John's Favorite Denver Comic Con Memories - Part I

It's been three wonderful years when it comes to Denver Comic Con.  For me, the only thing I knew about a convention of this size is what I saw and read about on television. Yet here we are, DCC is the hottest and biggest convention in town and I feel blessed that I've been able to gain a unique perspective on this convention.

I've had the honor of covering it from day one and I keep coming back every year simply because each year provides me with incredible memories and because of what Denver Comic Con stands for.  So I thought I would take a little time over the next day or two and share some of the special moments that hang in my mind from DCC and bear with me...because while this is indeed a two part piece, and while today's memory didn't happen at the convention, these two memories tie together in a unique way.  

Now, reading and writing have always been important to me.  I learned to read and to write at a young age and the importance that my mother and father made of such skills always stuck with me.  As the years have progressed, those skills continue to be incredibly important to me. The instant I found out that DCC and Comic Book Classroom went hand in hand, well, I jumped at the chance to learn more and spread awareness about it the best way I knew how, and that desire to talk it up brought me to a unique and wonderful experience.

You see, I had the opportunity to see Comic Book Classroom first hand last summer for Denver Comic Con TV (see it here) and I often think about it to this day.  Simply because I had no idea how well it worked.  Now that's not to insult the program by any means, I've always loved the idea but to see it in action...it just blew me away.  Every single child in that room was completely and utterly engaged in what they were being taught, something I've honestly never seen in a classroom before. These children truly wanted to tell a story, in fact they were chomping at the bit to do it when they read them before their classmates.  

I'm not sure I will ever experience something this amazing in my lifetime again.  But wow, these kids were excited to learn, excited to write and excited to be there. It's one of the greatest things I've ever experienced and it completely changed my perspective on a convention.  This is the first one I've ever seen that truly gives back and it makes this con all that more important to me...and I'll never forget that incredible day. 

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