I think I’ve used, and reused, that old saw about a picture being worth a thousand too many times. But still, you get it. Everyone loves the cosplay pics from San Diego Comic-Con.
So..here’s a few good ones from last week’s event for you to enjoy!
The nation’s second-longest running comic convention, ITHACON, is coming up this weekend! I can’t wait. I do have a bit of a history with this fabled event:
ITHACON has a long history of cool traditions—the Cosplay Runway, the Coloring Contest, Cosplay Live Model Sketching—and always has a lot of great guests. This year’s no different. Some of our “new” (and returning after a long-time guests include: Continue reading “With Further Ado #392: ITHACON Is Almost Here!”
Whew! SDCC 2025 is in the rearview mirror. I just got home a few hours ago, and I’m in such a good mood. Everything worked out well, and the problems that I was concerned about were solved and ended up in the “win” column.
Lots of clever cosplay this year. Some folks seemed to think there was less than usual. I’m not sure I agree with that. It seems there was a lot of creativity and cleverness that went into this year’s costumes.
I was surprised not see a few characters, most notably :
Of course, it all has a lot of ebbs and flows.
There was a lot of Fantastic Four cosplay. All the movie costumes, not much of the basic blue from the comics. And there was a fantastic Dr. Doom and the cosplay that stole the show was the giant, Galactus. As he towered over the crowd, you could kind of scared that he was in fact going to eat the whole planet.
So, without further ado, here’s some of my favorite 2025 SDCC cosplay:
Continue reading “With Further Ado #357: Cosplay at SDCC 2025”
You might remember that last episode, in preparation for San Diego Comic-Con, we took a look at the comic convention scene from 50 years ago, via a 1974 Creation Con program book I had stumbled across.
As an addendum to that, here’s what Stan (and his Marvel team?) wrote in Stan’s Soapbox after that comic convention:
Even as I sagaciously scribble these imperishable words, this summer’s much publicized Cart Art Convention is slowly drawing to a close here in New York. Boy, how I wish you could have all been here to toast our own Roy Thomas, as he was the co-guest of honor a special luminary packed luncheon; and how I wish you could have heard and applauded Johnny Romita, Marie Severin, Gil Kane and a host of other Bullpen bit-timers who lent their time and talents to some of the zingiest panel discussions and demonstrations in the place! Those of you who compromise the riotous ranks of Foomdom, be sure to watch for your next ish of Foom which will clue you in to most of the fun and frivolity of the Comic Art Con of all. As for the rest of the lustrous legions of Marveldom -Onward.
Ok, so he really didn’t say much about it after all. In typical Stan fashion.
For me, San Diego Comic-Con was fun and fulfilling in so many ways. And I’m eager to share that all with you all. Not only did I come back with some comics to read, I also came back with Covid. So, this week’s column is a short one. We’ll get back in the groove next time.
But until then – here’s some amazing Cosplay from SDCC 2024:
We just folded up the tents and struck the sets for ITHACON 47, the nation’s second longest running comic convention. It was a rousing success We have so many folks to thank. And I’m eager to write all about it too.
But I was struck by one conversation I had on the showroom floor, and it made me connect the dots on one big idea.
Just about every ITHACON exhibitor/dealer with whom I spoke gleefully explained their sales were strong and/or better than last year. That’s really important for a small show like ITHACON. We want to keep it comfortable for everyone, but we need to attract the right attendees. Folks who will be engaged in panels, cosplay, activities and who are eager to see what the dealers have brought.
However, one high-end comics dealer (who’s an ITHACON regular now) said that his sales were soft. But he blamed that on trends and not the show per se. He told me that his CGC graded comics have been selling better via online auctions that at comic conventions. That’s a fair point, and next year I would like to find a clever way to entice the type of customer he’s looking for to come to our show.
But it got me thinking about the amazing types of things that can only happen at conventions. And I have a great example for you. Continue reading “With Further Ado #296: Those Moments That Only Happen at Conventions”
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get down to HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC. At Bonfire Agency, I used to do a fair amount of work with comic shop retailers and attended a lot of comic conventions. Shelton Drum’s comic shop, Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find (great name, right?) in Charlotte was always regarded as best in class and the convention he runs, HeroesCon, was always very well regarded.
Last year, I finally made it to his shop, and this year, I finally made it to his amazing convention.
There was an electric-but-easygoing buzz in the air. HeroesCon was full of so much excitement and optimism but with none of the crowded drama that all too often accompanies big conventions. My family and I got our badges and made our way to the convention floor in record time. It seemed like all the workers were smiling and happy at each and every step.
This show brands itself as America’s Favorite Comic Convention, and I think they are right. The focus at HeroesCon is on the comics themselves, less so movies, gaming and all the other amazing fandoms that typically find a place under the large tent of Pop Culture. The exhibition floor was full of so many comic book dealers, comic book publishers (A Wave Blue World and AHOY Comics) and a ton of brilliant comic creators.
