What scifi/comic fan convention should I attend?

August 31, 2010 5:20 PM

Never been to a scifi/comic convention: help me change this! Especially if I can only attend 1 in the next few years, what would you recommend as the most fun convention for me (1) in Eastern Canada? or (2) in North America?

My favourite things are:
- science fiction and fantasy
- webcomics and comics/graphic novels
- games (computer, console, board, D&D, especially RPG type)
- Japanese and Asian cultures
- geeky-comedy-musicians like Jonathan Coulton and Paul & Storm
- also crafty geek things

My guess would be (1) TCAF and (2) Comic-Con - is this what you'd recommend too? I go crazy for comics but any good ones with more of a focus on sci-fi?

Thanks much!

posted by SarahbytheSea to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (17 answers total)

Fan Expo!
posted by cozenedindigo at 5:22 PM on August 31, 2010

Response by poster: PS - I have found these Wikipedia pages on lists of fan conventions.
posted by SarahbytheSea at 5:22 PM on August 31, 2010

PAX Prime and PAX East.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:31 PM on August 31, 2010

Also consider New York Comic Con. This year, it's being held in conjunction with the New York Anime Fest, but I don't know if that will be the case in subsequent years. It's smaller than San Diego and not quite as overwhelming, but still plenty of media/non-comics stuff (I'm drawing a blank, but I feel like they had something pretty big last year as a premiere -- I want to say Dollhouse, but keep in mind, it was in February in 2009 and then moved to October for 2010, so it's been a while).

However, it's not a fan convention. I can't really help you there.
posted by darksong at 5:35 PM on August 31, 2010

I may be biased 'cause I'm from Atlanta, but I'd just like to put in a little, tiny plug for Dragon*Con. 'Cause it does rock.
posted by Madame Psychosis at 6:16 PM on August 31, 2010

I'll 2nd Dragon*Con, and I don't even live in Atlanta. It's huge, and has tracks for all interests.
posted by fings at 6:34 PM on August 31, 2010

Response by poster: Wheeee, thanks for suggestions so far!
For @darksong - maybe I shouldn't have used "fan convention" if that's not the right term... ? I think I'd be interested in any convention, conference, festival...
posted by SarahbytheSea at 7:01 PM on August 31, 2010

WonderCon in San Francisco. A lot of people I know are starting to prefer this to ComicCon; it's run by the same people but it's more like what ComicCon used to be before it was taken over by corporations promoting their movies/TV shows.
posted by OolooKitty at 7:11 PM on August 31, 2010

FWIW WorldCon is in Reno next year
posted by edgeways at 7:37 PM on August 31, 2010

These are all great suggestions and are probably the ones I would make. WorldCon is worth special notice since it is global and travels from city to city across the world. Being able to visit it without a 12 hour plane ride is pretty cool. PAX often (always?) coincides with Bumbershoot which is pretty great in its own right so that would be my nerd-choice.
posted by chairface at 8:37 PM on August 31, 2010

Don't forget to check out whatever conventions (TCAF?) are local to you. Smaller does not necessarily mean less fun! I find it's usually much easier to actually do the things I want to do at a convention when I'm not elbowing or being elbowed by over ten thousand people.

Locus's convention listings are good for mostly-literary SF cons. I've noticed a lot of the more general listings seem to be out of date, since it's just easier to put the info on Wikipedia (as you noticed).
posted by asperity at 8:55 PM on August 31, 2010

In Toronto, Anime North is huge and fun. Polaris is the main media con - and Ad Astra is the tiny, but good or socializing literary SF&F con.

I haven't been to fan-expo -- is it a for-profit con? I avoid those.
posted by jb at 9:41 PM on August 31, 2010

PAX Prime, unless you manage to hit SDCC at the same time as a w00tstock.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 9:58 PM on August 31, 2010

TCAF is terrific, free and will give you a completely different perspective on comics than most other shows!
posted by clango at 5:20 AM on September 1, 2010

There are lots of awesome options, but I will also suggest you give Dragon*Con a try for the sheer scope of it - there are entire programming tracks with four full days of panels for almost everything on your list. JoCo/Paul and Storm often get booked at PAX which is the same time, but P&S did a show at Dragon*Con two years ago and it was awesome.

Plus, the people-watching is spectacular.
posted by oblique red at 12:46 PM on September 1, 2010

I can confirm that you will find all of those things at your average big sized ComiCon. NY sounds like a good bet for you.
posted by Artw at 6:57 PM on September 1, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks so much everyone! :D
posted by SarahbytheSea at 5:59 PM on September 3, 2010