I still distinctly remember what it felt like to attend to my first convention. There were of course, butterflies in my stomach because I'd never done anything like this before, but once I stepped through those doors, I was privy to an incredible world where I simply felt at home. Everyone there loved the geeky things I loved and they were friendly and welcoming and that comfortable and at home atmosphere is something that stuck out in my mind, and became the standard for every single con that I've attended since.

Some cons live up to that standard, some cons don't and that's okay. But for me, if a con remotely feels as though I belong there, I'll have an incredible time and last weekend, I had the chance to attend a convention that not only welcomed myself and my friends with open arms, but went a step further by providing us with the most relaxed convention experience that I have, quite frankly, ever experienced. The con in question is Colorado Cosmic Con 2 and how it managed to pull off such a chill environment I will never know, but I welcome it. After all, attending a convention is an energetic experience, one that can create anxiety if you let it, but there was none of that to be found at this convention. 

Perhaps the best way to describe it, is that it was just like hanging out a friend's house and there were plenty of friends to be found for that matter as well. We were able to spend a little time chatting it up with Jason Meets and Stan Yan and that relaxed atmosphere where you could just sit around and chat like it was a normal day extended to every single vendor's table at the con. Everywhere we went, vendors were conversational, happy of course to let you know about some of the great deals available at their booths which is always appreciated since hey, they have to eat and Shae and I got some awesome Pops out of it and Scotty added some more incredible artwork to his collection, but I digress. Because once any discussion about deals were out of the way, it became clear that these same vendors were genuinely excited to be at this convention and asked us at every turn if we had seen all of the cool stuff that this con had to offer. 

Which was a valid point for them to make, because there were some pretty incredible sights to be seen at this convention. To keep it retro and fun, there was a gaming room where classic arcade games on free play were up and running and it was extremely cool to see younger kids who didn't grow up with a local arcade step into that room with wonder and awe upon their faces. A replica of the car from Supernatural was there as well, something Shae was more than happy to spend time admiring and there was even an awesome Star Wars room complete with members of the 501st in full costume and plenty of incredible displays and props from a galaxy, far, far away and all of this was complimented by a lovely main floor/vendor room filled to the brim with plenty of top notch artists alongside the big name guests and the environment in there as well was equally as relaxed.

In the end, it was wonderful to attend a convention and not feel an ounce of pressure to complete everything on my list in record time before the doors closed for the weekend and I loved the fact that everyone there was so laid back and friendly and just up for having a wonderful time. It speaks volumes to how the convention is run and credit is definitely due to John Hernandez, the man behind this entire show, for making it a requirement that everyone working this con and attending this con simply have a good old fashioned fun time and because he's created a con with this kind of environment, I will most certainly be back to check it out in 2017. Until then.

Fall is a bittersweet time to be a geek in the city of Denver. Sure we get all of our favorite shows back on the air, incredible movies are coming up from Disney and Marvel and hey, you can't go wrong with the Doctor Who Christmas Special for that matter either, but the only downside to the leaves changing and the temperature dropping, is that con season is about to come to an end. 

Yes, the window to enjoy those wonderful gatherings where we can all wander through vendor rooms and partake or participate in cosplay is coming to a close but before we truly say goodbye to our favorite season of the year, there's a still a couple of conventions left to attend before the weather forces us into a geeky hibernation and one such convention, located in Colorado Springs, arrives this weekend, the always wonderful...Colorado Cosmic Con. 

Now in its second year, this convention provides all of us with a more down to earth and home away from home feel and with it kicking it off in mere days, I thought it would be high time to follow up on a few of the recent additions to this event that are definitely worth a geek's time. For starters, if you're all about cosplay, there's some awesome names being featured at the con this weekend like Erin Lei, Desert Rose Cosplay and local cosplay phenom Kristi Kai, just to name a few. Plus in addition to that, the ultra popular Club Cosplay is partnering with Cosmic Con to help put on the Imperial Ball on Saturday night, which also just so happens to be hosted by Kristi.  

Outside of cosplay, quite a few local artists were also announced to the guest lineup as well. The phenomenal Jason Meents will be on hand to display his high quality Chibi line of artwork. In addition to Jason, zombie master Stan Yan will be available to zombify you and your loved ones with his outstanding work and while at his booth you should check out his incredible children's book There's a Zombie in the Basement. It's a wonderful read and quite frankly entertains children and people of all ages, and while in artist alley make sure you also check out the fine work from Steven Pulawa, just trust me, you'll be glad you did when you see the stunning pieces on display in his booth.

Either way, with cosplay guests of that caliber and artists such as these added to the lineup, there's a fair chance our weekend is going to be filled with incredible costumes and new additions to our artwork collections to go along with mountains of fun for everyone. For more information on this amazing con, or to find out who else is attending cosplay wise and to get your tickets, make sure you visit Colorado Cosmic Con's website and act fast if by chance you've been holding off on getting a ticket or two. I say that because after Friday, ticket prices are going up online and at the door, so to get the best price possible, act today and use the code COSMIC on the site to save 20%. Outside of that, I know myself and the gang can't wait to swing down the Springs this weekend and we will see all of you at Colorado Cosmic Con 2!

Launching Your Superhero on Screen
Sunday, June 19, 2016 11:45am-12:35pm
Trai Cartwright, Stephanie Train

Trai Cartwright's panel is for all of us who have seen our favorite super heroes/heroines go from the comics to TV or the big screen and thought, "hey, I have an idea for a great character! How do I get them made into a tv show or movie?" The first obstacle she says people encounter is that before they let their character see the light of day, they want it to be perfect. Trai says, it doesn't have to be perfect, "it's gotta be made." If it's an idea for a story, then write it. You can always edit it later, and there's only so far the first couple chapters of a book will get you. If it's an idea for a comic, find someone to draw it, and get issue number 1 finished. You can always write more issues and refine it as you go. If it's an idea for a TV show or movie, get some friends together, film it, and put it on YouTube. You can always do other episodes, sequels, or even a reboot later.

If you haven't fully fleshed out your character yet, think about other successful creators, and what made their characters a hit, and see if (without copying) you can incorporate some of those elements into your creations. The example that Trai gave was Joss Whedon. We are all familiar with at least some of his work, but really take a look at what he has brought to the table and why his fans love him. The most obvious common thread is his use of strong female characters. This could be something that might make your character stand out: a new female superhero amongst the sea of male superheroes. You could take another page from the Whedonverse playbook and you could give your superhero a sidekick or best friend...and then kill them. Because Whedon will kill his characters, even the most beloved ones, you know that no one is safe. This gives stories a sense of gravity that you don't always get with comic book adaptations. Whedon is also a master at writing for an ensemble. Every character has a role, and the heroes could not have saved the day unless every single character plays their part. Maybe instead of a single superhero, you could create a new team with contrasting and complementing superpowers.

Something Trai suggested to keep in mind when forming the idea for your character and their world is the possibility of expanding to the global market. Some companies will have this in the back of their mind and might take this into consideration when deciding what the next "big thing" might be. If you want to tailor your character for this possibility, two things she said to keep in mind are that when something is made for the global market, they might have to be more diverse, but they also might have to be more simplified. Other countries will be more interested in an American film if the cast is more racially diverse, so keep that in mind when creating your team. Also, if the struggles of your characters are too specific to America's current events, other countries won't be able to identify with them. If your story is more broad and relatable on a basic human level, people all over the world will be able to connect with your characters and their journey.

Right now the market is being flooded with sequels, remakes, franchises, etc. mostly because they are safe. They already have a fan base who will go see them, in some cases, regardless of whether or not they are any good. While some of these might actually be done well and even stand on their own, eventually people will tire of the same things over and over again. This can give your character a chance to stand out if it is unique, compelling, relevant, and well-built.

So, what makes a great superhero/ine? First: they need a great costume. This may seem superficial, but it is the first thing people will see and that impression can decide whether or not that character gets a second look. Second: they have to have great powers. No one will care about a hero unless they have a power that the reader/viewer would want for themselves. The powers of flight, super-strength, invulnerability, etc. may seem cliché, but the reason they are popular is because most people would love to have them. Third: your character must be relatable. most people are fans of a character because they either want to be that character, or idolize them in some way. They want to see some part of themselves in that character. One thing that can help with this is to give your character a tortured backstory. Most people who are fans of fiction will relate to having some terrible event from their past which shapes their future. Giving your character a haunted past and the right powers will set them on an engaging journey that people will want to follow. Trai outright says to "break your character to create conflict," which will complicate their relationships. One way to do this is to make your character an orphan. Think of all of the characters we know who are orphans and all of the complexity that comes with it. They have abandonment and trust issues, guilt, an overinflated sense of responsibility, etc. Another example are Marvel's mutants. They can't fit in with non-mutants, especially those whose mutation manifests itself in a physical way. Their options are to either find others like them, or to try to change the world to either be more like them or so that they are accepted. This can be done either through peace or by force. Doctor Who is another damaged character who broke the timeline, and out of guilt is trying to fix it. His story, like many other compelling characters, is one of redemption. Since the broken piece of the character is what generates the drama, your character can never be healed. "Their best selves have to be subverted by their worst selves," Cartwright says.

Trai strongly believes that a character's powers should come from his/her flaws. Whatever powers are bestowed upon them should connect to who the character was before they got their powers. She used Spider-Man as a "bad example" of this. Peter Parker is a nerdy, smart, awkward kid who gets picked on, but has a loving family at home, even though his original parents died when he was a child. What does that have to do with spiders? She says that Peter Parker should have been given powers that were a metaphor for who he was before. If the idea was to give him super strength to contrast how weak he was before, there are ways to do that besides making him a spider. If you wanted to have a hero who is a spider-man, then he/she should be more like a spider before getting powers: having a dark personality, always creeping around in the shadows, etc. Another way she put it is that "their strength is their weakness" or their weakness becomes their strength. She suggests checking out the animated show "Burka Avenger," about "a superheroine who wears a burka as a disguise to conceal her identity while fighting villains. Her alter ego is Jiya, an 'inspirational teacher' at an all-girls’ school. Jiya fights corrupt politicians and vengeful mercenaries who attempt to shut down girls’ schools, using "Takht Kabadi", a martial art that involves throwing books and pens." (Wikipedia) She is a teacher who fights ignorance with knowledge, so her superpower is to use the "tools of learning" to physically fight those who are trying to actively spread ignorance.

Another problem we can run into when trying to bring our character into the world is the medium. She suggests pursuing every form of media possible. Try to find collaborators for a comic book or graphic novel. If that doesn't work, self-publish it as a novel, make an online mag, or a web series. If you have a more cinematic vision for your character, then write the screenplay, and look for local filmmakers who will help you produce a short film of it. If your idea is very effects-heavy, then partner with CGI companies who are looking for material to create demos. A great resource she mentioned is the Denver Media Professionals which could help you to connect with other creative people who may be able to help you bring your creation to life.

Next up to discuss from Denver Comic Con’s panels: The Sounds of Star Wars.