April Convention Blitz
By The Eva Monkey on Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
Hi everyone, I’d like to fill you in on some fan conventions coming up in April. I’ll actually be presenting at four events, so if you live in or around the Mid-Atlantic Region, then there’s at least one event coming up for you to look into. I always enjoy meeting new people in the fandom. So come say hello. Just don’t be weird, okay? Or at least… no weirder than I am.
Kamecon
April 2, 2017
University of Maryland
College Park, MD
http://kamecon.weebly.com/
Japan Loves Evangelion, Entirely Too Much
Join us as we take a look at the many ways that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Japan loves Evangelion entirely too much. From zany merchandise, to theme park attractions, to an attempt to send an unmanned probe to pierce the moon’s surface with a miniature replica of the Spear of Longinus.
Requiem for Konami
Join us as we bid a fond farewell to Konami, a beloved game company who, through a series of terrible business decisions, may never publish another proper successor to any of its beloved franchises. We’ll look back to how it started, up to the present day, and its sad shift to pachinko and mobile.
Cecil Con
April 8, 2017
Cecil College
North East, MD
http://www.cecil-con.com/
Evangelion Deconstructed
In an effort to better understand its many mysteries, Evangelion has been put under a microscope more than many shows. Some of this deconstruction has led to a better understanding of certain elements of the plot, but much of it has revealed the creative process, and just how many places the show has pulled ideas, visuals, and motifs from. From Kamen Rider and Ultraman to 2001: A Space Odyssey and The X-Files, Evangelion has borrowed from a lot of other properties, not to mention previous Gainax works, and other anime series. This panel will present a broad survey of what went into creating Neon Genesis Evangelion.
I Love the Power Glove, It’s So Bad
In retrospect, Lucas Barton’s iconic line in 1989’s “The Wizard” can be viewed as a skillfully disguised, though painfully self-aware assessment of the officially licensed Nintendo product. The Power Glove is one of numerous video game accessories that never should have seen actual production. Consider this panel an absurd compendium for those who like to gawk, as well as necessary catharsis for those who were unfortunate enough to own some of these awful video game contraptions.
JohnCon
April 14-16, 2017
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
http://pages.jh.edu/johncon/
Japan Loves Evangelion, Entirely Too Much
Join us as we take a look at the many ways that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Japan loves Evangelion entirely too much. From zany merchandise, to theme park attractions, to an attempt to send an unmanned probe to pierce the moon’s surface with a miniature replica of the Spear of Longinus.
Getting Started with Fuse Beads (Workshop)
Fuse beads are a form of pixel art where small beads are placed on a grid to form an or image and then melted together with a household iron. If you’ve ever thought about getting into fuse beads, it’s actually really easy, and this workshop will provide you with everything you need to get started.
Zenkaikon
April 28-30, 2017
Lancaster County Convention Center
Lancaster, PA
https://zenkaikon.com/
Evangelion Manga: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Late in 1994, the manga iteration of Neon Genesis Evangelion began its long, slow, irregular run in Shonen Ace magazine. It finally concluded in the summer of 2014, and during the two decades it was in sporadic publication, numerous other Evangelion manga series popped up to fill the void. Their quality may vary, but the important thing to keep in mind is that there is one where Shinji is a detective who solves mysteries, and one where the children play video games to secretly train them for the battle ahead. For better or for worse, this panel will bring you up to speed on all that you’ve missed.
The Life & Works of Hideaki Anno
Evangelion has been wildly successful and popular worldwide. But despite its popularity, its principal creator, Hideaki Anno, remains shrouded in mystery for many people. This panel will take a look at his life and works, and provide biographical information about the man who created Evangelion.
Sega does… what Nintendon’t
We’ll take a look at the history of Sega, how it became a serious competitor to Nintendo, where it went wrong, and how it all fell apart. We’ll look at its well-known hardware blunders, as well as the advertising and marketing that ranged from absurd to just plain “what were they thinking” weird.
Panelist Bootcamp (Workshop)
Whether you’re a complete newbie with an idea looking for some guidance, or an experienced panelist looking to sharpen your skills, this workshop will provide you the tools you need to succeed at presenting panels in the future.
So that’s it for the month of April. It’s going to be super busy for me in terms of fan conventions. I hope to possibly meet some of you out there. So if you’re in the Mid-Atlantic Region, have a look at these events, and consider attending. Until next time, thank you very much for watching!