I live in a house full of geeks. We are proud of our geekdom. We have been Supanova attendees for years. But this year was a different experience for me, because I booked a table in artists’ alley. Together with fellow Odyssey authors, Carolyn Denman and Elizabeth Jane Corbett, I got to sit back in a reverse goldfish bowl and watch the amazing parade pass by.

I love Supanova because everyone gets to celebrate their favourite fandoms. As Elizabeth said, it’s like book week, but for grown ups. The Cosplay ranges from minimal effort to awesome. There are heaps of opportunities to hear big name stars talk and even to get up close and personal. And there is merch. So much merch. From amazing original artwork (I’m looking at you Samantha of Mamath.net!) in all sorts of styles, to star photos, DVDs, life size replicas, pop vinyls, pillows, Cosplay accessories… aargh! There are too many tempting things.

So here’s my wrap up of the best of Supanova:

Most amazing Cosplay:

Mary Poppins. Played by a little girl who was about 5 at a guess. The costume was perfect, right down to the decorations on her hat and the full Victorian skirt.

Most common Cosplay:

Captain America. Last year it was Game of Thrones. This year GoT barely got a look in. Cap was the man of the weekend. Although running a close second was the Tardis. Usually as some form of dress. Although I did love the one where someone had a galaxy print dress, and a tiny Tardis sitting in her hair.

Most gender-swapped Cosplay:

Loki (of course!). Most surprising was Kiki (of Delivery Service fame).

Unbelievably awesome turn your head accuracy:

Moss. With the internet. Enough said.

Most awesome event of the entire Supanova weekend:

When my niece said, “You know, I’m allowed to have 2 people with this token. Do you want to come and have a photo with Peter Capaldi?”     YEEEEEEESSSS! I first saw Peter Capaldi long before he was Doctor Who, in a movie called Local Hero, in 1983. Check out a young Peter Capaldi on IMDB by clicking here. Getting your ‘photo with a star’ is very rushed, but I told him I’d been a fan since Local Hero, and I got the inside scoop – they’re making it into a musical next year. I may look a tiny bit awestruck in the photo.

I also loved getting to chat with the denizens of Artists’ Alley. There are so many amazingly talented writers, artists and artisans out there. It was also great to see a lot of the crowd supporting them, buying small press or independently produced books, prints and crafted pieces. This is where you will find originality in storytelling and art. Sure it’s great to see the figurines from Weta or the 4 billion (and counting) pop vinyls, but if you buy from an independent artist you are helping them live their dream. And that’s a great superpower to have.

Of course my post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning that Harlequin, who is the ambiguous trickster at the heart of Harlequin’s Riddle, got to meet Harley Quinn. So that was pretty cool.