The Excellent Books and Comics for Comedian Con Lovers

Final fall, I went to my first Comedian Con, New York Comedian Con, and evidently, it didn’t disappoint. I cosplayed as Jessica Jones (additionally my first time cosplaying) and liked it. It’s laborious to explain, however the minute I set foot within the con, the environment was like none different I’d ever been a part of earlier than. I met a ton of nice folks, struck up dozens of enjoyable conversations, and had a hell of a superb time. I felt utterly comfy there, needed to see all the pieces I presumably may, and my ardour for comics was fueled 1,000,000 instances over. I’ve been planning this yr’s cosplay and searching ahead to this yr’s Con ever since. I’ve even been planning my son’s cosplay for this yr, since I’ve determined to convey him on Household Day.

I’d like to do Comedian Cons extra typically, however being a single mother or father to a toddler doesn’t precisely lend itself to journey across the nation to numerous cons (nor does my pockets). So within the meantime, I’ve to content material myself with studying comics and books that remind me of cons/the spirit of cons. Listed here are my favorites.

Darkish Horse Anthologies

Darkish Horse has put out a number of anthologies that I actually love about geekdom and cons: The Secret Loves of Geek Women, The Secret Loves of Geeks, and the latest one, Professionals and (Comedian) Cons. What I like about these is the combination of quick essays and tales, together with comics and illustrated tales, and the number of voices and experiences. These collections exemplify the other ways we come to fandoms and comics, and the wide selection of pursuits which are throughout the fandoms.

The 2 Secret Loves books concentrate on tales about love, intercourse, and relationship (from a wide range of non secular and cultural backgrounds, in addition to sexualities) with a distinctly nerdy aptitude, whereas the Comedian Con one, which was lately printed, is all concerning the world of comedian cons. Contributors to those books embrace Marguerite Bennett, Noelle Stevenson, Marjorie Liu, Gabby Rivera, Valentine DeLandro, Sina Grace, Brian Bendis, Margaret Atwood, and extra. I typically reread these anytime I would like a shot of geekiness, and I’d say these are simply a few of my favourite books.

Blackbird, Quantity 1 by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, Paul Reinwand, Triona Farrell, Jodi Wynne, Dylan Todd, and Jim Gibbons

I can’t say sufficient about this comedian. I learn many of the particular person points on-line (which I by no means do, however Bartel’s artwork was too lovely to overlook), and I knew I needed to get a tough copy when the commerce got here out. I like the storyline of this comedian and the relationships between the characters in addition to the magical ingredient of it (one thing completely different for me, since I normally go for superheroes), however for me, it’s the artwork that basically shines. Bartel is certainly one of my favourite illustrators and I may stare at this all day. Typically I flounder with comics, and this was simply what I wanted to get again into them after a while away.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

First, I like this ebook’s cowl. However if you happen to’re going to guage the ebook by its cowl, it undoubtedly lives as much as it. This YA novel is a enjoyable story about buddies and two completely different love tales, all set with a backdrop of a conference. Charlie, Taylor, and Jamie are at SupaCon: Charlie is a vlogger/actress selling her film who additionally has a crush on Alyssa, a fellow actress; and Taylor, who’s neurodivergent, has a crush on her pal Jamie, who could or is probably not conscious of it. I like this ebook as a result of it doesn’t resort to teen romance stereotypes and the geeky popular culture references are stellar. Romance books aren’t usually my factor, however at its coronary heart, this ebook is concerning the relationships that come out of fandoms—together with our personal self-discovery.

The Princess and the Fangirl: A Geekerella Fairy Story by Ashley Poston

Poston additionally wrote the novel Geekerella, however you don’t need to learn that to take pleasure in this one. Imogen is a die-hard fan of Starfield and needs her favourite character, Amara, to not be killed off. Jessica, who performs Amara, hates the present and the fandom, and doesn’t care if she’s killed off. When Imogen is mistaken for Jessica at ExcelsiCon, an entire slew of occasions is ready into place—which is additional sophisticated when the script for the subsequent Starfield film is leaked. That is one other enjoyable story full with geeky fandom particulars and well-developed characters.

Whereas these aren’t an alternative to cons, they do give me that shot of geekiness and fandom I stay up for.

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