Dana Braziel, 25

Booth girls seem both approachable and unattainable. Is that fair?
It's fair enough to say, but there's a variety of reasons for that. For example, I'll also work the booth for my web site, where I'm wearing just a T-shirt. Sometimes guys come by and snap my photo, and when I try to talk to them, they put their hand up. I can't describe to you the feeling of them going, "I don't want to talk to you. You're just here for me to gawk at."

What's the worst encounter you've had at ComicCon?
This one guy grabbed my boob. I was working the booth for my company. I had a T-shirt on with the company name on it. This guy was supposedly a staff photographer and he was taking pictures of me in the company shirt in front of our banner — the slogan is "Get Geeked" — and after he stopped taking pictures, he just slid his hand onto the side of my boob and said something about getting geeked, and I freaked out. I was alone at the booth, so I turned to the curtain behind me and shouted, "This guy grabbed my tit!" They put him in handcuffs but we couldn't get him arrested cause I live out in L.A. But they did make him cry, which I was happy about. I've had friends who've had a lot of nasty encounters, so I was pretty happy about it.

What could a polite nerd here at Comic Con do to get your number?
If someone had a really good conversation with me about the booth, and was cute, I would be much more willing to do it than if someone just saw my little schoolgirl uniform and asked for it off the bat. Also, I live in L.A., so if I'm at a convention out here, I'm a lot less likely to give it out. I'm a lot more likely to do it if I'm talking to someone who knows what they're talking about — someone who has a genuine interest in what I like.

What kind of nerdy proclivities do you have of your own?
Well, my day job is working for a company called Geek Chic Daily. It's a website that talks about all sorts of geek culture — movies, television, video games, comic books. I'm the social-media outreach coordinator. I love sci-fi, I grew up on Star Trek, I love costuming — for Halloween, I'll make the most elaborate costumes like the Corpse Bride or someone from Pirates of the Caribbean. It's all about fantasy, really. I've been through a lot of shit in my life, so what I want in a movie or a book is really an escape — I want pirates and princesses, adventure and romance. Whether it's Star Trek or something from Tim Burton, I want something that's not in my everyday life. Batman, too. I love Batman.

What costumes do you find attractive on others?
Personally, my favorite comic-book character is the Riddler, but everyone I've seen dress as him has had a horrible costume. I have noticed that girls really like it when a guy dresses up as Wolverine. I mean, Spider-Man can be a cool costume, but you have to have something commissioned to make a good Wolverine — and I'm not talking about just a shirtless Logan. I'm talking about the full-on, yellow bodysuit. You have to have a good costume and be in shape. Girls love a good Wolverine.

Do you ever get away with anything because of your good looks?
Oh yeah. I've noticed the difference between when I do and don't wear makeup. When you "pretty up," you get treated so differently. People are nicer to you and even take more interest in what you're saying. Being an attractive female does hurt sometimes, because you think people don't take you seriously, but everyone wants to talk to a pretty girl. Even other girls want to talk to pretty girls. Little girls love talking to pretty girls, because they want to be like them when they grow up. It's like in Interview With A Vampire — the little girl becomes a vampire and she can't grow up. Then she sees this beautiful French woman and says, "Why can't I be her? I want to be her!"

What makes a booth girl better in bed?
Actually, I would say a lot of those pretty girls can be lazy. Sometimes you want someone who's a little feistier. You've got to be careful, because some girls think they just have to look good. You can't just lie there. You've got to do something, too.

Do you have time for guys, or are you too busy?
Um... I make time where I need to. I do have someone I've been seeing regularly for a while.

How can I convince my girlfriend to wear a costume for me in bed?
Just be honest. Tell her that it's your fantasy and that you'd like to try it. Take her shopping, offer to dress her up. A lot of girls would be fine with that if a guy said, "This is what I like" and took the time to show her and hold her hand through it. It can be scary, because when you dress up — you could have known them for ten years, it's still scary to get naked in front of them. You feel silly sometimes, because you're in such a vulnerable state. For someone who doesn't do it a lot, it's kind of like being naked in front of the whole world.

If someone cheats on you, what should you do?
Something like thirty to fifty percent of people cheat. It's a harsh reality. You learn that the way to deal with something like that is to look at it as a problem you have to tackle together, not as someone doing something to you. But if my boyfriend were to do that... I'm close enough with him that I think I know about everyone in his life. If that happened with somebody I know, I'd wonder why he could be with that person when he could be with me. I don't think I'd handle it well.