Prom was never quite a big deal for me growing up, for several reasons. I wasn't much of a dancer to begin with, wasn't a big fan of wearing a tie and well...it just didn't have a draw for me. I'm the kind of guy who needs a solid reason to attend an event and I never quite found that with prom.

Fast forward a ton of years to this past weekend and let's talk about a Prom that I actually couldn't wait to attend, Nerd Prom. Yes, this past Saturday the Summit Music Hall was host to one of the coolest events I've been to in a long time, a prom for nerds, by nerds and it was absolutely magnificent. 

The nerd aspect was the perfect hook for a guy like me because I knew I would be among friends here, surrounded by people that love all the geeky stuff that I do and the event did not disappoint. There was cosplay as far as the eye could see and smiles on the faces of everyone in attendance. This was simply a good night to dig in, be a nerd and hang out and let loose and you know the event is a success when you hear Andy Rok & The Real Deal, the headlining band, perform the theme from Ghostbusters, only to witness actual Ghostbuster cosplayers, complete with proton packs, dancing along to the song.  

But the fun didn't end there. There were impromptu video game tournaments happening all around, the photo booth was hopping as everyone worked to preserve the night as a digital memory and as for me...well I still didn't dance because it's still not my thing, but I definitely took the time to soak the whole event in. It was just wonderful to see everyone enjoying the evening and the music that came with it and it was equally cool to see the King and Queen be crowned and share in the wonder of their joy (as you can see on their faces in the picture above) of becoming Nerd Prom royalty.

It was definitely a night to remember and definitely an event to return to next year, and while I wait for Nerd Prom to come around again, I am content in the fact that I have plenty of memories to tide me over, and as an added bonus for those of you that attended Nerd Prom or for those of you that were on the fence about going or have never attended the event; here's a video recap for all to enjoy and reminisce with until we reunite for this grand dance next year.

The Death of Superman was an important time in my youth for so many reasons. It was at the time one of the most epic storylines that I had ever laid eyes upon and while it taught me a thing or two about writing a compelling story, it was the first real reminder of why our local comic book shops are so extremely important.

After all, the day that issue came out I walked straight from school to my nearest comic shop to buy it because that store was a beacon to me. It was a place where countless stories awaited me and I was always in awe when I stepped through those doors. It's an experience that has faded over time. But once in a great while the magic of a comic book store returns, like it did for me yesterday at All C's Collectibles in Aurora.

It wasn't just the store, with its rows of endless action figures and statues and comics as far as the eye could see. That was what sparked the joy. But what set it free was the fact that All C's was host to an Artist Appreciation Day. Just off to the side of the store was a room filled to the brim with local artists, with their wonderful work on display for all to see and the smiles on their faces and on the faces of the families that were coming through the doors in waves allowed the wonder of the day to sink in. This was all a reminder that this is the kind of place where the imagination is ignited and stories come to life and there was a fair chance every artist there was influenced by the books on the other side of the wall.

That thought was reinforced by a couple of artists that I met, one of whom was eight years old. Young Bruce Wayne, yes that is his name, was happily creating art of the vigilante he shares his namesake with and he intensity with which he worked demonstrated his passion to make his art as iconic as the characters that inspired him. I also had the pleasure of meeting Alex Miller, a talented artist who specializes in Manga but appreciates the magic of comic books since she put together a Captain America motif that was so amazing, I picked up a print of it simply because of the care and detail that went into it, and her work is so top notch, I highly recommend you check out more of what she has to offer at: www.smudgeandfrank.com.

In the end today was a wonderful reminder that much of our love of pop culture stems from our local comic book shops. They serve as a celebration of art and a place to share in the wonder of stories and our community since Aurora Rise was also on site taking donations for their incredible cause and I thank All C's for making me feel like a kid again and reminding me of why comics and the art within, matters.

​As a Colorado native, there's a lot to be proud of when it comes to my home state. The Broncos just won another Super Bowl. The economy here is booming. People want to live here from all over the country because holy cow our state is gorgeous. The list just goes on and on. But as someone who arranges his Sundays around The Walking Dead so I can watch it live, there's one thing I think I love about this state over anything else...the fact that it is so incredibly Nerdy. 

Think about it. We have conventions upon conventions to attend. There are plenty of events that pop up throughout the year or the month where we can geek out amongst friends, it's just a wonderful time to be a geek and in all honesty I'm not sure there's another state out there can compete with Colorado's level of geekiness and that's just fine by me. But of all of the events we get to enjoy in our lovely state, there's one coming up this weekend that's extra special...Nerd Prom.

Yes, you read that right. Come this Saturday March, 5, the Summit Music Hall will be host to a prom for nerds, by nerds and filled to the brim with geeky events to provide everyone with an incredible time. You'll get plenty of live entertainment with Andy Rok and the Real Deal, Skylaw, One Flew West and DJ Hollow taking the stage and if you're a fan of KTCL, Rick and Alf will be your hosts for the evening but the night goes beyond just the concert aspect of it all, because I did mention nerdy events. There will be a photo booth filled to the brim with awesome props to preserve the memory of this magical night. A video game contest featuring some awesome prizes, plus the opportunity to make yourself into an action figure with a 3D body scanner and so much more, but most importantly everyone has a chance to enter a couple of awesome contests.

For starters one of you reading this could be the King or Queen of Nerd Prom 2016 and for your chance to be crowned, with a Lego Crown I might add, as Nerd Royalty all you need to do is head HERE to submit your geekiest photograph, the top three guys and three gals will advance to the next round, where the next round of judging at the event will lead to this year's King and Queen. If you're not feeling up to ruling over a nerdy kingdom, but you want to dress to impress with some kickass cosplay, good news, there's a contest for that too.

Now is your chance to show off your incredible cosplay skills and wow the crowd with your creations and win an awesome cash prize of $250 in the process. In fact the costumes will be judged by the top authorities in the state on quality cosplay, the Denver Comic Con Cosplay Team, and to enter that contest click HERE.  Either way, I've had the chance to attend this event before and let me tell you, it's a blast. It's just a wonderful night where you can make new friends, reunite with old ones and just flat out have a wonderful time. So get your tickets HERE and I look forward to seeing all of you at Nerd Prom 2016.