SUNDAY—–
In our last episode, Tim attended panels, talked with TV people, dined with them, and fell asleep before midnight!
Woke up at 6 again. Partly the time zone, partly a positive anxiety, I didn’t mind. More time to get stuff done! I packed, and then drew Claymore in Michael Charles Hill’s sketchbook. Kickily’s opening piece was action and facing right, so I thought mine would be quiet and facing left.
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In our last exciting episode, Tim flew to Texas, missed lunch, talked with friends, and got helpful book advice!
SATURDAY—–
Click all photos to enlarge.
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INTRO—–
The story of me attending the 2025 DFW G.I. Joe and Action Figure show begins in September of 2023 when I went to JoeLanta, which you can read all about elsewhere on this blog. Greg Brown helped run that show, was friendly, and one of several people who asked if I was attending “the next show.” Not the following year’s JoeLanta, but the next G.I. Joe convention in an informal circuit of smaller regional shows, like Kentuckiana, ToyLanta, or DFW, whatever that acronym meant. I was already committed to two other annual G.I. Joe conventions, plus a film festival every September. Trips are great and I never regret attending a con because there are always book people to meet or catch up with, but trips add up and can be tiring. Every flight or drive to a hotel is a weekend I’m not at home working on immediate projects, or at my store.
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In our last episode, Tim bought astronaut napkins, serenaded a crowd of 40, and drank terrible booze.
[Part One/Thursday] [Part Two/Friday] [Part Three/Saturday]
Click all photos to enlarge. “Mark” with no last name is the host of Talking Joe, a podcast I co-host.
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SATURDAY——
[Part One/Thursday] [Part Two/Friday]
In our last episode, Tim spent hours at a toy convention looking at, sorting, and buying comic books. Then, he tried to talk to everyone he could.
This is the big day. Whereas Friday is set-up for vendors and just a few hours of shopping, plus two panels, Saturday at JoeFest 2025 was eight floor hours, from 10am to 6pm (with an early entrance for folks who paid extra), plus eight panels and other activities, and that’s all before the evening’s planned and unplanned socializing. But a day like this goes by fast. Blink and you’ve run into a long-lost friend, looked at two dealer tables’ worth of march, and then it’s time for a panel, and three hours have zipped by.
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FRIDAY——
In our last episode, Tim flew to Augusta, ate food, and saw people!
(Three reminders, “Mark” sans last name produces a weekly podcast that I co-host. The “toys for sale!” photos are out of order and a way to break up all this text. Click any photo to enlarge.)
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INTRO——
Going into JoeFest, held in Augusta, Georgia, I was excited. This would be my third year, and I had made more friends, so the socializing would be, should be, a little easier and enjoyable. Attendance at 2023’s show was 10,000, and I heard an estimate that 2024 was 12,000. Would this year’s be higher, as more people hear about the show and maybe the Skybound comic books get more people (back) into G.I. Joe? Yes. I don’t have a number, but I do have confirmation that this year’s attendance was over last year’s. Neat.
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Jump back to [Part One/Thursday] Jump ahead to [Part Three/Saturday] or [Part Four/Wrap-up]
FRIDAY – – – – –
A nice reminder that morning light and sunset are different colors, even to my not-great camera phone. This would be the first of three days in a row that I woke up long before my alarm, a combination of timezone shifts, the end of Daylight Savings a week prior, the phenomenon of the hotel/different bed, and general convention excitement and anxiety — don’t sleep in or you’ll miss something! (Click all photos to enlarge.)
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SUNDAY – – – –
[Note: An earlier version of Part Three had Breakfast with the Sarge on Saturday the 22nd. In fact it was Sunday the 23rd, so I’ve moved those four paragraphs and two photos here. Sorry! No, you’re not crazy, you’re just seeing them again.]
In Parts [One], [Two], and [Three], Tim traveled to JoeFest in Augusta, Georgia, saw people, walked around, ate stuff, and attended a panel. And now, our exciting conclusion!
Once again, I was unable to sleep in. The Marriott bed wasn’t the greatest, and in general I was pretty amped up the whole weekend — in a good way — so it was hard to fully relax. That the convention would only be open from 11am to 3pm on this final day were a real mercy — that’s a late start after so much staying up late, and no early hours. But notably, the show would end “early.” I feel like when I was younger, toy and comics conventions went until 5pm on the last day, but maybe everyone noticed attendance tapering off as people departed and dealers anxious to start the trek home started packing up. With these floor hours in mind, every minute counted. (I’ve certainly found the final hour of some cons at which I have tabled these last few years to be quiet, so maybe this is a post-pandemic thing.)
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In Part One, Tim flew to Augusta and started having a great time at JoeFest ’24. Then, in Part Two, he continued that trend, despite dropping an amazing chocolate ice cream sandwich on the sidewalk! Read on for Part Three…
You may be at a G.I. Joe convention if you see this outside:
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A Real American Book! 