Win Tickets to Wizard World New Orleans!

Do you want to go to the 2017 Wizard World New Orleans? Of course you do! The guest line-up is enough to make any geek drool, their vendors are fabulous, and the cosplay is always on point! Who wouldn't want to spend three days running amok in this geeky Wonderland??? (Clickity click here to check out some of my previous Wizard World coverage, in case you're not already sold.)

So what's in store for this year? Only a mega list of guests that has given me serious palpitations!! You might think that Nichelle Nichols (one of my personal heroes) and Carrie Fischer would be enough to make anyone swoon, but they weren't done there. Check out this impressive guest list:

·         David Duchovny - X FIles’ “Fox Mulder” (Appearing Saturday only)

·         Carrie Fisher* - Star Wars “Princess Leia”

·         Stephen Amell - Arrow (Appearing Sunday only)

·         Steve Yeun - Walking Dead

·         Christopher Lloyd *- Back to the Future

·         Tom Felton* - Harry Potter Franchise

·         Tom WIlson (“Biff) - Back to the Future

·         Michael Rooker - The Walking Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy

·         Michael Cudlitz - The Walking Dead

·         WWE Superstars Batista (Dave Bautista) (“Dax the Destroyer” from blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise) (Appearing Saturday) and Finn Balor (Appearing Sunday)

·         Mitch Pileggi - X Files

·         Nichelle Nichols  - Star Trek *Appearing all three days

·         Jewel Staite* - Serenity, Firefly

·         David Ramsey* - Arrow and Dexter

·         Sean Gunn - Guardians of the Galaxy, Gilmore Girls

·         Ray Park - Star Wars: Episode 1, X Men

·         Peter Mayhew - Star Wars IV, V  

·         Theo Rossi* - Luke Cage, Sons of Anarchy

·         Ryan Hurst* - Sons of Anarchy

·         Max Thieriot - "Bates Motel"

·         Nestor Carbonell - "Bates Motel"

·         James Marsters - “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

·         Joonas Suotamo - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

·         Robert Englund* - A Nightmare on Elm Street

·         Steven Yeun* - "The Walking Dead"

·         Jason David Frank - "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers"

·         Sam Jones - The Flash, Ted

·         Chris 51 - (Epic Ink)

·         Kato Kaelin -

·         Montel Williams -

·         PLUS THE MOST TALENTED AND NATIONALLY KNOWN COMIC ARTISTS AND WRITERS ON THE PLANET

*Appearing Sat/Sun

Everyone else all three days unless otherwise noted.

If that's not enough, there will be parties, Q&A sessions, cosplay tutorials, panels, contests, and a ton of vendors to tempt your wallet! Who loves ya, baby? That's right, I do!

So, how does this work, you may be asking? Simple! Follow the link below, choose a painless entry method, and you're done! You can even enter more than once to increase your chances! A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, and will receive an email with the good news. I'll be choosing the winner on the 24th, so you have plenty of time to enter!

Now, what are you waiting for? Gogogo and shareshareshare the love!!

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Awesomly Accessible Cosplay at Wizard World

Wizard World New Orleans was this past weekend, and I had a blast running amok and snapping photos like an idiot. I saw cosplayers of all ages, more TARDISes (TARDI?) than should be allowed to converge in one place (what with the dangers of paradox and all), and watched the cast of Captain America be sorted into their Harry Potter Hogwarts houses. It was a busy weekend. My full write-up will be done soon, but I had to take a moment to showcase the truly amazing accessible cosplay I found while at Wizard World. These cosplayers are the embodiment of the concept that cosplay is for everyone, and they were absolutely the highlight of my weekend. Behold the power of creativity and sass!

I'm Giving Away Passes to Wizard World!

Do you want to go to the 2016 Wizard World New Orleans? Of course you do! The guest line-up is enough to make any geek drool, their vendors are fabulous, and the cosplay is always on point! Who wouldn't want to spend three days running amok in this geeky Wonderland??? (Clickity click here to check out some of my Wizard World coverage from last year, in case you're not already sold.)

