Convention Fans

Hello convention fans! It’s time for the 14th installment of the Cons from A to Z series! I have been collaborating with fellow convention attendee Nathan Lilly, who is the man behind the Green Tentacles Convention Finder website (that’s his green banner down and to the left), to bring you this informative series of articles.

If you want to find a convention that is near you, Nathan’s Con Finder website offers searches via zip code and content tags (such as “technology”), so it is easy to find a convention nearby that fits you, which is why he’s the best partner for this series. Together, Nathan and I will be bringing you “Cons from A to Z” which will go through the entire alphabet and highlight a handful of conventions for each letter. This is a great way to bring some attention to some of the more unique conventions out there. And the letter for today is “N”!

N is for Nan Desu Kan, NoirCon, and NorWesCon
courtesy of the Green Tentacles Convention Finder

Nan Desu Kan: http://www.ndkdenver.org/
Sep 11th, 2009 - Sep 13th, 2009 in Denver, CO 80237

For the past 12 years, Nan Desu Kan has served the Rocky Mountain anime community by providing a safe, friendly environment for people of all ages to enjoy Japanese animation and culture. This convention offers a variety of programming and original activities throughout the convention weekend, with a focusing on responsibility, integrity and a love of the community. Guests include Todd Haberkorn, Tommy Yune, Steve Yun, Chris Patton, and more! Registration is available online or by mail.

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San Diego Comic-Con 2009 has come to an end, but not before gaining its own Google splash page image, and an article on CNN.com’s front page (not to mention coverage in all manner of print and online media outlets). It seems hard to believe that a comic book convention that started with just 300 people back in 1970 could become the star studded news making affair it is today. And star studded it is! The who’s who of the geek world all come together to promote their newest ventures at Comic-Con, to the point where even the big Hollywood studios have been taking notice too.

Take, for example, one of the lead stories on CNN.com on Thursday: ‘Twilight’ cast hits Comic-Con. Yes, the fact that Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart made an appearance at the convention made CNN.com’s front page. (I bet Creation Entertainment was crying a little at not being able to get either one of them for their Twi-cons!) I wonder what that says about geekdom and conventions these days? Or what it says about Comic-Con in particular? Or was this just another example of CNN abandoning real news reporting for pleasing the public’s insatiable appetite for entertainment news?

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If you’re looking for a convention to attend this October, The Ultimate Collectibles Show may be a great option. It is being held October 3rd and 4th at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.

The convention features 375 tables spanning 53,000 square feet, and 100 autograph guests each day. Speaking of autograph guests, this convention does something I wish ALL cons would: they have a list of autograph prices for the majority of the guests online in advance! This is by far one of the best uses of a convention website that I have ever seen, so kudos to The Ultimate Collectibles Show!

Some of the guests for this event include: Ed Gale (Chuckie from Child’s Play), Priscilla Barnes (The Devil’s Rejects), Deedee Bigelow (Horrorween), Warrington Gillette (Jason from Friday the 13th Part 2), Donna D’Ericho (Candyman), Roddy Piper (They Live), Kenneth Hall (Writer of The Puppetmaster), Erika Eleniak (Tales From The Crypt), Erin Moran (Galaxy of Terror/Happy Days), Candice Michelle (Horrorween), Ice-T (Law and Order: SVU), Amber Smith (1995 Playboy Playmate), and many more.

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Below is a fresh press release for Animation Supercon, which is based in Miami, Florida:

ANIMATION SUPERCON 2009
announced for Oct. 2-4, 2009
Featuring cast reunions from Futurama and Pinky & The Brain

Miami, FL – Anime Supercon (ASC) is now Animation Supercon, as it returns for a 4th year to an all new, bigger & better location; the Doubletree Miami Airport Hotel and Convention Center. Animation Supercon will replace Anime Supercon as the shows focus shifts to encompass the entire animation world, and not just Japanese anime. Set for October 2-4, Animation Supercon is a three day festival and convention dedicated to Animation, Cartoons, Anime, Comic Books and Video Games.

Animation Supercon will feature celebrity guests, artists, animators, writers, vendors, Q&A’s, parties, costume contests, anime programming, cosplay, panels, photo shoots, live music, video games and more as it takes over 100,000+ square feet of the Doubletree Miami Airport Hotel and Convention Center. This years event will also host the inaugural Supercon International Animation Film Festival (SIAFF) which will feature animated films and shorts from across the globe. The event kicks off at 3:30PM, Friday, October 2 and the fun continues almost around the clock until 6:00PM, Sunday, October 4.

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San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) is pretty much the fandom convention for North America. It’s something of a geek mecca really. So it probably isn’t surprising to learn that many a geeky couple have ventured there for their honeymoon. But how many geeky couples have had actually had their wedding at the con? Well, I’m about to tell you about a couple planning such an event: Jesse and Ramona.

This adorable pair is planning to have a wedding ceremony at SDCC this very weekend, and Ramona was nice enough to share some of the details with you, my dear readers. Not only that, but after the wedding, she’s promised to give a follow up interview to tell us all how it went, as well as share some photos of the event! Below is the pre-wedding interview. Check back after this weekend for the follow up article and pictures!

Ramona, how long have you and your fiance been together?

Ramona: Jesse and I have been together for 3 years this August. We actually met through a mutual friend at a Friday Night Magic tournament.

What geeky interests did you and your fiance bond over when you started dating? Or is one of you significantly more of a geek than the other?

Ramona: We both liked sci-fi and fantasy movies, Disneyland, comic books (Wolverine, Batman, and The Punisher are our mutual favorites), and we both love to play Nintendo video games on any of their consoles. I actually kidnapped Jesse’s Wii and used it as ransom for him to come over and visit me more when we first started dating lol. Jesse is the bigger geek though, hands down. He owns a comic & gaming store called Thou Shalt Game in Temecula (our hometown), he’s a Graduate Gemologist from G.I.A., he’s a Dungeon Master, the list goes on and on. I’m a lot more laid back in my interests, although I am really addicted to Sims and my DS.

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