This weekend I return to my hands-down favorite convention, ConnectiCon. In all the years it’s been running I have never missed a show, and this year my streak continues on.
I have a lot of history with ConnectiCon. I met the convention chairman because we happened to have adjacent tables at the first ever Anime Boston artist alley, and he has since become a decades-long friend. I met the woman who would become my wife because she was helping ConnectiCon promote itself at another convention we both happened to be at. Many people who would become webcomics friends and colleagues I met because of ConnectiCon. This show means a lot to me.
And I can’t mention my time at ConnectiCon without talking about the Cosplay Death Match, which I host and has become the main event of the weekend. What began as the Cosplay Chess Match needing a last-minute replacement for a hosting spot became the reason most people know me at the show. It’s an inexplicable combination of a “cheer for your favorite cosplayer to advance” contest and a standup comedy routine and a rock concert. There’s also a mauled teddy bear who has become the mascot of the event. You have to see it to believe it, and I’m honored to be at the front of this ship.
Last but certainly not least, it will be great to reunite with Garth. We still share a table since STAR POWER ended a few years ago, because we still have copies of those books with both our names on them, and we’re proud of the work we did. Plus Garth is one of my dearest friends in the world, one whom I don’t get to see in person nearly enough thanks to living eight hours apart, so getting to chill with him while attending my favorite show of the year is a win-win.
If you’ve never been to ConnectiCon, I highly recommend making the trip. You won’t be sorry. I hope to see you there!
(That is a picture of me hosting the Death Match on the website’s front page, as drawn by Garth. I sadly don’t look that physically fit in real life, though.)