Well, if you haven't picked up your weekend pass yet, you're sadly out of luck. They've SOLD OUT already!! We hadn't even crossed the threshold into December before the weekend passes for this January convention were all gone. All except for a select few that Wizard World is letting me GIVE AWAY to ONE lucky reader!! Who's here for you when all hope is gone? That's right, I am! I'll never abandon you, and I love you for more than just your gorgeous looks.

So, how does this work, you may be asking? Simple! Follow the link below, choose a painless entry method, and you're done! You can even enter more than once to increase your chances! A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, and will receive an email with the good news. I'll be choosing the winner on the 20th, so you'll know the results just in tome for the holidays!

Now, what are you waiting for? Gogogo and shareshareshare the love!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONtraflow Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

I spent a fun filled weekend of cosplay, panels, and shenanigans at CONtraflow SciFi! This is quickly becoming one of my favorite stops on the convention circuit. It's a small convention focused on science, science fiction/fantasy, and literacy. From gaming and panels to music performances and room party competitions, there's a little something for everyone at CONtraflow; and, the welcoming, family-type feel of this small con makes it a favorite among attendees.

Monster-Con Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

Last weekend I drove for I don't even know how many hours to visit Monster-Con in San Antonio. Not only was this my first time at Monster-Con, it was my first time visiting Texas! I'm not ashamed to say that my expectations for the Lone Star State were a wee bit skewed, and that I was more than a little disappointed that I wasn't immediately met with dancing cowboys and tumbleweeds when I crossed the Louisiana/Texas border. Thankfully, the unconventional convention I was there for more than made up for the lack of stereotypical Texas landscaping. In addition to being a free event, Monster-Con takes place not in hotel conference rooms or a convention center or even a warehouse, but in a shopping mall. Yep, you read that right. The Wonderland of the Americas apparently hosts several events throughout the year in addition to the horror convention, and while it was a bit weird, they managed to make it work much better than I expected.

Dragon Con Happened, and I Was There

Ah, Dragon Con... Spanning four days, five hotels (plus the AmericasMart), and boasting attendance numbers over 70,000, it's one of the World's largest geek conventions. It's also the convention I cut my teeth on way back in the *coughcough1990scoughcough*. Though it's changed a lot over the years, Dragon Con will always hold a special place in my heart. There are tons of people who will never miss a year, and tons more who have Dragon Con on their geeky bucket list (and for good reason). This was the 29th year for Dragon Con, and it did not disappoint.

Panel at Gen Con Goes Awry, Backlash Begets Harassment

Comic conventions have a reputation for having reputations. Some of them are good: A convention is a place where thousands of people who have been picked on and bullied their whole lives for being nerds can come together to celebrate their fandoms openly. Some of them are bad: If you’re a woman or a minority, you’re probably still going to encounter at least some bullying or harassment. This is not to say that being a geek is still the same tired, old boys club it used to be, but women and minorities still often have to prove themselves before being taken seriously as a “real” geek, and representation is still something we have to fight for. This is why seeing panel discussions about diversity and representation in comics, movies, gaming, etc. at a convention has such a deep meaning. Recently, however, one such panel at the well-respected Gen Con in Indianapolis (you may remember earlier this year when the convention threatened to leave Indiana over their ‘Religious Freedom Bill’) has received quite a bit of controversy.

From the moment it was announced, the Writing Women Friendly Comics panel at Gen Con was getting press. While the panel sounded both interesting and compelling, it lacked a pretty essential component – women. The panel moderator, Bill Willingham, author of Fables comics (a series praised for its inclusiveness and popularity with female readers), and every other panelist were male. Thankfully, after The Mary Sue brought this issue to light, female writers Delilah Dawson and Alina Pete were added to the panel. It felt a lot like a win. Rejoicing occurred. At least, that is, until the panel actually happened.

