Within every single one of us, there is a passion that drives us in ways we never thought possible. It keeps us up late at night. It consumes our spare time and we love every single second of it. Our passions define us and we wouldn't trade them for anything in the world because of the happiness and joy they bring to our lives. 

Not that long ago, passions and the talent that comes from within often times remained hidden from the world. Networking and the internet simply weren't a thing, but as the years have progressed the web has helped people find new ways to get their work out to the masses and build a fan base and thanks to Charlie LaGreca and Frank Romero, two of the original founders of Denver Comic Con; they have found a way to give passionate artists that work tirelessly to bring their work to life a convention of their own to put their incredible art on display and in the process, help a new audience discover their fine work and give fans that already love them a chance to say hello with DINK Comic and Art Expo.

This two day event kicked off on Friday and turned out to be a true celebration of art and I had the opportunity to attend this inaugural session of DINK and I have to say...it was an impressive sight to see. For starters, the venue, the Sherman Event Center was the perfect place for an event such as this since it provided a homely and comfortable feel for both the fans and the artists present and that was the best part of the whole thing...the fact that they managed to pack in artist after artist in impressive fashion because the main floor was loaded to the brim with talent.

There was something for everyone on the floor and it was great to see and say hello to many of the artists we here on the site have come to know over the years. Robin Childs, the creator of Ley Lines had a line of fans at her table every time I walked by and I was able to pick up a copy of Teenage Love Zombies from Kevin Gentilcore's table that I've had my eye on for a while, and talk with him for a bit about his work among other things as well. But my haul and experience paled in comparison to the people I saw wandering about the convention. I took a lot of time to people watch and all I saw on the faces of both the artist and the attendees was joy, and why wouldn't there be?

The artists were getting an incredible amount of face time with fans that follow their work on social media or their respective sites and at the same time they managed to draw new fans into the fold as well. But the best part of this event was the fact that everywhere attendees turned there was something either familiar or new to see and I loved watching people go from table to table with a smile on their face as they found something to catch their eye. Either way, this is one of the coolest new conventions I've been to in years, and I cannot wait to see how much DINK grows in year two because to give artists who work tirelessly to get their passion out to the masses is a wonderful cause for celebration because in its own special way, DINK is making dreams come true.

There's a lot of reasons as to why we love Denver Comic Con. If you're from Colorado, you're proud of the fact this is a home grown convention. Or maybe you're all about the awesome guests that attend year after year. But for me, there's one big reason I love this convention over any others out there...the fact that they legitimately care about the people who take the time to attend the con and give back to the community that they serve.

After all, Pop Culture Classroom is an amazing program and having seen it in action, up close and personal, it allows me to take great pride in knowing one of the largest conventions around makes the world a better place and gives children a chance to succeed in life by teaching them important skills in reading and writing, and it is perhaps the best way to quantify how DCC and PCC take care of the community that has embraced them over the last five years.

But Pop Culture Classroom's initiatives and programs are just the beginning. Denver Comic Con wants to be remembered as a convention that instantly makes you think about unity and diversity because pop culture knows no bounds and it doesn't matter where you come from, who you love or what you look like, this is a place for you to celebrate your favorite fandom with others who enjoy it as much as you do and that push is how they demonstrate that attendees matter and this year they have taken it to a whole new level by announcing a partnership with Denver PrideFest. 

This year Denver Comic Con will celebrate diversity and welcome the start of PrideFest Weekend by featuring LGBTQ programming on Friday, June 17. There will be panels that include topics on how we can add diversity to comics, science fiction and fantasy along with a discussion as to how young adult literature with queer themes can disrupt norms, and it doesn't end there. Because on Sunday, June 19 from 4-5 p.m. in the Bellco Theatre, DCC will play host to a group wedding ceremony where couples both gay and straight are welcome, in their finest cosplay of course, to be wed in the geekiest of fashion.  

There will be geek themed wedding vows on display, along with live music of course and any DCC guest with a valid Sunday badge will be allowed to attend. If you and your significant other wish to take part in this unique and lovely ceremony, head over to this registration form at the DCC website and apply before April 22nd, and the best part is...there are no fees associated with any of this. Either way, this inaugural event is truly something to behold because it continues to demonstrate how Denver Comic Con is committed to unity, diversity and the wonder that is humanity with this celebration of love.

John Barrowman
The first actor that DCC announced today that has myself and a bevy of other fans as happy as can be is a man that can be considered a modern legend of the small screen, John Barrowman.  John is of course best know for his work in the Doctor Who-niverse as Captain Jack Harness, a character that Whovians around the world adore to this day. 

He reprised the role for Torchwood and grew the mythos further in the process and these days John appears as Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow and he is truly the epitome of what I described earlier. An actor with instant presence and the kind you follow from show to show simply because he oozes talent. Heck I even found myself geeking out over the fact he popped up briefly in Zero Dark Thirty. Either way, he is an incredible addition to the already growing list of Doctor Who guests attending the Con this summer.

Camren Bicondova
The other actor that DCC announced today, is the ultra talented Camren Bicondova. It's been nothing but praise from the fans for Camren since she made her first appearance on the show as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and it's safe to say many of us tune into the series to see more of the incredible dynamic she and David Mazouz (Bruce Wayne) share on the screen. She will join Robin Lord Taylor and Sean Pertwee on the stage for what is shaping up to be quite the Gotham panel.

