It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Spencer Beghtol! A second year here at UT, you can find him taking improv classes, hanging with the Men of Excellence, and being the voice of Comicon!
Her Campus Texas: What is Comicon?
Spencer Beghtol: For the past two years, I have been the Announcer for Texas Comicon. It is a comic convention based in San Antonio that will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2014. It is a place where all things geek and pop culture come together.
HCTX: What do you mean by that?
SB: Every year, Texas Comicon has guest celebrities, comic creators, and local comic sellers. Some notable celebrities from this past year included Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in Star Wars, and Charles Fleischer, who voiced Roger Rabbit. There are also vendors who sell comic books, toys, tee-shirts, DVDs, video games, and many more items. We also have writers and artists of comic books located in their own area dubbed “Artist Alley.”
HCTX: You said you were the announcer for Texas Comicon earlier. How did you get that position, and what do you do?
SB: As the voice of Texas Comicon, I announce the times of panels, and let guests know any other pertinent information, like if a celebrity is leaving at a certain time, so attendees don’t miss getting an opportunity to meet them. I got the position by asking the convention manager, Kris Kidd, if he needed any help putting on the show. He told me he could use an extra pair of hands and had me work the information desk. The microphone for the loud-system was right next to the info booth, so I started telling attendees upcoming scheduled events over the intercom. Kris liked the way I did that, and asked me to come back the next year.
HCTX: Who is your favorite superhero?
SB: It has to be Spider-Man. He is so relatable. He not only has to save the day from the bad guy, but he also has real problems like taking care of his old aunt, trying to find enough money to pay the bills, and trying to talk to girls.
HCTX: Do you have a favorite Comic book?
SB: I am really into Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s The New Teen Titans. It was popular in the 1980s, and I enjoy every issue I read. I’m still trying to get a hold of some of them, though!
HCTX: If you could have any superhero power, what would it be?
SB: Super strength would definitely come in handy with all of those pickle jars… I think it would be cool to have the power of a Green Lantern. They can create anything by sheer will of their mind, and I think the power of thought is really interesting.
HCTX: What is your favorite movie?
SB: Back to the Future!
HCTX: If you could have any actor play you in a movie about your life, who would it be?
SB: Me. Why should someone else get all of the fame and fortune?