Apparently, Willingham took issue with the panel being modified, and was not at all shy about voicing his contempt. From the moment he opened the panel, Willingham set the tone by making his feelings about The Mary Sue’s article crystal clear:

“This is NOT a women in comics panel…A certain rabble-rousing website with no journalistic integrity whatsoever tried to redefine this as a women in comics panel…”

From there, he moderated the panel with an iron fist: repeatedly interrupting any woman who spoke, refusing to call on women or people of color for audience questions, and defensively rebutted any mention of male, white privilege. Several first-hand accounts of the panel from shocked audience members immediately began popping up online. One in particular, a blog post by Candice Huber, has not only been shared repeatedly, but has caught the attention of journalists and internet trolls alike. In addition to being a woman and a geek, Huber also happens to be the owner of the popular, geek-centric bookstore, Tubby & Coo’s in New Orleans (you can read more about the bookstore in the article I wrote when they opened). She was so upset by Willingham’s behavior at the panel that she has made the decision as a small business owner to pull his books off her shelves. I spoke with Huber to get a bit of clarification on her decision and how it’s been received:

Pensacola Comic Convention Happened, and I was There

Pensacola Comic Convention (also known as Pensacola Para Con) was this past weekend, and I have to say that despite a bumpy start, I had a blast! Still a relatively small convention, PCC has grown significantly over the years and seems to be putting forth a lot of effort to bring their con to the next level. They had everything from media guests, vendors, live wrestling matches, and even the real BatCopter and BatMobile from the 60's TV show! There were certainly a few areas that could use some improvement, but overall I'm glad I went and I'm definitely looking forward to next year!

MechaCon Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

One of New Orleans' largest nerd-centric conventions, MechaCon entices anime fans, gamers, scifi/fantasy geeks, and everything in between to converge on downtown New Orleans in a colorful display of pastel wigs and impossibly oversized weapons. This year's convention took place during a weekend of shared events and heat advisories. Thankfully, the oppressive, Southern heat didn't seem to scare anyone off, and the convention was full of great vendors, impressive cosplay, and even a few games.

NOLA Time Fest Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

In its third year, NOLA Time Fest is a small con with a ton of enthusiasm! In the two days I was at Time Fest, I saw some amazing Doctor Who themed cosplay, found some wonderful vendors, and even made some new friends:

Harassment is Alive and Well at MomoCon

Since it's creation in 2005, Atlanta's MomoCon has grown to be one of the largest anime conventions in the Country. According to their webpage, this all-ages convention prides itself on being a welcoming and fun environment for everyone:  

"From parents bringing their curious “young’uns” to the most dedicated old-skoolers, everyone is welcome.  Based out of Atlanta, extending Southern Hospitality is important to us.  We would like everyone to enjoy what we do best: having fun!"

For many attendees, however, the harassment they experienced at MomoCon made the convention far from hospitable. One cosplayer in particular, Luna Lanie, took to YouTube to share her experience and the reaction she received from security and the convention organizers:

Mobicon Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

When you review conventions for a living, you find yourself at all kinds of cons that likely wouldn't have hit your radar otherwise. Most cons you look forward to, some not so much. There is always one, however, that you almost want to avoid. I had never been to Mobicon before, and the stories of harassment from previous years didn't exactly paint a sunshiny picture of this Alabama con, so I was a bit apprehensive about going. Then, there was a social media kerfuffle just days before the convention opened about one of the con's most popular events, and I found myself considering cancelling. Clearly, I didn't cancel. The point of this series is to shine a spotlight on these conventions, and it would be a disservice to my work, my readers, and to the convention itself if I allowed rumors to sway me rather than experiencing Mobicon for myself. So, I pulled on my big girl panties, made the decision to be as neutral as possible, and headed out to Mobile, AL.

LouisiAnime Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

This was LouisiAnime's seventh year, and the first one I've attended. They originated in Baton Rouge, La. in 2009, but moved to Lafayette in 2012 due to venue/scheduling needs. This year, they took over the Ramada Inn, and since I don't personally get out to Lafayette often I was pretty surprised to find that I'd been at this particular location before. A few years ago I attended a Forensics Convention in the same venue, and I'm not gonna lie, it was a bit surreal seeing so many Sailor Moon and Homestuck cosplayers running around the same rooms in which I had previously enjoyed panels about facial reconstruction, fingerprint analysis, and clandestine graves. But, I digress...

