Lets face it, hovering near your favorite comic, and seeing who touches it first is just about as trite as trolling the bar for the girl who drinks the same Bacardi Breezers as you. So…where DO most of our geeky-pop-culture friends meet and hang out?
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CONVENTIONS!
For those of you who have never been to a convention (and apparently live under a rock) I will explain them to you. Imagine this, one big expo center filled with people in costumes, families, interactive panels about the latest and greatest of comics, video games, you name it! If you’ve never been (I don’t know HOW you heard of Nerdfit…) you’ve probably heard that conventions are big sweaty sausage fests filled with overweight 40-somethings drooling over the latest Akira figurine, dressed like Spock, and reeking of his own body….smells. HOWEVER, these are the days of old. Now, conventions are filled with generations of all ages, from the elder Doctor Who fans watching since year one, to the 40 somethings introducing their kids to the glory that is Star Wars, or possibly the younger 20-somethings who are still mad that there are more than 150 Pokemon (yours truly included).
Conventions are unique in that it’s an even ground where people of all different fandoms can meld together. THIS WEEKEND in Massachusetts, people will be nerd-melding (it’s a thing now) at a convention that is actually new to me: The North East Comic Con. I am super excited about a new convention to go to because they always bring something new to the table. I’m going to go down a list for you of some of my personal favorite parts of conventions, and what I look forward to at this convention specifically (and definitely keep checking back here, because I will be posting about it!)
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THE GUESTS
Yes, yes. The guests you hear about at these cons, happen at just about ALL conventions, not just the big ones like SDCC and NYCC. These guests are everything from comic writers, extras from movies, main cast from movies, artists from your favorite cartoons, voice actors, and even TV Icons from the past! North East Comic Con will have some of the following guests:
- Nicholas Brendan- Known for his role as Xander on Buffy!
- Christopher Judge- from SG-1
- Billy West- Now, I need to take a second here to calm down. I am so friggin excited about being in the presence of this amaz…what? You don’t recognize his name? This guys is one of the big voice actors for shows like Futurama, Doug, hes the f*ckin’ RED M&M and he’s from REN AND STIMPY. REN AND STIMPY GUYS. (Man, this is gonna be the best Yacksmas ever!)
- Naomi Grossman: The gorgeous actor who disguises herself as Pepper from American Horror Story: Freakshow
- The folks from Oddities, and MANY MANY MORE!!!
Needless to say, you probably read that all like a day time infomercial. GOOD. I’M WAY TOO EXCITED TO CARE.
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THE ARTISTS
Most conventions have a row of tables called ‘artist ally’. Looking for that picture you always wanted of Harley Quinn kicking Batman square in the jimmies? THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU! Dozens of artists at conventions (NECC included!) will do custom artwork for you while you run around the convention taking pictures of every girl dressed like Chun-Li you can find. There are also freelance artists with their own styles, and some with their own comic books selling their prints, buttons and who knows what else.
SHOPPING!!!!!!
As you can, no doubt see by my overuse of exclamation points, I love to shop. The only thing I love more than shopping is shopping for collectibles. (Because what home isn’t complete with out 900 Doctor who tchotchkes?) Lots of local comics, collectible shops, and card shops will have tables and displays out for you to browse and poke through for hidden gems. In fact, on the NECC page, I found one shop that REALLY jumped out at me: Atomic Dimestore. “Atomic Dimestore is one of New England’s best vintage shops. With over 50 combined years of collectible experience, we offer the finest in vintage (and only vintage, you won’t find newer stuff here).1940s – 1980s toys, comics, movie posters, and other pop culture collectibles, as well as clothing, midcentury modern and mod home accessories, and textiles. For this show we plan to bring primarily comics, including undergrounds, monster magazines, and a few select toys. We sell on eBay as atomic-candy, and we had shops in the Boston and Salem MA areas with the name Atomic Candy. After several years of selling only by internet and at shows, we re-opened our storefront on Cape Cod, at 187 West Main St., Hyannis, as Atomic Dimestore in 2011. Atomic Dimestore is always looking to buy quality vintage items, one piece or a whole collection.” How friggin cool is that? I am obsessed with old collectibles. I don’t necessarily appreciate something from the 80’s being referred to as vintage…but….it is what it is, and I feel old.
CONTESTS
This right here is probably the biggest draw of any convention, and I don’t think NECC will be any exception. They are taking a really unique approach to the costume contests. Instead of just your run of the mill ‘masquerade’ contest where people show off their costumes from specific games, shows, etc, they are holding Create-a-Hero/Villain/Character contests. The point is to show up in a created character with a neat backstory, goals, and costume. I love the creativity behind the idea (I also can’t wait to see 100 LARPers show up and tell us about their ‘backstory’ for an hour).
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I will say, the crown jewel of the contests at NECC this year will be the Jessica and Roger Rabbit contest (that’s right boys!) I’m ONLY mad I didn’t know about it sooner or I would have had the girls all trussed up in a red glittered dress WEEKS ago. ‘Guest Judge Gary K. Wolf, author/creator of Roger and Jessica Rabbit, and Charles Fleischer, voice of Roger Rabbit, will determine who truly deserves the title of Roger Rabbit and his wife.’ To have Mr Wolf himself tell you you are THE Jessica Rabbit in a contest will be an incredible rush for whatever boobs…I mean…whatever girl wins.
EVENTS
Two events at NECC this year are the Cosplay Death Match and The Cosplay Dating Game. I’ve seen the dating games done at other cons and they are usually pretty hysterical both in actual face humor value, and the level of awkward silence that can rise during the, this is definitely a do-not-miss event.
The Cosplay Death Match? I have NO idea how that works. I’m reading the description on the site and it says they will “pose to the death”. So I would imagine this is both a great photo opportunity, and an amazing experience in people watching.
COSPLAYERS!
Then of course, there’s the cosplay! The reason MOST people go to a convention. There are some professional cosplayers appearing as well, including Chris Doherty, Shea, Zan, and Negative Stacy. Many people, aside from the pros come in cosplay so feel free to go and dress up!!!
Stuff for KIDS!!!
This con got it RIGHT! Not all geeks and nerds are single childless folks living in moms basement. SOME of us have kids. This convention has a whole zone deticated to keeping your little ones entertained why mom goes and watches the ‘pose off’ death match between Sephiroth and Captain America, and Dad checks out the Jessica Rabbit contest. (Kid zone is not a babysitter)
Santa.
THIS CON. HAS. SANTA. I don’t think I need to say any more, do I?
SEE YOU ALL THERE THIS WEEKEND!!! GET YOUR TICKETS AT –>> http://pcx-necc.com/ <<– !!!
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