Forgive an old lady for showing her age, but this Katsucon marked my 30th birthday. I realized, en route to the Gaylord Hotel and Resort, that I’ve been attending Katsucon for almost half of my natural life. Staring into a sea of impossibly young faces, my knees hurting from the incoming snowstorm, I couldn’t help…
Con Diaries: Boskone 52
Boskone is the annual science fiction and fantasy convention put on by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) in Boston, Mass. One of the reasons I attend this convention is its focus on the craft of science fiction, that is to say, there’s a focus on writing, science, art, and reading.
Con Diaries: Local Scenes, Balcony Views, and Why I’m a True Believer
Over this winter, Andy Oliver has been publishing State of the Small Press Nation, a look at the sudden abundance of cartoonist shows around Britain, wondering what that swell in numbers means–for the exhibitors and for the scene in general. It’s interesting stuff with views and experiences “from prominent small press creators to DIY culture…
Con Season Survival Guide
Con season is already underway for many of us, and while surviving a con may not be as stressful as surviving a zombie apocalypse, they’re pretty damn close. So, I polled our amazing staff and contributors, who are seasoned con pros, mind you, to share their tips for surviving con season.
Con Diary: MAGFest 2015!
MAGFest, short for the Music and Games Festival, was head-to-head with the inaugural PAX South this year, running January 23-26. Big competition for an event that started in the woods of Virginia and has expanded over 13 years into a nerd bacchanal that anticipates 15,000 plus people over three and a half days’ worth of…
Cats in Cardigans: London Illustration Fair 2014
Frances covered Lush’s Sandlewood Smugglers launch for us so well that we sent her out again. Do you have an indie comics, illustration, otherwise WWAC-friendly event coming up in London? Let us know! It’s bloody freezing in London at the moment, and the woodland animals of the city’s illustration scene are very sensibly wearing their warmest…
Con Diaries: Metatopia
Metatopia bills itself as a game design festival, not a game conference. The difference lies in the purpose: Metatopia is for game design professionals to playtest their current projects. You can’t buy most of the games there yet, although you may recognize some of the game titles from a Kickstarter. You can register as a…
Thought Bubble: The Greatest Love of All
Last year, Thought Bubble was terrific. This year it was better. Layout improvements, food options, queue management. It’s all a total dream.
Thought Bubble: Blood On the Dancefloor
My Thought Bubble experience had a shamefully late start. This was partially because my cosplay preparation took a bit longer than I had expected. To look remotely like Cassidy from Preacher, I needed another round of hair dye (Mango Copper) as well as convincing smears of fake blood on my chin and shirt. Since I…
Thought Bubble Cosplay
This weekend just past, Kelly Kanayama and I were both in Leeds, at Thought Bubble: the UK’s premier comics convention? I can’t promise that’s a fact, but hot damn, it’s a great con. Much content coming on that subject! But that’s for later. Thought Bubble does not have a very heavy cosplay focus; it’s the sparsest UK…
Breakdown of The First Annual INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair
This past weekend was the first annual INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair, where book lovers could purchase their favourite reads, get their books signed by their favourite (newly discovered) authors, and attend panels. We don’t have anything else like this in Toronto — which is surprising given the number of publishing houses located here — so I was very excited…
MICE 2014: Expectations Exceeded
The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) ran from October 4 and 5, 2014 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It’s been a free annual event since 2010 as a joint effort between the Boston Comics Roundtable and Lesley University College of Art and Design to create a showcase for artists and creators working in comics in the greater…