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| "Zach, stop coming to work like this. I can't keep covering for you." "I'm not Zach! I keep telling you, call me TK421!" (image by Joi Ito) |
But cons also take more planning than just a weekend jaunt, and often times a lot more in the way of a hit on the budget. So here’s a look ahead at the cons in our region coming up over the next couple of months. And what an offering we have as we move into the warmer months. In the same way that I know apples ripen in the fall, I have specific con-seasons ingrained in my subconscious. Looking across this quarter's offerings in run up research for today's post, I can't help but grin like a fool at the sheer variety we have available - variety of topic, size, focus, age (many of these cons are decades old) - we are spoiled for choice, and my bank account weeps silent tears.
April
April 5th to April 7th - RavenCon - Chestefield, VA- $45 weekend pass at the door
- One of the younger cons in this season, but these folks have quickly gotten their event together and taken off running. A mixed con with a focus on fantasy, science fiction, and horror in all their forms, it's a fertile ground for some of our favorite kinds of activities. The schedule generally breaks down to panels during the day (maybe it's costuming or filk or industry discussion or podcasting or...) with events, concerts, and showings in the evening. If you're a bit more obsessive then there's the gaming room that stays open the entire convention. Oh, and one point of note that caught my eye and have given me seriously bad ideas: The RavenConnie.
- It's a bit far, but we've all driven further for a good con. A big one out in Pennsylvania that isn't just an anime con, but a con that focuses on Japanese pop culture in general. So there's anime and its attendant events (cosplay, AMVs, etc.), but there's also a focus on tokusatsu, current popular Japanese musical acts, video games, popular media, and paper games. Mix in a lower visit cost, a heavy dose of other entertainments such as gaming, live music, dancing, a deep manga library, and more and it sounds like a great weekend.
- Originally a video game con, T-MODE has continued its transformation into a cultural mashup gathering that I can only call "modern Western otaku." Consciously embracing the outcome of when geeks go shopping through the variety of cultural influences that appeal to them, this lovechild is looking more attractive every year. A smaller con, and a local one for DC Geeks, the guest list is looking amazingly fun this time around: a Japanese punk band, voice actors, and a certified kimono consultant all stood out to me. Add in a great line up of screenings and concerts, a double handful of panels, and it sounds like a great start for a fun weekend.
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| (promo image by AwesomeCon) |
April 20th to April 21st - Awesome Con D.C. - Washington, DC - $25 non-VIP two-day pass
- One note upfront, the website gives the impression that Awesome Con is pre-reg only. With that out of the way: Awesome Con started as a comic con and still is, though they are growing beyond that paper and ink start. Hosted by the folks that run ComicCons in southern Maryland, is the chance to bring such goodness into DC proper. And the guest list looks great. I mean, who could say no to Marvin, Warden Glynn, and Xander? I know Aine's psyched for the long-awaited reemergence of Dr. Sketchy's DC by Rev. Valentine.
- It's only one day, but what a day. If you're a roboticist, hacker, artist, hobbyist, creator, inventory, or transcend titles to focus on the creative use of technology, this is the place to show off, talk shop, learn new techniques, and swap. And while the home built 3D printers are always neat, and I love seeing how micro drones and beer delivery can be combined, it's the R2D2 club that caught me. A nationwide club dedicated to creating the droids from Starwars? Yes, please.
May 2nd to May 5th - GCOM Game Days - Timonium, MD - $50 four-day pass at the door
- It doesn't get much more pure than this: a hotel isolated in the wilds of Timonium with an open door to all table game lovers, and eighty hours to play anything you want. Lay aside your social anxiety, exile yourself to the Holiday Inn, and spend three sleepless nights gorging on games with your fellow gluttons. If you aren't hallucinating by the time you head home then something has gone terribly wrong. Oh, and don't forget the silent auction, game demos, and the math trade.
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| (logo by Malice Domestic) |
May 3rd to May 5th - Malice Domestic - Bethesda, MD - $270 weekend pass (n.b. prereg only)
- Hitting its twenty-fifth year, Malice Domestic is back for the authors and fans of the traditional mystery. More and more cons in our region are holding panels and workshops about writing or creation, but this is one of the few cons that both overlap many a geek and writing and publishing in specific. Sessions range from crime forensics, traditional poisons, team writing, and even mysteries that address social issues. It's three days packed with goodness, badness, whatever. My brain is humming into overdrive trying to guess ahead of time what each session will really cover and how I could use it for my own creations.
- Most of our related fandoms have a large DIY contingent, and that's the same current that led to Animazement. The creators didn't kvetch about the big cons they wanted to attend being so far away - they sat down, planned it out, and started their own. With well over 8,000 attendees last year, I'd say they're doing pretty well. The con holds all the events we expect at an anime con (cosplay contests, AMV sessions, dances, live music, screenings, artist alleys and vendor rooms). They also have a very strong focus on cross cultural exchange, and make a point to have the planning groups split between American and Japanese members. So go for the fun, stay for the learning. That and there's a beautiful synergy between soba and BBQ.
- Coming up on fifty years of Balticons, the first one kicking off in 1967. Even as the old man of DC Geeks, the thought of such continuity boggles my mind. I'll be taking whiskey with my Metamucil tonight (editor's note: welp, there's a harrowing glance into the future, kids). The con still holds onto the idea of "if it's fun we'll embrace it," and follows through with a slew of different tracks: anime, gaming, music, an indie film shorts festival, writers workshops and kids panels; it's all there.
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| (logo by Philadelphia Comic Con) |
May 30th to June 2nd - Philadelphia Comic Con - Philadelphia, PA - $95 weekend pass at the door
- It's a Comic Con. Which means thousands of fans, cosplay galore, publishers outing their wares, both mainstream and rare, panels, announcements, and the figures of fandom to make the heart flutter. If you haven't been to one before, be sure you eat a solid breakfast, put on your mask, and leave your anxiety in the hotel room, because there's nothing quite like them. And this year's Philadelphia Comic con has a guest list that reads like an ode to Joss and easly 2000s geek TV: Nathan Fillion, James Marsters, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Kevin Sorbo, Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and a lot more. It's a fan's con for getting close to the writers, artists, and actors that have made us laugh and scream over the years.
June
June 7th to June 9th - AnimeNEXT - Somerset, NJ - $60 pre-reg weekend pass (no listed door price)
- The large anime con on our northern border, AnimeNEXT is back for its twelfth year and eager to go. They should easily crest 10,000 people this year, so get on your Big Con shoes and prepare to lose a lot of sleep. In addition to the massive manga library, the hall cosplay contests, the screenings, the triple digit panels, the long list of special guests, they also give a good chunk of time to those geeks who have varied interests. Gaming makes a strong return this year, and the artists' area will be chock full. And while there's no details yet on 2013, 2012 ran dances Friday and Saturday nights that literally edged into the pre-dawn hour with DJs keeping people going for almost six hours at a time. So grab the toll cash and head north.
June 7th to June 9th - Heroes Convention - Charlotte, NC - $40 weekend pass at the door
- Or if anime isn't your thing, head south for that weekend to Heroes Con, This is the thirty-first year of Heroes Con, making it one of the oldest (and one of the largest) independent comic conventions in the country. The sheer range of comic writers and artists that attend Heroes Con is staggering - I'm excited to see Fables so well represented. The con's range is impressive: from the largest publishing houses to their "Indie Island." Add in panels, interviews, and you've got the makings for a weekend of overstimulation, empty wallets, and mortgaged properties as you discover treasures too good to pass up.
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| (logo by Origins Game Fair) |
June 12th to June 16th - Origins - Columbus, OH - $65 for the whole show at the door
- This is the big one for the quarter, and a bit different from most of the other large cons you see during the year. The attendance is huge, the game and event offerings are massive (the last time I went the program book was nearly two inches thick), and the vendor space is huge. However, this one is run by GAMA, and it really is a combination of a trade show, an expo, and a con. More demos run here than any other con I know, and con only goodies flow more freely than any other place I've been. Seriously consider pre-registration though, as a lot of the events and sessions open up to reservations before the con itself. Origins is an intense and massive weekend for all you gamers.
June 14th to June 16th - Anime Mid-Atlantic - Chesapeake, VA - $40 pre-reg weekend pass
- You, the salt air, and a few thousand fellow fans - what's not to love? Anime Mid-Atlantic has hit that sweet spot in age and size that a lot of anime fans love. They're big enough to hold the fare we look for at an anime con: the screenings, the dances, the cosplay contests, the AMV and the like; and they've acquired the experience and maturity to keep things running smooth through the weekend. The guest list is looking solid this year, the panel offerings are deep, and any anime con that brings in an anthropologist that specializes in the fandom gets a thumbs up from me.
June 14th to June 16th - TooManyGames - Oaks, PA - $25 weekend passes at the door
- In the time it'll take you to wrap up a second sing-through of Repo! you'll arrive at TooManyGames. Although I take exception to the name, I love everything else. The con started as a straight-up video game con, and while they've spread since then to embrace gaming in general, their origins show clearly. A whole series of videogame tournaments are running, arcades, system trials, panels (mostly about video games and related media), CCG tournaments, and concerts. Any venue that wants to explore the collision of chiptunes and death metal has my full attention. Add in the Indie Game Showcase, a space for small studios to show off what they've got to offer, and the weekend sounds complete.
That should bring us through the early summer con season. Did we miss anything? If you know of a con in the area we haven't listed, please comment below or email us.
Additionally...
ReplyDeleteFurTheMore, April 5-7. A first year furry convention up in Baltimore. I have a friend involved in its staff. Should be good.
-Pres James