A few of my highlights included: Continue reading “With Further Ado #253: Now, That’s How You Throw a Comic Convention”
Heroes Convention, shortened to HeroesCon, and affectionately alluded to as simply “Heroes”, was put on this past weekend at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. The show was a rousing success, as usual, thanks to the fine stewardship of the convention by Shelton Drum of Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find and the amazing talents of Karla Southern.
This show puts the “comic” back in Comic Con. There was a tremendous group of comic book creator talent on the show floor from all different levels of the industry. Also, there were back issue comic vendors as far as the eye could see. Some folks dealt in high end collectable editions while others had boxes upon boxes of $1 comics. The variety of the wares they were hawking served to have something for everyone.
One of the interesting parts about this year’s show was that there was a bit more to browse and shop for things other than comic books or comic book art. I really don’t know how they did it, but somehow they were able to fit in even more creators and still have so many comic dealers and yet add vendors of hand-made crafts, props, toys, and other geeky items.
One of the signature things of HeroesCon is the art auctions. There are several auctions throughout the weekend, but the Saturday night event was the jewel of the show. It was a fun and exciting atmosphere as one of kind pieces were up for bids. All the while, everyone was waiting for that one piece by Brian Stelfreeze that had everyone buzzing.
Brian Stelfreeze just casually whipping up things like this at HeroesCon NEVER gets old 🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/6CRIT6cwD5
— rico. (@whoisrico) June 18, 2023
The programming at HeroesCon this year was very interesting. We took in three discussion panels over the weekend. Two of them were related to TwoMorrows publications, including one hosted by PCS’s own Ed Catto. For the third one, we had a chance to sit in the room while Mike Grell educated listeners about the origins and behind the scenes stories of Jon Sable, Freelance.
The panels that we didn’t go to also looked incredibly interesting and we heard great things particularly about the Comics Aloud! panel hosted by David Petersen of Mouse Guard fame that featured dramatic readings by comic creators of excerpt of stories with the characters they’ve written and drawn. It was a terrific lineup of diverse and interesting programing to break up the days and give your feet a rest.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing cosplay that we saw at the show. While other shows may have more quantity and more elaborate cosplay contingents, Heroes had a great mix of enthusiastic people enjoying letting their geek flag fly. You can check out some of the cosplayers that we ran across below.
The fact that this convention takes place smack dab in the middle of June creates a magical trifecta of real world celebrations that make this a great place to spend a weekend. Father’s Day typically falls on Sunday of HeroesCon as it did this year, which makes it a great place to pick up that last minute gift for a nerdy Dad. Juneteenth weekend was also the same weekend of the Con, and that made taking Monday off to recuperate an easier decision.
It is also Pride Month and there was a ton of things (books, toys, prints, other chachkas) that were available for anyone interested in that kind of merch. On Saturday, the publisher A Wave Blue World organized a group signing to celebrate the new retail printing of The Color of Always and the GLAAD Award winning Young Men in Love. From our experience, this felt like a very inclusive show.
We had a fantastic time at this show and are looking forward to going back next year. If you are fan of Comic Books, Comic Book Creators, or people who love Comic Books, this is the place to be.
You may have heard about Ithacon, the second longest running comic convention in America, before. Our own Ed Catto is a major force behind making it a terrific little comic show. It is going to happen next weekend, and as the weeks leading up to it are now down to just days, we wanted to let you know all the amazing things that will be there.
First of all Pop Culture Squad will be attending. Mike Gold is a Featured Guest and will be the subject of the discussion panel “Reinventing Characters with Mike Gold” on Saturday 4/22 at 11:30AM. You won’t want to miss it.
Also Bob Harrison will be representing Pop Culture Squad and hosting and participating in a bunch of panels at the con. Follow this link for a look at the complete programming schedule.
The list of Featured Guests also includes Will Dennis, Jamal Igle, Roger Stern, Glen Whitmore, Tom Peyer, and Stuart Moore. The full list of guests can be found here.
Here are some of the things to look for at Ithacon from their announcements that you may have missed.
Continue reading “What To Expect at Ithacon 46 – April 22-23, 2023”
We spend the past weekend strolling the aisles of TerrifiCon at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. It was the third time that we had been there and the first show we have been at back to back years post-pandemic.
The organizers did a great job putting on a show that attendees and vendors seemed to have a wonderful time. Saturday was the most attended day as is usually the case with most cons, but all three days were filled with people exercising their nerdy needs. We saw plenty of people meeting creators and celebrities. The vendor aisles had lots of activity and everyone that we talked to was having a good time.
Of course we did take notice of some of the cosplay that was on display. We were especially encouraged by the families that we saw cosplaying together. Check out some of what we saw below: Continue reading “TerrifiCon 2022 Thoughts and Cosplay Pics”
Pop Culture Squad was in the house this past weekend at FAN EXPO Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.. It was the first show in the City of Brotherly Love since FAN EXPO HQ acquired the former Wizard World show in that town. The mood of the show was super upbeat, and there was quite a bit of excitement among the attendees.
As spring in the Northeast desperately tries to climb out of frigid clutches of this past winter, the people at the show were proudly flying their geek flags and putting on quite a varied assortment of cosplay. We caught up with a bunch of folks asked them to allow their picture to be taken. Here is the result of some of what we saw:
