It's been a whirlwind month for Denver Comic Con.  Incredible guest after incredible guest have been announced and well...it feels like Christmas in the Mile High City.  Such announcements are keeping me up late at night, and not in any negative way.  I simply can't close my eyes without grinning with joy.  

But amidst the incredible announcements and the guests that have left us all star struck it is easy to forget that Denver Comic Con is about taking care of everyone's passion and fandom.  So it should come as no surprise, that for the many gamers out there, DCC announced today how it plans to fuel that gaming fire with the Hall of Games. 

In the Hall you'll find an incredible variety of your favorites.  RPG's, Table top, console, tournament play.  It's all here and in the Vector Lounge, something new for this year, you'll even find classic arcade games, music and other gaming events.  

But when you come to a convention grounded in education, you'll find programming that accompanies your passion and the Hall of Gaming definitely delivers.  More than 20 local and national video game developers will be at Denver Comic Con this year. They will be there to give first hand knowledge of the industry and teach aspiring developers about the business.  What kind of panels can you expect?  Here's a sample: 

·         Getting Into the Games Industry

·         Indie Game Development – Facts and Fiction

·         Building a Videogame in Unity3D

·         Kickstarting Your Game

·         I Have a Great Idea for an App -- What Now?

·         I Want to Make Games – Is School Right for Me?

I have to admit, I have no aspirations to be a game designer or developer myself, but I am going to try my best to get into a few of these panels because why not?  I know nothing of the gaming industry outside of what games I own and that's the beauty of Denver Comic Con.  You can go and enjoy the sights, see the stars and maybe even learn something you never knew before.  See you all at the convention center next month! 

It's been a busy week for Denver Comic Con.  We found out the Seventh Doctor will be joining the Fifth here in the mile high city.  Oh and we also got the incredible news that William Shatner is making his return to DCC as well, to moderate a reunion of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

So that should be it right?  Just a few general announcements and cool stuff like that right?  No.  This is Denver Comic Con we're talking about folks, they don't mess around, because there are more guests to be had at this year's convention.  

For fans of the SyFy show Defiance you'll be able to meet two of the show's stars this year since it was announced today that Grant Bowler and Stephanie Leonidas will be in attendance.  Yes that's right, lawman Joshua Nolan and his alien daughter Irisa will take the stage in a few short weeks!

But the news doesn't end there.  Not only has it been a star studded week for all of us, but the end of the month will bring about an annual tradition, tasting an incredible beer.  For the past two years, Breckenridge Brewery has managed to make an incredible brew for DCC, bringing forth the amazing Fantastic Pour and The Caped Brewsader and this year's beer, Brews Wayne is no exception.  

So on May 30th at 8:00 p.m. at The 1Up Colfax (717 E Colfax Ave in Denver) join Denver Comic Con and your fellow fans to partake in this incredible delight.  There will be live music from Total Ghost, Sundown Social and DJ Ginger Perry.  Plus the first 200 fans in receive a limited edition glass and Josh Viola and Aaron Lovett, the artists behind the logo for Brews Wayne will be on hand as well.

It should be an incredible time and a great way to get into the mood for Denver Comic Con, see you there!  

There are few shows that have touched my life or inspired me more than Star Trek. The vision of a world where we have put aside our differences and worked together to make the world and in this case, the universe a better place is a concept that to this day continues to leave me in awe.  But of all the Star Trek shows, two of them had my attention the most; The Original Series and The Next Generation.  I grew up watching Captain Kirk save the universe and in 1987, there were new adventures to be had with the crew of the Enterprise-D. 

So imagine the joy going through my veins today as Denver Comic Con made an incredible announcement...a reunion of the cast of The Next Generation at Denver Comic Con 2014.

Yes, that's right, come Saturday at the convention, the intrepid crew of the NCC-1701-D will take the stage at the Bellco Theater here in Denver for a special panel that just so happens to be moderated by the one, the only...William Shatner. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner and Wil Wheaton will not be able to attend, but we will be graced by the remainder of the crew.  

Now, many of you are undoubtedly wondering what it will take to get in and see this amazing panel and the answer is simple. Head over to www.denvercomiccon.com to order tickets.  Pricing will range anywhere from $50-$150 for this event and yes, you must have paid admission to the convention in addition to this ticket to attend.  But if by chance you cannot make it, that's okay, the TNG cast will be floating around Denver Comic Con to sign autographs and take photos and you'll even find some of them in panels related to some of their other work.  

Either way, this is a jaw dropping announcement from Denver Comic Con, and quite frankly I need to take a moment and just say thank you to the people behind the scenes at the convention.  As a life long fan of Trek this is just an amazing event they have put together and it will be jaw dropping to say the least to see so many of my childhood heroes sharing the stage and reminiscing with all of us. 

The clock is ticking ladies and gentlemen.  In a little over a month the Colorado Convention Center will be wall to wall with every fandom imaginable as Denver Comic Con 2014 kicks off and being so close to the convention one would think that we are done with hearing about new guests...and we would be totally wrong.

We should have learned by now that DCC, doesn't mess around.  So it should come as no surprise, that they have brought forth another gift to all the fans of Doctor Who with their latest guest announcement...the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.  

Yes, that's right.  The Doctor that carried his question mark cane and hung out with Ace and despite his plucky demeanor, ended up bringing forth a pretty dark Doctor, will be taking the stage at Denver Comic Con and quite frankly, this is a huge deal.  Sylvester played a huge part in Doctor Who lore.  Granted, he only played the Doctor from 1987-1989 and in 1996 in the T.V. movie, but his gradual descent into a much darker character would resonate through the reboot in 2005.  

Following the Doctor's demise in the aforementioned television movie, Sylvester went on to enjoy a rich career on both stage and television and has even reprised his role as Doctor Number Seven in the Big Finish audio programs.  In fact Sylvester seems far from walking away from acting as since anyone who has enjoyed the new Hobbit trilogy has enjoyed his work once again since he has portrayed the wizard Radagast in both The Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and he will reprise the role once again in the upcoming The Battle of the Five Armies.  

Regardless, it's an honor to have another legend from Doctor Who join us at Denver Comic Con this year and no doubt he will have some incredible stories to share in what continues to shape up as an incredible weekend.  I can't wait to see Sylvester and the rest of the lineup come next month! 

StarFest kicked off this year a bit early for me. Despite having to work Thursday May 1st, Mattie and I packed up and checked into the Marriott! This year was different right from the start. We stayed up to finish a banner for out balcony, hung it, and then kicked back to relax a bit with some amazing friends. 

Friday we got up bright and early and hit MediaFest! I've only been one other time a few years ago, and I have to say, this thing was awesome. There were a decent amount of people and some pretty fun games to be played. Star Wars trivia was, of course, the most fun to watch! It was a lot harder than I thought! Trying to answer questions before the contestants did, only to find out I was wrong, was a bit sad, but it happens! The important thing is, everyone had a good fun time. They brought in donuts, and for the first time, I got to eat a Voodoo Donut. I've never had them before, and they were utterly astounding. I need to find more of those. The rest of the day was taken easy. I might have to admit to some naps, but as soon as that was over, we hit the con full force! Artist's Alley and ComicFest. Here, John found some wonderful things he's been looking for, and I made a new friend! After that, it was time to hit the Dealer's room just before a fun, random, meet up for Dinner! If you live in Colorado, if you have access to the Denver Marriott Tech Center, then you should try Garcia's. It's the most delicious food I've ever had. We ended up eating there twice this weekend…in a row…and I'm not even sorry. I won't ever steer you wrong with food. I managed to buy myself a Phaser and a Tricorder! I have no regrets.

Saturday, my sister decided to join us and it was time for some serious cosplaying. Mattie, Jadyn, and myself, got into our Star Fleet dresses. Of course we covered all three colors, and boy did we look amazing! I let Jadyn borrow my Phaser and I grabbed a Tribble my friend Kendra made me, and we explored all that StarFest had to offer. Byt the end of the day, I bought an Iron Man comic, a Winter Soldier shirt, and might have had just a little too much fun with the Tribble. Later, we made it to the costume contest and I've never been so amazed at the costume entries. The kids, especially, were my favorite. I love cosplay, but I especially love seeing kids in cosplay! It's something that only happened on Halloween when I was growing up. But, here, at cons? It's something that happens all the time and I love every minute of it. The little Nightwing was my favorite! I'm totally not biased...

Sunday brought some sad feels. Unfortunately, the con was coming to a close. We all gathered for one last lunch, made another pass in the dealers room, and we went with Mattie to get her autograph by Nichelle Nichols. That was a moment I will never forget. The guests were all amazing and nice. The atmosphere of the con was that of what I love most about conventions. There's a laid back, familial, feel about being at StarFest. This year was no exception. The crowds came in waves, but everyone had an amazing time. 

My favorite moments were those spent with friends in the environment we love most. With an Atrium view room, we stood on the balcony and danced as we watched the Federation Ball down below. Good people, amazing events, and wonderful guests. StarFest is everything a con should be and more. 

So we have come to the end, once again.  In fact, this is an article I didn't want to write today.  I sat here, staring at the screen after spending an extra hour or two after I needed to at StarFest for good reason, I don't like it when cons end and this one was special so writing this particular recap is painful in many ways.   

Now I say special, because the last two years at this convention have been eye opening to me.  You worry about all the little stuff at conventions and see good friends but there is something so much more, so much joy that a convention brings to all of us.  I've talked before about how important camaraderie is at StarFest, how awesome it is to see old friends and make new ones and that's important.  But I also came to realize what StarFest means to each of us on an individual level.  

See I noticed something this weekend I never have before and it's dumb on me for not seeing it sooner.  I've noticed the joy before but this year, as I shot video and pictures, I noticed the difference in the smiles.  Our smiles are quite telling as to how happy we really are.  There are smiles we put on as we need to, and then there are those genuine smiles, the ones that extend ear to ear and never leave your face.  

That's what I witnessed this weekend for the first time, smiles that went from ear to ear.  Smiles that damn near glowed as people stood in line for autographs from their favorite stars, or wandered the vendor room or sat around in the rooms or in the hallways and just chatted it up with people.  StarFest lifts every last one of us up, regardless of what is going on in our lives because it is the embodiment of what our favorite science fiction stories did for us in the first place, it inspires us.  

All the things we dislike about the world fade away once we step through the doors.  It's a world of respect, it's a world of equality, it's truly a utopia.  It's the world we all desire and yearn to live in and for three whole days, we are a part of it and that's just magical.  

It's an experience I like to think leaves with us as the weekend comes to a close.  That we smile that wide when we head back to work.  That we spread that joy to others every chance we get.  That we take the utopia out into the world.  Maybe we do for a day or two before the routine settles back in and that's okay.  Maybe for that fleeting instant we achieved the incredible feat we experienced at StarFest, that perfect world where everyone is your friend and malice is not welcome.  It's a shame that it's over, but at least I know it, and all of you will be there for me next year.     

Saturday at a con somehow feels like second nature. Because of the sheer fact that it is now in your blood. Since Friday is the dry run at the convention, you know exactly where everything is. There isn't a panel that can elude you, you've seen what booths in the vendor room have the coolest stuff calling to you.

You truly belong at this point and that second nature could not arrive at a better time. There's lots to be done on Saturday and only a few hours in the day to get everything done. It's a race to get that collectible, that autograph, or whatever else is on your list and for all of us here at Girls of Geek, it is no different.

We were all on a mission today and it was a mad dash to see everything we possibly could at the con and we managed to get it done. We spent a little time at RoboFest and ModelFest. Taking in the incredible hard work there. We made it back to ComicFest to spend more time with artists we missed yesterday before heading back to the hotel to do more damage in the vendor room and grab something to eat before the big event of the night...the costume contest.

It was another amazing show filled with costumes that are so well crafted the patience that goes into these costumes are beyond me.  I'm always left in awe, that's for sure. Our mad cap dash of a day ended with some R and R as we headed up to Mattie and Shae's room to sit back and bask in the wonder of the Federation Ball.

All in all it was another incredible day at StarFest 2014 and sadly, there was one thing we didn't get done on our list, snag Nichelle Nichols autograph but the good news is...it's Sunday and there's time enough to finish our list and say our goodbyes as StarFest 2014 will sadly come to a close today.

I have to be honest when I say that waking up at four in the morning is often times a horrible thing.  There are some people who enjoy this, and more power to them, but for me, four a.m. is a forbidden and sacred part of the day that should only be reserved for sleep.  

But there is one occasion when I don't mind getting up before the sun breaches the horizon, and quite frankly, it's only on one day of the year...the Friday that kicks off StarFest.  

I'll get up with a smile on my face that well...doesn't leave until Sunday night when the convention ends.  Sure I might be utterly exhausted on the drive in to the Denver Marriott DTC, but I don't care, because it's time for StarFest, and my day started off with MediaFest where I was able to say hello to plenty of old friends down in main events before settling in for a fun filled day.  

As always, day one is the scouting run.  You have to know the lay of the land, and that's exactly what we did.  There was a quick trip to ComicFest, where we saw more incredible work by the amazing Nathaniel Hamel, Robin Childs and so many others and Dan and I had the opportunity to pick up some incredible collectibles we had both been searching for before heading into the vendor room to see what incredible things they also had to offer.  This was of course, a dangerous idea because well, I'll be going back in there to see what other damage it can do on my wallet.  


But I made a point to work a little harder earlier in the day this year because often times I'm busting my hump until the moment I leave.  I got all the video shots I needed and the stills quickly for one particular reason, to take in the convention in a way that I haven't in a very long time.  This is the first time in years I had the chance to sit back and soak up the atmosphere and man is it worth it.  I got to reconnect with so many great people because once the sun goes down, that's what StarFest is all about, friendship and family.  


That alone made this one of the best StarFest's I've ever been to so far, and it should make Day Two equally as fun.  See everyone on the floor!  

It's time my friends.  We have all waited a long and agonizing year to take part in one of our favorite conventions.  As you read this, droves of people from every fandom out there are filing into the Denver Marriott DTC, or checking into their rooms. They're making phone calls, posting on Facebook and sending text messages, all wondering who will join them this year at StarFest.  

Denver's longest running science fiction convention is back again this weekend my friends and as always, it should be nothing short of amazing.  As usual, incredible stars will line the hallways in their respective autograph booths, with legend Nichelle Nichols from Star Trek leading the charge, but there are a few surprises in store for this year.  

Not only will we enjoy the incredible convention we have all come to know and love, but the final day of StarFest just happens to fall on May Fourth and every sci fi fan knows the importance of that date, and if by some chance you don't...then be at the convention for what will simply be the largest May the Fourth Be With You celebration in all of the land.  

It will be a day filled with incredible programming dedicated to the wonder of Star Wars, oh and by the way...Lando Calrissian himself, Billy Dee Williams will be there!  It's something new for StarFest and I can't wait to see it, especially since Sunday is usually the toughest day of the con since we all have to part ways.  So hopefully this celebration will allow all of us to ease into the end of the con.  

But until then, I have my Friday planned out.  There will be plenty of old friends to see, new ones to make and a vendor room that needs the cash in my wallet, because at long last...StarFest is here and it's time to bask in its glory.