It just doesn’t stop when Comic-Con is happening. Here is a new Megamind trailer, and a great article about Munnfrom the Post relayed from the Con. Awards handed out at the con include Moto Hagio’s Inkpot Award (very well deserved, in my opinion), and of course all kinds of video blogs are coming out of there, at the rate of a day an hour or so (or so it seems). What a party.
Everyone who normally reads this (and you both know who you are) is either at Comic-Con or watching it online, and that’s what I am doing. Already something exciting from the event; the new Tron trailer!
It is time once more for Comic-Con in San Diego, where advance word will be released on all the good stuff coming out over the next year. Everybody will be covering it, including traditional TV coverage from both G4TV and MTV. They will also be covering them on their websites, of course. A few other websites who have had great coverage of the event in recent years include io9, MSN’s Parallel Universe, the gamer gang from Kotaku, and all the Friends of Ugo, of which there are many. While it would be nice to be there, at least there will be news!
How could I avoid mentioning it? It is not quite a Sci-Fi con, but some of the same people will be there. SETI Con is a convention centered around the question of where everybody is… everybody that didn’t evolve on this planet, that is. It is coming up August 13th through the 15th in Santa Clara, CA., and will be running four tracks: Main, Science, Education, and Q&A. The panelists and speakers lean heavily to the sciences (with a whole subsection just for the astronauts), but includes Sci-Fi Authors, some of whom are scientists, and Sci-Fi actors, one of whom is also an astronomer. And if it wasn’t already obvious to you, this party is put together by the SETI Institute, and yes, SETI does stand for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Thanks to the bloggers at Discovery for the heads up on this one.
Most folks got Conned out with the massive number of events last week. But if you are ready for more, they are happening. Expo Comic Cancun is taking place in Cancun, Mexico, which includes a series of events by the Cosplay Deviants (they don’t show up at too many US events). Colossalcon 9 is an Anime, Gaming, and Japanese Culture con held in Sandusky, OH. It is being held at a waterpark resort, and they are giving away a trip to Japan, but not at random; you have to win their Cosplay Masquerade competition to get the prize. A-Kon 21 in Dallas, Tx. is an Anime con with a great concert lineup, and for the competitive they are running a Kabuki Slam! In Huntsville, Al., it is HamaCon 2010, an anime con that includes the Okinawa Festival Drums, and AMV and Cosplay competitions. Finally, Anime Kaigi in Flagstaff, AZ has a complete and aggressive series of events to edutain everyone.
A general Sci-Fi con well worth a visit this weekend is Con Carolinas 2010/ Deep South Con 48, in Charlotte, NC. These two events seem to have merged, at least for this year. Jerry Pournelle and Johnny Ringo are the writer GoH’s, Ed Beard, Jr. is the Artist GoH, and Media guests include Claudia God Sent Me Christian and Richard Hatch. Another good general con, although leaning towards the WriterCon side of life is SoonerCon 2010 (2010: A Bubba Odyssey) in Oklahoma City, OK. This one is particularly well endowed with panels and workshops for artists, authors, and fans. And in Nashville, TN, it is HyperIcon 6, again with lots going on.
DieCon X is a great name for a gaming convention, and this one is held just outside of St. Louis in Collinsville, IL; come ready to play, some of the tournaments have already started and will be going through the weekend.
You would think there was a holiday weekend coming up the way the Cons are stacking up. There are so many good ones I don’t know where to start, and I am sure I will short some of them, but let’s start with the Steampunk cons. The big one of course is World Steam Expo in Dearborn, MI. The musical guests alone are worth the price of admission, plus the panels, events, and everything else going on. Nakamacon is a Steampunk con for Anthropomorphic and Anime fans held in Madison, WI; or maybe a Furry Con for Cartoon Victorian Werewolves. Whatever it is it looks like they have some fun things planned. And ConQuesT 41 in Kansas City, MO, is billing itself as Steampunk & Evil Geniuses, but it also has a great lineup of authors and publishers.
There are a number of general Sci-Fi cons, meaning a little bit of everything but leaning towards the mediacon side of the spectrum. In Atlanta there is TimeGate, in Lansing, MI MediaWest*Con 30, in Santa Clara BayCon, and in Missoula its MisCon. Most of these appear to be fan run gatherings with plenty of activities and guests (including Harry Turtledove in Montana). My personal favorite fan run con this weekend has to be BaltiCon 44 in Baltimore, MD., and this would probably be the major Readercon event for the weekend. Tanya Huff is the author guest of honor, just for starters; check the participants list to get an idea of the scope of this event.
If you want a comicon this weekend, the prime choice looks like the Phoenix Comicon, with guests like Stan Lee, Felicity Day, Levar Burton, Wil Wheaton, and James Marsters, this one could double as a Media Con. Stan Lee will also be at Rock’N Comicon in L.A., California, which really is a monster media event. Another comicon is Florida Battlecon in Orlando, for those who prefer their comic art tattooed directly onto their epidermis while driving hot women around on monster bikes.
The actual media con for this weekend is a true monster: the London MCM Expo. If I start naming everyone who is there and all the things going on I would still be typing as the doors open Friday. So, instead, here is a glimpse of the last one they held…
If you are in Europe this weekend you also have an event in Paris that looks like a lot of fun, la convention Epitanime. This time I can’t tell you what’s going on because my French tutor back in school was actually teaching me Louisiana Cajun, which is about as close to French as German is to English.
English speaking Anime conventions this weekend include Animazement 13 in Raleigh, NC, Anime Oasis in Boise, ID, and Anime North in Toronto, CA. All three events have a hoard of guests and a lot of activities planed throughout the weekend, and they all look great. And Fanime Con takes place in San Jose, CA, right in the heart of Silicone Valley. What makes this event special, besides the location? Flow will be one of the bands playing at the Music Fest, and will probably be playing the theme songs they did for shows like Naruto, Code Geass, Psalms of Planets, Eureka Seven, and Persona. Also playing are LM.C and Halko Momoi. Or how about the US almost-premier of 20th Century Boys 3: Redemption at Viz Theater. Supposedly they have enough back-story at the beginning of this film so you don’t need to have seen the first two to enjoy it, but they are always fun to re-watch. Also playing at Viz that weekend is The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, the feature length presentation that comes between the first and second series of the TV program. Seeing either of those on the big screen would be a treat; seeing both would be worth the price of that coast to coast ticket.
There are more cons this weekend, but that should be enough to get you started; have fun!