I made an interesting find at Westercon this weekend. Pendragon Costumes has a series of superhero-inspired renaissance-style leather doublets…including this one.
It’s part of a series called the Queen’s Chamber of Champions, and represents the Red Knight, Master Flashman. He is (of course) the Queen’s swiftest courier.
Well, I did attend three comic conventions in 2009…but not the three I was expecting! WizardWorld Los Angeles was canceled with just two months’ notice, but Long Beach Comic Con stepped in to fill the gap.
I’ll most likely be staying in California again next year, so here’s what next year’s convention season looks like for me:
April 2–4, 2010; San Francisco, California. Probably.
The last two years have been a lot of fun. It’s a lot like San Diego Comic-Con used to be before it exploded, actually. (It’s also a good excuse to travel and visit people in the Bay Area!) This one’s still up in the air for now, since they haven’t started selling tickets yet, but despite the distance, it still ends up being cheaper than San Diego.
» Wondercon 2009 report and photos.
» Update: WonderCon 2010 report and photos.
April 16–18, 2010; Anaheim, California. Maybe.
The show that officially replaces Wizard World Los Angeles is only 10 minutes away, so it would be a shame to skip it. And it’ll be close to the time that Flash and Kid Flash are launching. But it’s also only two weeks after WonderCon, and Wizard, or Gareb Shamus, or whoever is in charge keeps doing things that annoy me.
» Update: Anaheim Comic Con 2010 report and photos. After a lot of dithering, I went for it.
July 1–4, 2010; Pasadena, California. Maybe.
It’s been years since I’ve been to a general science-fiction/fantasy convention. The last one was the 2006 WorldCon in Anaheim, L.A.Con IV, which I experienced through the haze of a summer cold and Day-Quil. I’ve considered Westercon the last two years, but the last two have been Las Vegas and Tempe, Arizona in July. Admittedly Pasadena is a good 10 degrees hotter in summer than where I live, but it’s probably not as hot as Vegas or Tempe…plus I can commute to Pasadena.
» Update: Westercon 63 Report. I finally decided to go.
July 22-25, 2010; San Diego, California. Definitely.
I’ve been going every year since 1990, and I’d hate to break that streak. Even if it ends up being too expensive to stay in town next year, it’s just close enough to commute for a few days.
UPDATE: I’ve just learned via Twitter that one-day tickets go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, December 15). Four-day tickets are already sold out, so if you plan to go, but don’t have tickets yet, now’s your chance!
» Comic-Con International 2009 report and photos.
» Update: Comic-Con International 2010 report and photos.
October 29-31, 2010; Long Beach, California. Definitely.
I had a good time at the first event this year, and just discovered that they’ve set a date for next year! The website also mentions some sort of one-day event on February 20, but doesn’t provide any detail.
» Long Beach Comic Con 2009 report and photos.
» Update: Long Beach Comic Con 2010 report and photos.
I’ll probably be attending two or three conventions in 2009:
WonderCon (February 27–March 1, 2009; San Francisco, California). Definitely. My wife and I went last year and enjoyed it, and combined it with a trip to visit friends and family in the Bay Area. What with the money crunch we were going to skip it this year, but we were planning to make another trip up to visit people…and discovered that the perfect time to do so would be the week leading up to WonderCon. If we’re going to be in the area anyway, membership is pretty cheap at $12/person for a one-day pass. (See also: 2008 WonderCon report.)
Wizard World Los Angeles (March 13–15, 2009; Los Angeles, California). Maybe. It’s within driving distance, so travel expenses aren’t an issue. That said, it’s only two weeks after WonderCon, so whether I go will be based entirely on the guests & panels. (See also: 2008 WWLA report.)
Comic-Con International (July 23–26, 2009; San Diego, California). Definitely. I’ve been going to what was then called the San Diego Comic-Con since 1990. We pre-registered at the last convention, and I’ve lined up a back-up hotel in case I can’t get a closer one when the convention blocks open up. (See also: convention reports.)
Some other conventions I’ve looked at, but probably won’t be attending: