My experiences meeting actors at Dutch Comic Con and Dortmund Comic con!

In November, I went to Dutch Comic Con (my second time this year), and last Sunday, I went to Dortmund (Germany) to attend the German version of Comic Con. A lot happened, and today I’m gonna tell you all about both events!

Dutch Comic Con

This was my fifth time attending Dutch Comic Con, and the second time I decided to go by car. Definitely a good decision. Anyway, I went as Eddie Munson in terms of cosplay, and immediately went to my photo session with Dan Fogler, a.k.a. Jacob Kowalski in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. It took quite some time before they’d get started, but once it was time, and I saw him in real life, I couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of me! It didn’t feel as hurried as with other photo sessions I’ve attended, so that was definitely a plus. Once I had my photo taken, they put it in a protective envelope, which I truly appreciated. I then went to stand in line for his autograph session. He came way later than the time they said he’d arrive, but that was okay. I didn’t have anything else planned in terms of meeting actors. I basically had all morning, even though I was supposed to meet up with a friend, her sister, and her sister’s boyfriend. Once it was my turn, finally, I picked a free photo to get signed and complimented him on his role and music taste, because boy did he have good music on whilst signing! He signed my photo, I said goodbye to him, and spend the rest of the day browsing the many stands, buying a couple of drawings and Harry Potter-related merchandise. The staff was amazing, spoke English very well, and so did the people selling stuff. Definitely a huge plus! Sure, the number of actors joining was very slim and not really exciting, but it’s a small con. Can’t really expect much of that.

Me and Dan Fogler!

Dortmund Comic Con

Arrival + negatives

My dad drove me to the con, which was a three-hour drive. Once I arrived, it was about 10:15 a.m. I quickly put my Eddie Munson cosplay on and said goodbye to my dad. Walking to the venue, there wasn’t any type of clear indication as to where you had to go. Not really any clear signs. I just followed the crowd and eventually got inside. Once there, I had no idea where to go or what to do. I had to scan my upgrade pass, yet it wasn’t clearly indicated anywhere. I only saw a few people selling photo booth tickets and autograph tickets, and a few waiting for those who had bought a meet and greet. I decided to get rid of my suitcase first, but when I walked to the wardrobe, they said they wouldn’t take the luggage, and it was said to be around the corner. However, that hallway was completely blocked by people waiting to watch famous people walk up and down the stairs. I even asked if there was a different way to get there, but none of the staff spoke English very well, and no one even know where things were. Not off to a great start. Eventually, the people got pushed aside so others could pass, and I managed to store my luggage. Once that was taken care of, I went back to look for where to scan my upgrade pass. Once I got my wristband, I could finally attend the con itself. It was at this point way past 10:30 a.m.

First autograph and photo session

I went to the autograph hall and looked around to see which actors were there, and which ones were signing. I saw Lance Henriksen, Tyler Posey, and Crystal Reed signing from a distance, but I had my eyes set on a particular goal: Jason Isaacs, a.k.a. Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter. Once I stood in line, which was pretty long, I saw the fast lane line getting longer and longer, and they had priority over us normal people. That was pretty annoying, especially because they kept coming and we had zero chances of going first until that line was completely gone. And some of them had ten items they wanted to be signed. Jason even apologised for how long it took. I was having major anxiety at this point because my first photo would be at 11:45 a.m. and it was already way past that. I had been standing in line for over an hour. Once it was my turn, finally, and I stood in front of him, my heart melted. This man is my youth. Not only as Lucius, but like so many other roles he has done. So, I thanked him for all the roles he has played and he said: ”there’s no way you’ve seen all of them.” I chuckled and said I had seen most of them. To which he replied: ”I’m sorry for having wasted your time watching all of them.” I chuckled and said that it definitely wasn’t the case, I enjoyed all of them equally. We talked a bit longer and I eventually gave him a letter after asking if it was okay to give him any in the first place considering he was seated behind protection for covid. He said, of course, thanked me for it, chatted a bit more, and I said goodbye. For now. After this, I had to run to my photo session with Tom Wlaschiha, a.k.a. Dmitri/Enzo in Stranger Things. I was almost too late and they were basically done until I came running. I made it just in time. He was really nice and took his time with me. We took our photo and I asked him if I could hug him and he said: ”yes, of course! Come here!” Best hug ever!

Me and Tom!

Second and third photo sessions

After that, I immediately queued for Joseph Quinn’s photo session, a.k.a. Eddie Munson. Past me walked Brett Gelman, a.k.a. Murray Bauman, walking over to the stage for his panel. Pretty awesome to see that. Once we were ready to walk, Joseph walked past us with his bodyguards towards the photo booth, and everyone began screaming his name. You could see his bodyguards immediately tensing up, and Joseph getting uncomfortable because it was a clear sign his bodyguards wouldn’t allow him to hug any fan. When it was my turn after he had left for quite some time to get his makeup redone, I assume, I walked over to the spot and he said: ”you look amazing dear! You look so lovely!” I wasn’t the only one cosplaying as Eddie, but I appreciated the enthusiasm so much! It made me melt on the spot. We took the photo and he said: ”I’ll see you later, dear.” And gave me a wink. That’s when I fully melted. After that, I went to the queue for Jason’s photo. It was 1,5 hours later than when I saw him for the autograph. Once it was my turn, he said: ”you gave me a letter this morning, right? I hope the relationship you described will improve. And I truly appreciate what you’ve said and thank you for your support.” And he could’ve only known about that relationship if he had read the letter. The fact that he had read it in his break made my heart melt. This man is one of the most humble, amazing human beings I’ve ever met. He takes the time to talk to you and appreciates you for appreciating his art. It was amazing to meet my childhood hero this way!

Second and third autograph sessions

After this, I went to meet my lovely community friend! She was queuing to ask Jamie Campbell Bower a question, and I saw him up close too. Dude, he’s so handsome! Anyway, we hugged a ton and I eventually parted ways to head to Tom’s autograph session. And oh my god, he’s truly amazing with people! When taking a selfie he takes at least five with you in different poses. And behind me were these amazing sweet Dutch people who spoke English, thank god, and we talked a bit until it was my turn. He said: ”oh, you were just in time this morning, weren’t you?” We laughed about that and I praised him for his roles, especially as Dmitri/Enzo, to which he said it was an amazing role. But when I complimented him, he first gave me an ‘oh please, stop!” look, the cutest one ever! He even blushed, which made my heart melt! He asked if I had met Joseph already and I said yes. He went: ”was it worth waiting for him?” So I said: ”yes, but so was waiting for you.” And he blushed again. After that, we talked about how he’s German and definitely not Russian, and I said goodbye after thanking him one last time. And this unknown lovely lady who stood behind me before had filmed me without me even asking her to do so. She saw I was all alone and figured I wanted to have that as a memory and I thanked her a million times for that. Such a sweet woman! After that, I went for the last activity of the day, namely getting an autograph from Joseph. This queue took super long, and we didn’t move for a whole hour. My anxiety returned because I had to leave pretty soon as my train was booked for 6:00 p.m. It was at that time 4:30 p.m. I had to leave at 5:00 p.m. But he luckily returned, because he had been gone, and once it was my turn, I sadly had to rush it a bit due to that. There was also this lady behind me who tried to go before me and I snapped at her saying I was first. I mean, sorry, but I was. When it was my turn, he said: ”hey you!” And I melted again. I don’t quite remember what I said to him due to my anxiety and stress, but it of course wasn’t anything bad. And I was so mesmerised standing in front of him that I was more or less looking than saying much. Anyway, he signed my book and I asked if I could give him a letter. He said, ”of course, you can, dear. Thank you so much, I appreciate it.” I said goodbye and he winked at me, thanking me for coming to see him. Then he extended his hand, and I shook his hand with my sweaty hand, realising I could never wash my hand ever again! Kidding, but he shook my hand! I melted, again. For the millionth time. Both of them, Tom and Joseph, were also so humble and incredibly kind and grateful. Both also take time for their fans and that meant the world. Oh, I also saw Grace van Dien and Elodie Grace Orkin when I rushed to the exit.

Me and Joseph!

The travel back

This is where everything went to shit. I first had to get my luggage back, which wasn’t a problem at all. I changed my clothes and booked a cab to pick me up at 5:15 p.m. I lost my internet connection and couldn’t walk to the station or contact the cab driver, which made me super anxious. I also hate taking cabs because I simply don’t trust cab drivers. But I had to because the walk to the station would be 40 minutes and I was unknown there, plus it was below zero degrees and I wasn’t dressed that warmly. I had to take the chance. I tried to steal some extra Wi-Fi, got a license plate, and walked past the row of taxis trying to find mine. Once I had, he barely spoke English, and I tried my best German to make him understand where I had to go and when I had to be there. And this guy was honestly very shady. He kept asking very personal questions like where I was from etc, and he was even texting whilst driving. And the shadiest part, I had paid, via PayPal, yet this guy had never heard of PayPal before. He asked if I had cash, and I said yes. So, he turned on the timer and we drove there. I texted my friend saying he had to keep talking to me because I didn’t trust this guy, and I send him my live location. Once I had finally arrived, I paid him and said he could keep the change. I just wanted to get the hell out. I said I wanted my suitcase and he had completely forgotten about it. Once I received it, I walked towards the train station. I’m deliberately not describing a certain part here that some people know about. Those who know what I’m talking about know. Anyway, I went to the platform and waited in the cold for my train to arrive. Once it came, I honestly had no idea you had to wear a mask. It wasn’t shown anywhere, and once the conductor came by, he asked me where my mask was. I explained I had none because I didn’t know it was mandatory, and I was a tourist being there for only one day. He yelled I had to get out if I didn’t have a mask, ready to throw me out of the train, when a very kind older man took a package of new masks out of his bag, very carefully took one out for me, and handed it to me. I thanked him and received a very nasty look from the conductor before he moved on. After this, I had to transfer and got out in Gelsenkirchen, where I shoved dinner inside before rushing to the platform. That wouldn’t even have been necessary because the train was late. At some point, the train completely disappeared off the board, and I was standing there confused. Luckily, the train came about 15 minutes later and I could board. However, during the ride, we stopped close to Rheins. There were some technical difficulties and I at that point wanted to cry. I had never wanted to go home that badly before. Luckily, it took them only 15 minutes before we could continue our ride. I arrived way later than planned in Leer, where I officially had to take a bus, but my dad was so kind as to pick me up there. From there, it’s only one hour to our house. I hugged him so tight because I was so relieved to finally have someone speak my language again and for it to be someone familiar and not endangering. I got in the car and we drove home.

One more complaint

Lastly, I want to say that the prices for meeting people were insanely high. Overpriced, actually. I get they have to earn their money back for booking so many famous people for two days, but the prices were honestly ridiculous. I spend quite a lot of money meeting only three actors. It was of course more than worth it, but it’s not something you just do. You can’t do such things on impulse. It’s way too expensive for that. I get covid happened and all that, but it was honestly insane, price-wise. Definitely, a thumbs down for me. And again, the whole organisation was pretty terrible as well, more or less in terms of receiving help when asked. It didn’t feel as welcoming as it did when I attended Dutch Comic Con. Though, when I received my photo of Joseph, there was this one amazing staff worker whose energy was amazing. I could definitely vibe with that. Whoever you were, I take my hat off for your enthusiasm! Or was it during Jason’s session? I honestly can’t remember… But in the end, despite everything that went wrong after the con had ended for me, meeting them was like a dream come true, and I’ll cherish this experience for the rest of my life. It was totally worth it, and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it for the world!

Me and Jason!

Love, Skye Lewis ❤

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