Regardless, the list of incredible names just keeps growing and growing for Denver Comic Con 2016 and if you haven't picked up your tickets, please do so now from the DCC website and we will see all of you at Colorado Convention Center in June! 

The last time we all gathered around Denver Comic Con's website to learn more about another quality guest coming to the Mile High City, we took a little time to discuss how some actors are able to pull off the impossible and garner the love of fans everywhere when they take over an iconic role and give it the respect that it is due.

But believe it or not, there is a class of actor out there that can actually one up their fellow thespians. These are the kind of actors that can not only do an iconic role justice...but they actually manage to make people forget about the original actor that brought the role to life and supplant them as the only person that comes to mind when you say the character's name.

It's rare that you see this happen, extremely rare in fact but in recent years, one talented lady has pulled this off, Katee Sackhoff. I distinctly recall the flak in the press when she took over the role of Starbuck in the 2003 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, and I distinctly recall when the critics were silenced by her powerhouse performance of this flawed character and by the time the series ended, the only person that comes to mind when you say or think of Starbuck is Katee. 

Of course her career has spanned beyond BSG, with feature roles in the sci fi epic Riddick and the horror film Oculus, along with a ton of voice acting work on shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Robot Chicken, and she currently plays Victoria "Vic" Moretti on the well loved show Longmire. But what matters most...is that Katee is coming to Denver Comic Con 2016. That's right, DCC has added another top notch fan favorite to the 2016 lineup and seeing as to how I am a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica, this is an announcement that brings a big smile to my face. 

So to see what Katee has to say in her panel and to snag an autograph and say hello, get your tickets at the Denver Comic Con website today and I'll see you at Starbuck's line in a couple of months. 

It's a long list of reasons that goes into why we love our favorite comic books. For some folks it's the character and all the things that they can do or what they stand for. For others it's the storylines, ones so rich and powerful that you simply cannot put the book down, and for others...it's all about the art.

When you really think about it, the art is truly the key to any comic book. Superman's adventures mean nothing without being able to see him soar through the air and the Batman is nothing if we can't see how his incredible gadgets work and all of that is courtesy of the many artists that put in endless time and effort to create these characters and there are many artists out there who have been recognized over the years for their outstanding work.

But for every George Perez and Neal Adams, there are plenty of artists trying to reach their level and often times they find themselves living a "double life" as an artist. They have a day job to pay their bills and work on their art at night and there's nothing wrong with that. They love what they do and well...it's high time they enjoyed a little appreciation of their own and that's why DINK has come into existence. 

DINK, also known as the Denver Independent Comic and Art Expo, is a celebration of the artist working in the trenches. These are the folks that have their own vision and in some cases their own comic books and their work will be on display on March 25-26 at the Sherman Street Event Center for all to see and I for one, think this is a fantastic idea. How awesome is it that artists who spend hours on end promoting their work on the web to make their passion into a career finally get their own convention to highlight everything that they do? 

It's incredible to say the least and this brain child of Denver Comic Con founders ​Charlie LaGreca and Frank Romero is already shaping up to be a can't miss event. You'll find awesome independents like Kevin Gentilcore and his company Creephouse Comics at the event or artists that work in both the independent and mainstream market like Amy Reeder on hand as well and that's just scratching the surface of an impressive guest list assembling at the end of the month. Either way, this is an event we cannot wait to attend, simply because it is so incredibly unique and because this convention benefits charity as well, since part of the proceeds from DINK will help in the creation of a one week youth camp to help out inner city youth. Either way, get your tickets today at the DINK Webpage and we will see you at the Sherman Street Event Center for a celebration of creativity. 

There are some actors out there who have done such a fine job with their respective role that when you hear their character's name, they are the first person you think of. Case in point, the name James Tiberius Kirk instantly reminds you of William Shatner, and all the magic that came with his portrayal of this iconic Captain of the Enterprise.

I make mention of this because that kind of brand recognition if you will makes it extremely difficult for the next actor to fill their shoes. We've seen it time and time again when a reboot or remake comes around and we carefully judge the new actor taking on that character's persona. Sometimes they royally mess it up, but often times they are adequate but we always say that so and so is or was better.

Then once in a great while an actor comes along that manages to do something incredible with the role. They not only do such a fine job of giving the character new life, but they are able to channel everything you love about the original performance as well, and that's the kind of work that Karl Urban has pulled off in his portrayal of Dr. Leonard McCoy. Not only has he managed to update the role, but there are moments that Karl has actually managed to channel DeForest Kelley on screen.

In fact, throughout his career, Karl has been nothing short of a chameleon, and for further evidence of this, look no further than his work in Dredd. As the iconic Judge, Karl not only gave the fans what they wanted by never removing the helmet once on screen, but he gave a tough character that is well regarded for lacking emotion and depth just that and there's not a person that saw that film that wasn't rooting for Dredd to succeed in saving the day at Peach Trees. So why is all of this important? Because we've established that Denver Comic Con is all about bringing in some top notch actors and it was announced today that Karl will be joining us in the Mile High City for Denver Comic Con 2016.

I have to say this is another announcement that I am ecstatic over. The two roles that I just made mention of have made me a big time of fan of Karl's work, to the point where I find myself watching just about anything he stars in to see how he will lose himself in the role for that particular tale. Of course an announcement this epic means everyone needs to get their tickets as soon as possible and I look forward to meeting Karl come Father's Day Weekend.