<html><body>As Elie mentioned, Mid-Ohio is at a new venue, at the Columbus Convention Center. Since the new home is bigger, the parking situation is a little more complicated than at the Hilton, and there is more than one thing going on at the center (today, it was the Investools Workshop and Joan Epstein's Bat Mitzvah). We finally found a parking lot and the con entrance at about 10:15, and were able to walk right in. The new home definitely has more room for the convention to grow, and until then, we had plenty of elbow room. It was nice having everything in one hall, as opposed to the setup they had the last year we went to Mid-Ohio at the Hilton, when the special guest tables were lined up in the hallway and vendors tables and artists alley were in separate ballrooms.<br><br>Yodazone gave an excellent play-by-play of the Groo Panel. Nothing to add there.<br><br>As usual, Sergio was a delight to visit with, both about Groo and whatever random stuff we end up talking with him about. We saw him after the panel and he apologized for the stories told at the panel being a lot of the same ones that get recounted at most Sergio and Mark panels, but I assured him that much of it was actually new to me--it just seemed like the same stuff to him because he goes to every Sergio panel, whereas we fans don't have that chance. Later, we chatted a little bit about writing and he gave me some sage advice about breaking through the inevitable mountains of rejection that come along with writing on spec.<br><br>Later, we went to the roast of Maggie Thompson, emceed by ME. Bob Ingersoll had apparently planned a bit that relied heavily on 1) that he is a lawyer and 2) the contents of a briefcase. Item #1 went off well enough, but the briefcase he used was an old one, and in the middle of the bit, he realized he had forgotten the combination to the lock. ME to the rescue, somehow managing to open the left half of the briefcase, while leaving the locks intact. Closing the briefcase will be another matter entirely. Quite an impressive display.<br><br>We've been to San Diego, Motor City Comic Con, Mid-Ohio and Wizard World Chicago (multiple years on all except the last). Of those four, Mid-Ohio is the only one that remains almost entirely a true comic book convention, where the focus is firmly on comics, with only minor presences from the sci-fi, pop culture, renaissance fair, ex-Playmate and video pirate people. I like the sci-fi and pop culture aspects of San Diego and Motor City, but it is nice to go to a convention for comics.<br><br>Janet<br></body></html>