On Saturday, June 4, the Kankakee Public Library teamed up with Amazing Fantasy Comic Shops to bring the Kankakee Fantasy Con to the South Chicago area. Of course this being in my neck of the woods I was going to be there in full force representing the sites I contribute to, and of course getting the word out on all that I do. So relax and enjoy the recap of the day’s events!
So like most shows we go to these days, the day began with Amy getting all dressed up as Phoenix while I had to decide what black shirt to wear. I know, a tough decision ain’t it! Luckily this show was kind of in our backyard and only about 20 minutes away. So we were not super worried about running out the door.
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| Kankakee Public Library |
It was about 10:30 when we made it to the library. I have to say that I had never been to this building before, but from the outside alone I was looking at a seven story house of books. I later came to learn that the library has the bottom four, but still a huge place. So we went in and made our way to the fourth floor where the Con was happening.
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| The first room of creators and guests |
I have to give this show huge props for finding a way to get people to check out every table in the show. They had a “signing” sheet that had a box for every specific guest to sign. When you had them all signed you would be able to get extra raffle tickets. Genius, I have to say. Maybe something I will implement for DanCon 2012, LOL. Anyway, we went into the first room and there were our good friends Raf Nieves and Dan Dougherty waiting to hang out with us. Of course, a lot of our friends were at this show and I don’t want to forget anyone, so I won’t name anymore, but let’s leave it at I LOVE YOU ALL.
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| Raf Nieves and Dan Dougherty saying hello |
The first thing I did after dropping off my bag was walk around the show to get a good idea of how things were laid out. They did an awesome job of having things in the right spots. There were two main rooms for the creators and sellers, two gaming rooms, and one panel room. Also in the main room was a stage where events took place all day.
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| The second room of creators and guests |
What I think I liked most about this show was the lack of sellers. This allows for people to interact with the creators and find out what they are working on, instead of spending all day long box diving. One thing I think people need to make sure they do more often when they head to shows, is get to know the creators.
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| Talking live with Charlie Adlard on Skype |
Some of the larger events to take place throughout the day on the stage were a How to Draw with Gene Ha, a live Skype chat with artist Charlie Adlard, and a Chicago Jedi lightsaber demonstration. The kids loved the lightsaber event, because they got to go up on stage and learn how to have a saber fight.
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| The lightsaber demonstration |
The event was coming to a close, I think maybe a half hour left, when the tornado sirens began to go off outside. The event staff quickly and calmly asked everyone to make their way down to the first floor. So we all gathered on another floor to have a chance to really sit back and relax and chat about the day as a group, which was nice because it’s not something that really happens at a show. I will say that as intense as the moment was, it honestly added that icing on the cake to make it that much more memorable.
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| Aaron Shaps & Mike Beazley |
Basically, when we got the all clear to head upstairs it was just time to pack and go. So we said our goodbyes and walked out the doors after a fun filled day. Nothing beats leaving with a bag full of horror comics after spending the day with some of the best people I know in comics.
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| The Kankakee Library Staff |
All in all, I would say that Kankakee Fantasy Con was a success. They had people coming in all day long, and it was laid out well so that there was never a swell of traffic in one location at a time. Events were taking place all day long to offer something else to do and enjoy. To Vicki, Lori, Joe, and everyone else involved behind the scenes, you did an awesome job and I cannot wait to come back again.
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Decapitated Dan
decapitateddan@comicattack.net
