Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Florida Supercon Review






I was fortunate enough to receive a media badge for Brothascomics to attend SuperCon in Miami this year and wanted to give you a little wrap up of the event.  This is my 3rd Supercon, but my first covering as media and the first time attending in Miami; the last two years the event had been held in Fort Lauderdale.



I live about 2 hours north of Miami so I made the commute each day instead of staying in a host hotel and that was probably my mistake.  In events like this, especially if you are coming a long way, its best if you stay closer to the event.

The Badge Process

I arrived right at the opening and parked at the Miami Civic Center garage.  Getting to the civic center is filled with traffic and you should leave early.  The badge process can really sink the con going experience and its vital that you buy your badge ahead of time if you are doing multiple days.  I went to pick up my media badge and it was in the same area as fan arrivals.   The Badge process was pretty easy and there were plenty of workers to help you get though the lines. Again, buy your badge early and print your confirmation.  If you purchase on site, the lines are much longer and you will be delayed making entrance into the con.




Con Size and Vendors

SuperCon is a fairly large con. Its not as big as MegaCon in Orlando but its not a small con either and you need to be prepared to walk a lot around the convention center to find who or what you are looking for. The SuperCon app is a great way to find your way around and keep up with the schedule if you are moving from the floor, to panels, to signings.  Its very organized on the floor, but its very easy to get turned around and you can lose your way trying to find something you may have seen before.  The Vendors offer a wide variety of products for all your nerdly pleasures.  Are you into anime, comics, toys, etc... whatever floats your nerdly boat, SuperCon has all of it for you!


Guest List
The Guest List was probably not as famous as previous years in Fort Lauderdale.  It may have been because Supercon this year fell on the 4th of July weekend.  If you were looking for a major movie.tv star, this year may have been lacking for you.  If you are into great comic creators or voice actors from anime, then you would have been super happy. I was able to get some interviews with some great creators and artists and get their insight into the creations.  My daughter was excited to meet Danielle Pannebaker from Arrow and we waited in line to get a picture with her and attend her panel which was a thrill for my daughter.  Plus, me and my best friend got a chance to get a picture with Jerry The King Lawler





Cosplay

Brothascomics always looks for great cosplay and looks to highlight cosplayers of color and SuperCon did not disappoint.






Family Friendly
All cons are not family friendly so you should always be wary on the convention floor.  SuperCon attracts a teenage and older crowd.  Smaller kids are there for sure and the con is family friendly but many of the costumes and booths may be a bit much for younger kids and making your way around the convention floor with very young kids will probably exhaust you as a parent.  I have a teenage daughter and after wlaking the floor for a few hours, even she was tired.  SuperCon is also one of the few cons that serves beer and alcohol on the convention floor. I personally enjoy that but not sure how some fans feel about it.

Overall
Really grateful for the oppurtunity to cover SuperCon this year as media.  It gave me a chance to meet some of my favorite creators and interview them for Brothascomics and I look forward to coming again in 2020.




The Producer

















Sunday, February 16, 2020

Dawn of X Podcasts




Looking for a recap of the Dawn of X books in the aftermath of House of X?  The Marvel Hacks got you covered.  We review the first 2 issues of each book over the course of the season and give our thoughts and opinions on each book.

Have a listen and like and subscribe!

Dawn of X Podcasts on Soundcloud

Brothascomics Podcast on Apple Podcasts

The Producer

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

DragonCon Black Geeks Meet Up





Over the past five years, the Black Geeks of DragonCon has hosted a meet up for the Black Cosplayers at DragonCon to show off their outstanding cosplay and to hang out and enjoy Black excellence in cosplay.

For several years, I  have not been able to attend; usually because my kids were too young or I was hosting a panel at the time of the meet up.  This years, I made the time in my schedule to make sure my son and I attended the event.

One of the things Brothascomics has preached since our inception was inclusion and diversity in nerd/blerd spaces.  Having covered many cons over the past few years, DragonCon is the ONLY con that creates this safe place for cosplayers of color to express themselves and their creations amongst like minded people.  The BlackGeeks of DragonCon should be commended for this; as well as the organizers of DragonCon for recognizing the uniqueness that DragonCon brings to Black Cosplay.

Black Cosplayers from all over the world flock to DragonCon each year and this international recognition and prestige even drew BET to DragonCon this year for full coverage( see video below)

This event is now in its 5th year.  Its keeps growing and growing.  We now see all genres of geekiness from comic books, to Game of Thrones, to Harry Potter, and all sorts of anime and manga.  Plus, movies celebrating Black cultures such as US and The Last Dragon have continually helped show the influence Black people have on nerd culture.

The photo shoot was like family!  Lots of hugs and props for people who have put their time, sweat, and money into the thing they love and getting the respect from those who deeply appreciate all they have done.

It was an event I will remember for so many reasons.  For meeting folks I have only communicated with on line, to seeing my sons face light up to see so many Black heroes, and also because it was such a beautiful day.

Enjoy the collages below and feel free to listen to my recap DragonCon podcast in the link below!  I cant wait to see what next year brings!!!









Check out my DragonCon recap podcast with Havana Nguyen.  We talk DragonCon from two totally different points of view!!
DragonCon Recap Podcast

The Producer from BrothasComics