CyPhaCon Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

Recently, I traveled to Lake Charles, La for the 5th anniversary of CyPhaCon, an anime, gaming and science fiction convention. This year boasted some pretty impressive guest names, a special screening of a Doctor Who fan series, and (my personal favorite) a legitimate sword-fighting class with the man who taught Arya Stark how to wield a blade, Miltos Yerolemou. So, follow along as I dive deeper into CyPhaCon:

CoastCon Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

One of the Gulf Coast's longest running conventions, CoastCon, is a volunteer run organization with a focus on community in fandom that's been around for more than 35 years. Many of the attendees at CoastCon have been faithfully coming out for years, and that makes this con feel vastly different from, say, a Wizard World convention. There's a great deal of hugging, hand-shaking, and casual conversations among friends who may only ever see each other at CoastCon. It's a very friendly environment overall, and quite a welcoming place for families as well (even vendors and artists have been known to bring their kids with them). That's not to say that there isn't fun to be had for those of us sans children, though! This con may have a cozy feel to it, but it's still large enough to have plenty of interesting things for fans of all ages. So, from heart-warming interactions with kids to panels about human decomposition, to random belly dance routines, follow along as I run down some of the things I saw at CoastCon 38!

New Orleans Comic Con Happened, and I Was There

As it is in many cities, Wizard World Comic Con is the largest convention in New Orleans, promising the highest turnout and boasting the biggest names, and this year's convention did not disappoint! (It was so big, in fact, that my coverage of it had to be split between the She-Geeks Blog and The Mary Sue! Don't worry though, I've included some handy links throughout this post so you needn't miss a thing.) From cosplay to fan groups to panels and even a taping of Bruce Campbell's new show, I saw all manner of delightful things last weekend. Did you miss it? That's ok, I'm here for you! (I'm magnanimous like that.) So follow along as I run down some of the best things I found at Comic Con:

Geek-O-Nomicon Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

This was the first year for Geek-O-Nomicon, a community based convention out of Biloxi, Mississippi, and from all accounts it seems to have hit the ground running. For a first year convention, this one had some of the best attendance numbers I've ever seen. There were tons of fan tables, some amazing vendors in the dealer room, lots of artists and authors, and a lot of very happy attendees at this well organized gathering. So, here's my round up of some of the awesome handcrafted merch, lovely and talented cosplay, and Guinness World Record breaking fun I saw at the inaugural Geek-O-Nomicon!

Furries are People Too, Mika.

 
There was a terrifying incident on Sunday that sent 19 people to hospitals. As yet unknown individuals attempted to poison a large group of people at a Hyatt hotel in Chicago with chlorine gas in what the media would normally be referring to as a terrorist act (which we may find to be exactly what this was if a motive is ever discovered). This is not, however, how this story is being reported. In the case of MSNBC show Morning Joe, the story was barely able to be reported at all because the hosts of this program were too busy laughing hysterically. Why? Because that large group of people that someone attempted to poison happened to be costumed attendees at a popular furry convention, the MidWest FurFest Convention. Watch as Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, who call themselves professional journalists, laugh themselves off the set while attempting to report a story in which 19 human beings were hospitalized:

If this happened at a bankers convention, there is absolutely no way it would have been reported like this. No, there would be calls for justice and demands for answers from investigators while red-faced reporters emphatically called the perpetrators terrorists and speculated about their motive. But these weren't bankers or doctors or librarian or teachers or sale people, they were furries. They wear strange, fuzzy costumes (some of them even incorporate *gasp* bondage type gear) so, let's just ignore the potentially fatal assault that took place and focus instead on pointing and laughing at the freaks. I mean, if you don't understand them, they're not really people, right? Good job, Morning Joe. You guys have managed to both belittle human lives and disgrace journalism in a less than 2 minute segment. Way to start off the week.

