Denver Comic Con 2015 - Shae's Friday Recap

Written by Shae Rufe

It feels like the con ended just a few short hours ago, and in reality, that’s true. The ending of Denver Comic Con is always sad, and in a way, exciting. Sad because another year has come and gone and that wonderful time we had is over. Exciting because we get to look forward to another year of DCC planning. If you’re like me, you’ve already started to formulate what your plan for next year is. I’ve already picked a costume to work on over the next twelve months, and the concepts are being doodled as we speak. While the convention we love so much may be over, the ideal it stands for is ongoing. Pop Culture Classroom is still there and so is DCC. It’s a safety net that has me already chomping at the bit for 2016. Still, this year’s con is fresh in my mind, and wow does it feel like it flew by.

Denver Comic Con 2015 felt a bit different this year, and that’s because it was. Instead of the traditional Friday-Sunday line up, it was Saturday-Monday. On top of that, DCC did something so amazingly wonderful, I don’t know why other cons I’ve gone to haven’t done this before, they’ve mailed out their passes in advance for those who pre-purchased. This made it especially easy and wonderful for giving DCC passes out as birthday and graduation gifts. It definitely was graduation season, and my little sister, Jadyn, might have been a bit excited to get her DCC pass as a graduation gift (as well as a custom made Merida dress from Mattie). With passes mailed out it opened up some free time for everyone, and less hassle. Friday was not a lost day, in fact Denver Comic Con had their opening ceremonies that night to celebrate DCC's arrival. Friday evening, opening ceremonies brought together new friends and old for a fantastic start to the weekend. It offered something unique with a special guest speaking, the Mayor of Denver. To anyone who attended, there were gift bags provided by Geek Fuel, and they all had something really cool. If you’re a Plants VS. Zombies fan, you may have been trading and collecting pins. In the case of Mattie and I, you might have even fought over them…

For me, Friday was all about settling in, unpacking, and trying to figure out how to fit everything in to my weekend. There are times I truly wish Time Turners weren’t just a fictional thing made up in Harry Potter, because that thing would have been so useful this weekend. It’s hard to see everything at once, but that’s part of the fun. There is something for everyone at DCC, no matter the age, or interest; if there is one thing I love about any convention, it’s the people. Anyone who knows me knows I have a habit of making friends. Or more like collecting them. My favorite part of DCC is getting a chance to meet new people. It was a very busy weekend, and wow was it utterly fun. But it goes beyond everything I've talked about so far because while there’s something to be said about a city when a convention is in town, there’s even more to be said about a convention as amazing as Denver’s very own. The best part of DCC is that it is a nonprofit. Proceeds go to fund Pop Culture Classroom, which helps spread literacy to children via the nerd culture we have fallen madly in love with.

Of course, my other favorite part of any con, is their cosplay. Needless to say, we cosplayers don’t really need much of an excuse to cosplay…and Friday night saw many of us turning out in our costumes to represent our favorite characters. I think it’s the love, dedication, and utter talent that draws me to this form of art. It truly is just that. I have seen cosplay done in so many different ways on so many different levels and it never ceases to amaze me. It’s a huge part of the community we’re all a part of, and the love and support that we get and give to one another proves that we are a pretty amazing group. Nerds, geeks, whatever we want to call ourselves, we are pretty wonderful creatures. Friday’s cosplays were just a preview of what was to come. In fact, I feel that Friday in general was just that. None of us were willing to wait a second longer than we had to for this convention to start. And once it started, we didn’t want it to end….

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