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Something to Do: Cons

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!

Something to Watch: DVD’s

The number one TV release this week is obvious: True Blood: The Complete Second Season. If you thought the first season was good, fasten your seat belts and get ready to be blown away. You already know this if you have HBO, but now is your chance to add it to your permanent collection. Unlike certain movie series, this story is strictly for the adults in the audience, and delivers on every level. And as usual, the timing on the DVD release is because Season 3 is about to happen; it hits your screen on June 13th.

On the Movie side, The Road becomes available on DVD. I can’t speak one way or the other about this movie, since I haven’t seen it yet. I can certainly speak up for Season 3 of The Guild; I consider this a must-have for every person who has ever sat down at a computer, and doubly so if you are a gamer. This is geek humor at its finest, and word is there are all kinds of extras on the DVD that did not appear online.

In anime, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Part 1 brings back that good old Steampunk Alchemy we loved so much the last time around. Likewise, Hell Girl – Two Mirrors returns us to that rather dark universe, where the second season starts off showing us that things are changing for Ai and her companions. In addition, the Hell Girl Complete First Season is being re-released in a S.A.V.E. Edition, so you can add it to your collection at a good price.

Also in anime, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple has part two of season two being released, as well as the re-release of season 1 in a single box set, for the Martial Arts fans. While I normally only mention boxed sets here (predominately because I can go nuts waiting for the next volume to be released), I decided I should mention Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Wolf, because it just looks like silly fun; a high school boy has a pretty female fox deity and a wolf goddess vying for his attention, with all the expected mayhem that would entail.

Who Rocks!

I love fan made music videos, and one of the world-wide iconic focus points for them these days is Doctor Who, the new series. So here are just a few that tickled my interest that I felt the need to pass on. A few of these will probably evaporate but more will come to take their place; and doesn’t that Killers quote sum him up so well; He Doesn’t look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young. The scope of the musical styles alone tells you just how wide the appeal of the program ranges, and I selected a few of my favorite tunes for this collection, because selecting tunes I didn’t like would have been both silly and counterproductive. Enjoy!

Anime Rocks

Most of the best J-Rock I know comes from Anime, and sometimes you get a chance to compare the live action band with the animated representation or the studio take. Here is such a comparison, from Haruhi Suzumiya (the anime character, not the singer), followed by another song or two. If you can name all the anime’s these songs come from, it is too late; you are already an Otaku!

True Blood 3 Trailer

Season 1 of the show based on the Charlene Harris novels, True Blood, was amazing. Season 2, coming out on DVD in a week, blew season 1 away. So are you ready, Fangbangers and Fans of Telepathic Waitresses? Season 3 of True Blood kicks off in a few weeks, on the 13th of June 2010, and looks like a monster and a half to me! In Season 3 we finally get to meet the Werewolves, and learn a bit more about the unseen history of the world. Thanks to Screen Crave for the trailer link.