Derby City Comic Con Preview

I cannot believe it's almost that time! On June 29, Derby City Comic Con will invade Louisville for a third year. DCCC was my first convention after starting Kentucky Geek Girl and this year I'm absolutely honored to be a Media Guest this year. In the coming days, I'll be highlighting some of the creators, vendors, and exhibitors who will be part of the 2013 show.

Beginning in 2011, Derby City Comic Con was the first convention of its kind in downtown Louisville, Kentucky and over the past three convention seasons it has only grown. I think that Eric did a great job as showrunner in 2011 and 2012 and he was a pleasure to work with. The announcement was made after last year's show that Chuck Moore of Comic Related would be taking the helm and Chuck, who is a friend to Kentucky Geek Girl, has worked tirelessly to help the show grow. I'm excited to be a part of the event again this year.

Nerds Descend Upon Louisville in Just 10 Days

 

Kentucky has just exploded with conventions over the last few years. Just a couple of years ago, the only convention that I knew about as someone who lived in Lexington was Scare Fest, and though it's a great con, it really fits into its own niche. (I can't wait to attend this year, PS.)  Little did I know that there was a great con just a few counties over in the city of Louisville that I would get to attend last year. FandomFest emerged out of Fright Night Film Fest and has now become one of the largest multi-genre conventions in the Mid-West. At the rate that it is growing, it could become a Dragon*Con for the Upper South/Mid-West and that would be phenomenal. In fact, it's not even just one convention. Fright Night Horror Weekend and Film Fest is a huge part of the affair, as is FandomFest, which brings in many guests based in pop culture, but there's a third component as well, Mid-America Comic Con. Rather than having one niche convention, the organizers of FandomFest have brought together some of the biggest names in popular culture, horror, comics, literature, movies, you name it really, for one great weekend.

Also in Louisville that weekend, specifically on June 30, is Derby City Comic Con. I had the pleasure of attending DCCC last year as well and was so pleased for it to be my first convention in almost 20 years (my first ever convention was the Fox Kids Expo back in the early 90s and it was glorious.) We had a great time at Derby City and met a lot of great folks, even though I didn't get to talk to Tony Moore at either convention. For the first year of the convention, I think that they did astonishingly well, as around 3000 comic fans came out to the Kentucky International Convention Center for the con. This year, it will be back in the same location with some great artists in attendance made up by a lot of local talent. There will be a silent auction in which you can place your bids all day with winners being announced just before the convention comes to a close. All proceeds from the auction benefit Kosair Charities. 

You want to know the best part? These conventions are only A BLOCK AWAY from each other and while Derby City runs from 10-5, but FandomFest continues into the evening, especially the gaming and panels portion. Check back to Kentucky Geek Girl for full previews of both conventions.

Fandom Fest/Fright Night Horror Weekend

and Film Festival/ Mid-America Comic Con

Galt House Hotel

140 North 4th Street Louisville, KY 40202

Day Passes - $25/day, Weekend Pass - $50

CONVENTION HOURS

Friday 4pm- 2am FOR VIPs 5pm-2am for General Admission

Saturday 9am-2am FOR VIPs 10am-2am for General Admission

Sunday 10am-5pm FOR VIPs 11am-2am for General Admission

Facebook | FandomFest.com | Twitter

Derby City Comic Con

Kentucky International Convention Center

221 South 4th Street Louisville, KY 40202

Adults $10, Kids 12-under: Free

CONVENTION HOURS

VIPs get in at 9AM; Doors open at 10 for regular ticket holders.
Facebook | DerbyCityComicCon.com | Twitter

Lexington Comic & Toy Con: This Was A Triumph

I attended a couple of conventions last year which were really well attended, but at Lexington Comic & Toy Convention I got to experience things from the other side: I had my very own booth. For those of you who were there, you know how absolutely busy things were all day long, but that craziness proved to be great success for all those involved. The attendees totaled over 4000! This is a phenomenal turnout considering that this was the first year of the convention and LCTC was only held for one day, from 10 - 5. With only 250 VIP tickets sold, that is an amazing figure. I was so impressed by the costumes that people were wearing. They ran the spectrum of Marvel and DC, Soviet Russian, and many, many Mandalorians!

The day was full of events for the con-goers like a Q & A panel with the Power Rangers as well as panels with Mike Grell and Mark Ryan, an MMA demonstration from Jason David Frank, and the costume contest. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend any of those, but I did get to talk to so many wonderful people at the KGG table. I want to personally thank everyone for stopping by and saying hello. I hope everyone enjoys the GEEKSOAP, shot glasses, t-shirts, and mugs. I really appreciate the interest so hopefully there will be something just as awesome!

Louisville Convention Round-Up: Derby City Comic Con and Fandom Fest 2011

July has been a busy month for conventions in Louisville. After happening upon two conventions quite randomly, I have to say that I had a wonderful time this month. I'll be outlining my experience at each of these conventions within this post. I can safely say that I am no longer a convention noob, or am less of one as of these experiences.

TheWarpZone releases full length X-Men Lady Gaga Parody

Last month, Ryan from TheWarpZone donned his Magneto costume all in the name of Lady Gaga and it was included in Stuff That Doesn't Suck. A full length parody is up on TheWarpZone's youtube channel featuring more of our favorite mutants in all their glory.

Who's your favorite member of the X-Men? I have a few that I really like, but I have to say that my overall favorite is Wolverine. I bought a print of him in his yellow suit at Derby City Comic Con this past weekend from the very talented Terry Huddleston. It rocks!

Leave a message in the comments and let me know who your favorite mutant is!

Derby City Comic-Con This Weekend!

Okay, I admit it. I'm really sad that I won't be attending San Diego Comic-Con this year. After getting to know so many people in the community over the last year, I really would love to meet everyone in person. Hopefully the stars will be right next year for me to attend, but I'll just be with everyone in spirit and following along on Twitter.

If you're around Louisville, KY this weekend, stop in at the Kentucky International Convention Center for Derby City Comic-Con. Both Lexington and Louisville are home to many comic shops, all of which we'll be featuring here with Your Friendly Local Comic Shop. You can also find many collectibles at these stores and DCCC will feature some of the best artists, writers, and publishers in the comic business. Did you know that there are many Kentucky natives who have made it big in the comic world? Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead is from Central Kentucky. Artist Tony Moore whose work on The Walking Dead was nominated for two Eisner awards will be a guest at DCCC this year. Louisville native Jay Leisten (Marvel Comics), Marjorie Liu (Marvel Comics), and Bill Nichols (Comics Mentor) will be featured guests as well. There are many more artists who will be in attendance this year, so be sure to check it out.

Tickets are available online for the low price of $7 or at:
Comic Book World
ear X-tacy
The Great Escape
Role of the Die
The Zone Comic Shop

I will be checking out the excitement of Derby City Comic-Con. If you head down to the convention center, be sure to say hello! For more information about Derby City Comic-Con, check out their website, Facebook, and Twitter.