Why I Didn't Attend the New Orleans Comic Expo

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

I adore local conventions. They're more intimate, and are often more focused on celebrating their fandoms than turning a huge profit. Don't get me wrong, wanting to turn a profit is not only acceptable, but necessary if your convention is expected to survive and grow, but most small conventions aren't going to make their organizers rich. These small cons are usually done for the love of the fans, and are organized by people who are fans themselves. Not all small conventions are created equal though, and it looks like this one might have used some pretty shady tricks to increase their attendance numbers.
 

I learned about the New Orleans Comic Expo in late September. I found their website, and was immediately drawn to the impressive list of guests they were advertising. Names like Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sylvester McCoy, Luke Perry, and Jason Priestly are not usual for a what appeared to be a relatively small convention. While looking into the Expo, however, I noticed some things that felt just a bit off, not the least of which was that it had originally been scheduled for this past June.

What geek wouldn't swoon to see that lineup at a small, local convention?!

Looking back through their Facebook page, I noticed that there have been quite a few instances of radio silence lasting months at a time. Now, that by itself might not be suspicious, but take this little timeline into account:

CONtraflow SciFi Happened, and I Was There

Unlike San Diego, Atlanta, or even New York, New Orleans isn't known for a particular convention, but the Gulf Coast is home to several conventions held throughout the year. It's my goal, here at She-Geeks, to showcase those smaller (but no less enthusiastic) conventions. If there is a convention in or around the Gulf Coast that you'd like to see me cover, please send the convention details to eris.shegeeks@gmail.com.

This was the fourth year for CONtraflow SciFi, and though I missed half of the convention thanks to some particularly infuriating travel mishaps (I will never attempt to take a taxi in Atlanta again, ever), the parts I was able to attend were great fun. Now, before I get too far into this, I'd like to explain the convention's name: For those of you who don't live in a city that with a propensity for evacuation, the term "contraflow" refers to a practice of reversing the direction of travel lanes on specific highways during an emergency evacuation to aid in the flow of traffic. Essentially, all lanes of major highways along established evacuation routes will flow the same way (specifically, the hell out of town) in order to cut down on gridlock in an emergency.

Contraflow in action in Houston. Every lane traveling in the same direction, and still gridlocked.

It's a scifi convention (which are often populated by those of us who probably didn't fit in with the crowd growing up) named after a procedure that literally has scores of people driving against the grain. Clever name is clever.

As a scifi convention, CONtraflow does not disappoint. Recognizing that you can't have science fiction without science, in addition to artists, authors, and entertainers, many of CONtraflow's guests have strong connections to the hard sciences, including the Author Guest of Honor and physicist, Gregory Benford, author/NASA scientist, Les Johnson (who received the Frank Brewer Civil Air Patrol Memorial Aerospace Award at the convention), and Lt. Colonel Kathy Beauford of the Civil Air Patrol and Director of External Aerospace Education and Robotics Project Manager for the state of Louisiana.

One aspect of conventions that's pretty exclusive to the New Orleans area are the parade Krewes (pronounced "crew"). Everyone knows about Mardi Gras (it's inescapable here), but what many out of towners may not know is that those awesome parades are put on by the parade Krewes. There's a different krewe for each parade, and the term is thought to date back to the 1800s. There is an increasingly popular krewe here that has brought an immense amount of joy to my geeky, little heart, and had a lovely showing at CONtraflow: The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus. Yes, it is as amazing as it sounds. If you visit for Mardi Gras, and you do not make it out to the Chewbacchus parade, you're doing it wrong.

I present to you, The Bar-ship Enterprise. A handmade, mobile, functioning bar pushed through the streets during the Chewbacchus parade.

In addition to the Krewe of Chewbacchus, the Krewe du Who LLC*, dedicated to all things Doctor Who, was also out at CONtraflow with the ever popular life sized TARDIS and The Lady Cassandra in tow: