Archon 2010
Now before I even start, yes. I do in fact know that this is a week old, and I am going to be better at updating while at cons. Promise. ^^
About a week ago, some of the Gamerfront crew was found toddling around Archon. This annual event was in it’s 34th year, and is a sci-fi and fantasy based convention. Even though it had been completely uprooted from it’s previous location, it was quite the event and handled the shift exceedingly well! Talking to some regular con-goers, there was rumor that this may have been the best Archon to date.
This con is a bit larger and (obviously) has been running longer than the previous one we covered, Anime Crossroads. Having the history means that they also are able to secure bigger guests. Two of the most easily recognized are voice actor Vic Mignogna and author Kevin J. Anderson. If you aren’t familiar with these two, they’re responsible for the voice of Edward Elric (fmaftw) and the author of several Star Wars and Dune novels, respectively. Some of the other guests included artist Kurt Miller, author Vic Milan and game designer Matt Forbeck.
When we weren’t at panels and events put on by these special guests, there was still a ton of other fun things to do. With the con being so heavily invested in the Sci-Fi and fantasy worlds, it was no surprise to find a bunch of workshops for aspiring writers and creative types. In fact, most of the panels and workshops focused on creating content, for books, film, or even comics.
If sitting through workshops and panels isn’t your cup of tea, there were dances, parties and the Masquerade to look forward to! After all, there’s nothing quite so exciting as seeing a bunch of geeks throwing down on the dance floor. (The female Boba Fett striptease was definitely and experience worth seeing as well…and the peanut butter jelly time banana) The Masquerade showcased the best-of-the-best in costume, and revealed that some of the displayed costumes were handmade and planned for a year if not more in advance. Though the masquerade had a lot of amazingly creative outfits that were scheduled to be there, you couldn’t really take two steps without running into an excellent display of cosplaying.
Whether it be panels for webcomics or novellas, building props out of moldable plastic, or an arts and craft time; there was really a little of something for everyone there. Gaming and video rooms, a masquerade, tea party, cosplay, panels galore, vampire LARP, a dance every night, and so much more it would take up way too much space.
It was an awesome year and I can’t wait to see what they can do for the next one!
