Ah, the last day of the con. For logical reasons, the last day is the slowest day of most cons. Most of the big-name special guests are gone. So are some of the bigger presenters and seller booths. The artist alley area also is always trimmed down. Such was the case with Anaheim. Yet, I found a way to make it a busy day and not let the slow down affect the day.

The last day of the con, my wife and I were joined by Daniel “Shadow” Shatto and his wife. With the compressed hours of operation in mind, we quickly scoured the floor for some of the art prints and sketches we waited all weekend to buy (since on the last day of a con, most artist are quick to make deals) and made our way to the first panel of the day.

I had been looking forward to this panel all weekend. For some reason, the guests at this particular panel are rarely given any time at conventions for this kind of stuff. So, the fact that they had an hour to do what they did was a treat beyond treats for me. The panel was the Hearing Voices voice acting panel. Featuring actors who have portrayed some of the most memorable cartoon characters of the past and present, it was a thrill to sit there and listen to all they had to say.

From their experiences breaking into the world of voice acting to tales from their long careers, it was a breath of fresh air just to hear their stories in an intimate setting. Guest at the panel included Gregg Berger (voice of Grimlock from the 1980s Transformers series), Rob Paulsen (voice of Pinky from Animaniacs), Maurice LaMarche (voice of Brain from Animaniacs), Jennifer Hale (voice of Dr. Naomi Hunter from the Metal Gear Solid video game series), and Candi Milo (voice of Dexter from Dexter’s Lab). The best moment of the panel was when Rob Paulsen, who also voiced Yakko Warner, belted out a rendition of Yakko’s World from the classic episode. That moment alone was priceless.

After leaving the voice panel — and making the very difficult decision not to cover the children’s costume contest, which I am now kicking myself in the ass for — we went back to the show floor and did the best we could with the day. Some people started packing in early and calling it a day. Vendors and guest who took note of that started to do the same. But I wanted to make a full day of the event, so the group and I stayed until the end of the show. I am really glad we did. It paid off in a way I could only dream of, and I am so eager to share it with you all.

One thing we were able to do with the slow day was get some one-on-one interviews with the voice actors and actresses at the show — not just the ones from the panel, which we also got, but others who were not at the panel and are some of the most well-known people in their fields. A few of them in particular who made me giddy with excitement were Bill Farmer (the iconic voice of Goofy), Billy West (voice of Fry from Futurama), Phil Lamarr (voice of Green Lantern John Stewart from the Justice League animated series), and Sugar Lyn Beard (voice of Rini from Sailor Moon). Meeting them was simply amazing, especially meeting Bill Farmer. As a huge Disney fan and former cast member, getting the chance to not only talk to him, but to get it all on video ... it was awesome. I was trying not to geek out, but I am sure I did.

To meet people like Catherine Tabor (voice of Senator Amidala from the Star Wars: Clone Wars series and the voices of Charlie Brown and Sally Brown from the 1980s version of the Charlie Brown series) were incredible moments. I tried to be as professional as possible, and I hope I was, but when you meet people you have admired for so long, it is hard to keep your emotions in check.

Day three of the con may have been the slowest, but it is definitely the one that will stick out most in my mind. I had many great times at the 2010 Anaheim Comic Con, seeing Tom Hutchison again, meeting more of our friends from Top Cow, getting Stan Lee’s autograph, meeting William Shatner, Ilya Salkind, Lilian Garcia, Adam West, the Iron Sheik, and many other celebrities, and yes, even Kato Kaelin; it was just fun. What I also love about cons is meeting new people with similar interests and making new friends. I met three in particular this time around, and I hope to stay in contact with them. Seeing some old buddies again, such as Heather Harris and Alexis Cruz ... I have to admit, I had a great time. I can't wait to come back next year.