Intervention Thoughts

Another Intervention come and gone, and right on its heels the Fall weather arrives. Perhaps its appropriate, the hot season is ending, the comics heavy cons for our region are done for now, and here Intervention comes, the perfect transition con for the masses to enjoy. That's actually more than just hyperbole on my part. Intervention to me feels much the way the Autumn feels: relaxed, transitional, full of colors, full of delights, crisp on the skin and promising more pleasures in the future.

For those who haven't been, Intervention is the internet convention. Yes, yes, it sounds like a cute idea for marketing, but the con stays amazingly true to the idea. And like the internet it isn't always easy to define just what "it" is (especially if you step away from literalism for two minutes). And like the internet, what topics interest you tends to influence just what parts of Intervention you'll find.

Met up with Liz, dressed as a lovely version of
Dragon from Shrek (image from Intervention/Onezumi)

The big draw for the con is the same thing that draws a lot of us awake on Monday mornings when we stumble to our desks for nine hours under the lights: webcomics. Intervention does more than the usual panel-and-chat-about-comics thing though. The webcomic artists had a chance to interact with guests in a couple of ways that I see attempted at other cons, but never see come to fruition. First, was the vendors room/ artists' alley/ guest tables are all combined into a single space. Not always feasible for larger cons, but it didn't feel like the artists were banished away to an unfindable alley on the opposite side of the hotel from the "please take my money" vibe of the vendors' room.

Alright, that makes it convenient. But what made me pleased was the fact that the vast majority of the folks trying to sell me something in there were the artists themselves. Maybe I'm a snob. Maybe I'm unrealistic. But if I'm purchasing something for the aesthetic pleasure of the piece (and yes, someone's art actually seduced money out of me), I like to meet the person who made it. That and to be honest, most folks that actually make a go of it, that get their art and writing out there, they tend to be neat people. They tend to be the folks you enjoy a minute or thirty of conversation with.

The second point that sticks out about the webcomic artists that Intervention invites in is that they participate in the types of panels I see less often at local fan cons: business panels. Now, maybe I've just missed them previously, maybe I've been dragged off to cosplay and Brony panels by fellow DCG writers too often, but this is the first con where I've seen a whole track devoted to ideas like monetizing your online work, forcing tech to do your bidding, how to deal with contracts, and the like. There was a combination of "you need to know this" and "you can do this" that was amazingly energizing.

I needed to know that I could grow up to be a time-travelling Jesus.
(image from Intervention/Onezumi)

It's that feeling that makes Intervention such a welcome Fall addition for me. There is an attitude around the whole con that is one of relaxed energy, of exhausted excitement. You want to make art? Then make art, and here's some ways to refine what you do. You want to blog for a living? Not easy, but its possible, here's some channels you can explore and some pitfalls to be wary of. Want to make a kickass Kickass costume? We can help with that.

And it wasn't just in the programming. The staff was tight, friendly, and amazingly competent, one of the best set ups I've seen in a long time. The variety of activities was broad, though the con is still very much a growing con. Gaming rooms, video game cabinets out for play, the art room that invited anyone to leave their best work on the whiteboards, the video game console room all add to the feeling of "well, I'm done with that, let's go do something else." There's something magical about watching co-op Borderlands 2 go while the Rock Band set up to the side plays a death metal playlist, and what looks like someone's hungover aunt tries to become a Fruit Ninja, all sharing the same space at seven in the morning. Cosplay was relaxed and casual, with zombies lumbering through the halls and Tom Servo's cousins chatting up the guests.

The hotel itself feels perfect for Intervention. The ability to offer free wi-fi for all convention Enablers was a nice bonus. But most importantly as this was the Internet Convention, throughout the hotel's spacious interior there was almost no natural light. The atrium has no windows, and most of the rooms had windows overlooking the hotel bar rather than facing the accursed day star. As one of my roommates for the weekend muttered upon my mention that it was 11:00 and time to get up, "Wait, AM or PM?"

How to sum up? Intervention still has the feeling of a small con, and I mean that in the best of ways. I never felt alone, but I never felt crowded out. Even getting into the more popular events, such as Cosplay Burlesque, wasn't a challenge. The atmosphere was relaxed and playful, the guests were engaged and the congoers lacked the high-strung tension of the larger cons. I found new artists and writers that impressed me enough that they’re already on my daily feed. I have some ideas for future DCG events. The con rejuvenated me, entertained me, and sparked of some plans for the future. Am I going back next year, even though they're moving the date? Hell yes, I'm going back. And that's about as high a praise as I can give a con these days.


DC Geeks would like to thank Oni and the Intervention staff for letting us cover their convention this year, and for acting as such gracious hosts. We had a wonderful time and discovered the true joy of having a con staff willing to schedule guest interviews for us. Thank you!