Gaining some XP with Marvel. The Marvel Expierence

My 28th birthday was on Monday and in true nerdy fashion I wanted to celebrate it with some of my favorite heroes. I had wanted to check out The Marvel experience at Fair Park in Dallas, ever since I heard it was coming to Texas.  I thought that my Birthday would be a good excuse (like I *REALLY* needed one anyway) to see the interactive exhibit starring the likes of Captain America, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Wolverine ,Thor, and a certain billionaire philanthropist. Iron fist and She-hulk also make appearances as well.

The experience begins by allowing you to make your own S.H.I.E.L.D. Identification card  S.H.I.E.L.D which stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (pretty official sounding, huh?) is lead by Nick Fury and often teams up with The Avengers to fight various villains. After you create your badge the computer will send it to the email you provided but you can also buy hard copies of it in the gift shop, I thought this was super cool and probably one of the neatest souvenirs I have ever gotten.

Isn't it awesome? I am  5'1,  so I am really short. the computer screen was actually two high up to take a picture of me. thus, my boyfriend actually had to lift me up ballerina style to take this photo. It says superhuman because Mutant was not an option. My goal is to one day become an X-Men, seriously.

Next you enter a series of domes and are briefed by several heroes. Stan Lee can even be spotted. Once inside the major doom there are lots of interactive activities, like "hulking out with hulk" and posing with your favorite superheroes on the big screen. The Hulk one was really fun because you stand in front of the interactive screen and throw punches as big green, himself. to summon your favorite heroes, you had to stand on mini platforms and make certain poses.

This was difficult because many of the poses required both hands which is difficult for me because I have to maintain balance with my walker.In truth, a lot of the interactive activities were difficult because they were designed for able bodied people in mind.  I could not enjoy the activities like climbing up a rock wall with Spider-man or the Black Widow Agility maze which I totally understand but my walker hindered things like flying with Iron Man and pretty much everything in the interactive area. this confused me because I had read that the Marvel  Experience was accessible. I did however get to do the blaster training which was so fun we did it twice,

At the end of the interactive portion you are given a shield charm fr the wristband you are given  in the beginning. from here, you enter a transport where you are attacked! I thought it was really neat to end the experience with a simulated ride,  However, it would have been super cool if we were given fake blasters in this area. It would have allowed visitors to use the "training" we received and made this part interactive,

This section conveniently lead into the gift shop which had various items featuring the superheroes from the experience but overall it was slightly disappointing for the serious marvel collector, I did however buy a hard copy of my badge, I wonder how many times I will accidentally hand that to someone instead of my ID? It was fun regardless of the setbacks I experienced but it could use improvements to accommodate everyone.

First Post-Hello!

Hello!

If you are reading this, I am honored to say that you have stumbled across my fist blog post.  I think I should begin with a little introduction before I expose you to my general nerdiness.  My name is Ann and I am a 27 year old college student from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I am currently trying to earn my Associates Degree in teaching before I segue into library technology and become a children's librarian. Yay books! (insert an Agnes from Despicable Me-esque song about books here)

In the two and a half years that I have lived in the state of Texas, I have searched my local Toys-R-Us, toy stores, dug through bins at flea markets,  and  have scoured the dealer room at many local conventions for toys and comics.  It is safe to say that I love anything of the action figure variety. My main collections range from My Little Pony, She-Ra and He-Man to any super hero related figures . I have absolutely swooned over a Masters of the Universe Fright Zone play-set before purchasing it. I know the utmost joy that finding a toy from your childhood (that you either had or dreamed about) can bring to someone.

I have also been known to cosplay at local conventions as well.  If you are unfamiliar with this term, cosplaying is when a person decides to dress up as their favorite character- be it from a comic, television show, whatever.

Now....

Here is the part of my blog where I explain the other half of my user-name. In addition to being a female of the super nerdy persuasion, I also have a disability.  I was born with a mild form of Spastic Cerebral Palsy  (hence the gimp part of my user-name) and because of my disability I have to use a mobility aid.


 Does this stop my desire to dress up? NO.
                           



 (Me as Rainbow Dash at Dallas Comic and Pop Expo)

Am I doomed to cosplay Barbara Gordon as Oracle for the rest of my cosplaying days? NO.

 ( side note: If you haven't already, go read the Killing Joke by the great Alan Moore. seriously. DO IT! It is one of my FAVORITE story lines in comics, EVER. I cried for DAYS... because I cry at everything)

Will I eventually cosplay as Barbara Gordon as Oracle? Yes, because I love her. This is not because she has a disability but because she is a strong female and AWESOME.

Was I ever apprehensive because I am cosplaying with my walker? Yes, and honestly I still am (usually for the first 15 minutes upon entering the con.)


here is where I let you in on a secret... ready?

The cosplaying/convention community here is so full of love for others dressing up and showing love for their fandoms.  sure there might be jerks that think, oh that girl is too chubby to be______  or girls can't possibly *really* like Star Wars. Thankfully, that sort of thinking is becoming more and more rare. With the explosion of comic book movies onto the big screen and shows like the big bang theory being shown I think this is the best time to be a nerd.

So, Join me on my quest to share my nerdiness and improve my costuming!  Please? I am burdened with glorious purpose.

-Ann A.K.A. The Nerdy Gimp