PAX East continues to be one of the largest annual conventions I attend. PAX East 2017 marked my fifth one. You might think it might get easier, but that cake is a lie. PAX East is so big with so much to see, it’s overwhelming every single year. This year, I decided to focus on…
How Wondercon Failed Disabled Attendees
Comic conventions are an odd thing, either exciting hubs of creative minds or giant airplane carriers full of people trying to sell you stuff. Either way you feel, what cannot be argued is their existence. There are conventions almost every weekend of 2017, and on certain weekends, there are seven or eight at the same…
A Weekend at MoCCAFest
The last time I went to MoCCAFest, it was in the 69th Regiment Armory, on Lexington Ave between 25th and 26th. The building is old and solid, red brick and wood, unique and unmistakable, like the comics I found in it. I came across the show accidentally in 2012 and then returned on purpose in…
Comic Arts Brooklyn 2016: A Nice Thing to Have
Comic Arts Brooklyn is for one-day only–blink and you miss it. It’s set up in a basketball court in Williamsburg’s The Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Without the heaps of people streaming in and out or sitting outside on the stairs, you might think it’s a school. It’s more boxy than it…
To All the Cons We Loved This Year
I went to a lot of cons this year. So many cons. I attended SDCC for the first time, flew to New York for the second year of FlameCon, did some shopping at TCAF, some press and panels at FanExpo, and covered several of Toronto’s hundred-odd film festivals. I’m not a fan of cons, generally, especially…
Canzine Toronto Was Busy Busy Busy
Canzine, a festival of zine and indie comics culture started by Broken Pencil magazine, takes place every year in Vancouver and Toronto. This year’s Toronto edition of Canzine, on October 29, was hosted by the Art Gallery of Ontario and admission the low low price of no dollars. That’s thanks in part to the festival’s…
Goldilocksing the Cons: Which Gaming Con is for You?
With 2016 wrapping up, it’s already time to start planning which gaming conventions I want to attend in 2017. Not sure, how to choose the convention that’s right for you? Take a gander at my mini reviews from 2016 to help decide for yourself.
Alternative Press Expo: Exactly Right
Attending the Alternative Press Expo (APE) on Saturday, October 8th, in San Jose, CA encapsulated a lot of firsts for me. It was my first independent comics convention, as well as the first comics event that I attended as a member of the press. Thankfully, APE turned out to be all-around the best convention to go…
Comics Are What They Should Be at Small Press Expo
There is no gatekeeping at Small Press Expo. This might seem counter to the hipster attitude stereotype that comes with SPX’s crowd, which is defined by undercuts, plaid, and thick-rimmed glasses. I can say that because I am a woman into comics who has an undercut, loves plaid, and wears thick-rimmed glasses. Also, as a…
Con Diary: PAX West is an Exhausting, Entertaining Ride
PAX West, formerly known as PAX Prime, is one of the largest public gaming conventions in the United States. Created by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, creators of the Penny Arcade webcomic, the convention covers video and tabletop gaming, with demos of some of the most hotly anticipated titles available for play if you’re willing…
A Look at San Francisco Comic Con and SF Zine Fest
This past weekend I attended both San Francisco Comic Con and the San Francisco Zine Festival, two events that both overlapped and diverged in terms of content, scope, and inclusiveness.
Finding My Place at Flame Con
“There’s this one balloon where someone says ‘Can anyone hear me?’ And there’s a reply shot of [Supergirl] saying, ‘I can,’” Steve Orlando describes to me a pivotal page in Supergirl: Rebirth #1, which came out earlier in the week. It’s Sunday afternoon, and we’re holding an interview in a quiet hallway outside of the…