ComicCon-ing: A Preview of Pensacon

This weekend Nola Nerd Couple will be attending Pensacon in Pensacola, Florida.  We believe this is one of the best Comic-Cons on the Gulf Coast and in the South.  Perfectly located near the beach and I-10, Pensacon allows for a perfect getaway weekend.

Pensacon is a growing con that always gets great guests.  A few of the guests that we are excited to meet this year are:

• Amber Benson and J. August Richards – Kurt is a huge Buffy fan and has been collecting Buffy/Angel autographs since his first comic con.
• Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, and Patricia Quinn — Tim Curry recently did a signing by mail and Cristina got a Rocky Horror Picture Show poster signed. Bostwick and company will be an excellent addition to this poster.
• Joey Lauren Adams, Jeremy London, Michael Rooker, Jason Mewes, and Brian O’Halloran – Cristina has a Mallrats poster with Stan Lee (!) and Shannon Dougherty’s autograph. This will definitely make that poster one-step closer to completion!

Of course, there are plenty of more guests to check out from such series as Star Wars, Doctor Who (Strax!), Agents of Shield, and Game of Thrones.

Pensacon also has a great lineup of artists as well. Probably the biggest name in for the artists is Neal Adams whose credits include Batman and X-Men. Doug Sneyd’s cartoons have been featured in Playboy since 1964.  Artists may do commissions so check the Pensacon website, um now, to find out if you need to book in advance.  The artist alley is usually my favorite part of the con.  Not only do we find great things to decorate Nola Nerd Couple Headquarters with, but also the artists are always so nice.  I, personally, love that they found a way to become successful by working hard in a field in which they had some natural talent.  It is always great to hear their origin stories. In fact, the best conversations I have had at any con have always been with the artists.

Besides media and artists guests, Pensacon has a full schedule of events.  There will be tons of panels by the actors, artists, and experts on issues related to comics and comic cons. I personally recommend “Horrible Horrible Horrible Horrible Stereotypes in Comic Book History” on Saturday at 4:45 as my colleague and friend, Bill Plasse, will be one of the presenters (Looks like Bill can’t make it, but the panel will still go on!).  Of course, I always explain Comic-Cons as “jewelry shows for geeks” and, accordingly, there will be ton of vendors there. In addition, there will also be a cosplay contest,  a short film festival, sci-fi speed dating, and Southeastern Teen Shakespeare Company Performance.

We will be taking plenty of pictures and may interview a few artists and convention attendees for our blog next week.  Until then, have a happy con!