kicking himself after we left the table of John Morton (Dak, “Bespin Boba”) because, confident that he had already gotten his autograph previously, he didn’t ask for a quick picture. He is the only person who played Boba Fett that Brandon does not have a picture with … so we’ll just have to wait until next time he comes to Dallas! He spent a long time with each visitor and fan, telling stories and passionate recollections of his time on set and beyond.
We cannot wait until the next installment of All-Con (and which Star Wars legends will be showing up this time)! Thank you to Todd Carlton from All-Con for arranging such a great convention, as well as Zachery McGinnis from Galactic Productions.
Bring on All-Con 2019!
