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!

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!

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!

The Geekiest, Little Bookshop in Town

There's a new bookshop in New Orleans (with a quirky name and a decidedly geeky slant), and it might just be the most adorable bookshop ever created. Tubby and Coo's Mid-City Bookshop is nestled in one half of an old, shotgun style double (duplex for those not keen on New Orleans vernacular) at 631 N. Carrollton Ave. Owner, Candice, named the shop after her grandparents who grew up in the neighborhood and influenced her love of books. A geek herself, Candice decided to turn her dream bookshop into a geek paradise. It's a place to stock up on reading material, meet like-minded bookworms, chat openly about your fandom, and even feed your reading addiction in the sitting area (complete with free wifi, because nerds.)

Comic Shop Road Trip

I've been traveling, so this week's post is a bit late. I'm currently in my hometown of Atlanta surrounded by baseball, The Vortex, (slightly) less humidity, and OH MY GODS THE TRAFFIC!!! How the hell did it get worse?! I swear it is some ingenious plan by the likes of Crawly* to trick hundreds of thousands of people to very, very slowly draw unholy sigils across the city while their souls are rendered forfeit.

Spaghetti Junction is very real, and clearly unholy.

Seriously, I shouldn't have to sit in bumper to bumper traffic at 3am on a Thursday to go to the store for a Coke and a jar of vanilla frosting (don't judge me).

Everything about this is wrong. Everything.

Nevertheless, I decided to pull up my big girl panties, grab my pull list and my best friend, Jenn, and brave the soul-sucking traffic conditions to explore some of the comic shops Atlanta has to offer. My first stop was the Titan Comics I used to walk to every week as a kid. Much like love and sex, you never forget your first comic shop. Mine was a small shop in the middle of a street known for scores of lingerie stores advertising "live models", strip clubs, and street walkers. It should have come as no surprise then, when I pulled into the parking lot and felt the last, little bit of my childhood die: