09/06/2026
How to put this weekend at Tampa Bay Comic Convention into words? Let’s give it a shot …
I presented three panels this weekend, and each one exceeded anything I had expected. When you spend months developing an idea, building a presentation, rewriting material, rehearsing jokes, and trying to anticipate what an audience might find interesting, there is always a lingering fear that you will walk into a room and discover that no one else is as excited about it as you are.
That did not happen.
The audiences were tremendous. People showed up, filled the seats, stayed engaged, volunteered, asked thoughtful questions, laughed in the right places, challenged ideas, and genuinely became part of the presentations. These did not feel like lectures delivered to a room. They felt like conversations and shared experiences.
That level of participation cannot be manufactured. It comes from people being generous enough to give you their attention and willing enough to take a chance on whatever strange combination of law, storytelling, superheroes, and audience participation you have invited them into. I never take that for granted.
I am especially grateful to everyone who attended one of my panels, and even more so to those who came back for another. There were many other things you could have been doing at the convention, and the fact that you chose to spend part of your weekend with me is both humbling and deeply appreciated.
Outside the panel rooms, the convention was its own extraordinary world. The cosplayers were incredible. The creativity, craftsmanship, humor, confidence, and sheer commitment on display were remarkable. Some costumes were spectacularly elaborate, while others were wonderfully clever in ways that made you stop, look twice, and smile. Every one of them added something to the atmosphere.
The vendors and artists also deserve enormous credit. Booth after booth was filled with original work, collectibles, artwork, handmade pieces, and people who clearly care about what they create. Events like this are possible because talented people are willing to bring their work into public, stand behind a table for hours, talk to strangers, and hope that someone connects with what they have made.
And none of it happens without the convention staff and volunteers. They answered questions, solved problems, kept everything moving, directed crowds, supported presenters, and somehow remained gracious through a long and demanding weekend. From my experience as a panelist, I felt welcomed, supported, and genuinely valued.
I came home tired, grateful, and already thinking about what I could do better next time (Salt Lake City in two weeks!). But more than anything, I came home reminded of why gatherings like this matter. People came together because they love stories, characters, art, imagination, and the freedom to be enthusiastically themselves for a weekend.
Thank you, Tampa Bay Comic Convention. Thank you to the staff, volunteers, vendors, artists, cosplayers, fellow presenters, and every person who walked into one of my panel rooms.
You gave me a weekend I will remember for a very long time.
Brian
