Last year, I was more than a little harsh in my critique of Visioncon. I was hyper critical of nerd culture and a little unfair at times. Here we are though, 2011 and another year for the convention that some people describe as “nerds gone wild.” While it has only been a year, I can’t help but feel like a bit of a different person going into this convention. While I have feelings of apathy last year towards my fellow nerds, this year I feel as if I appreciate them more.
Maybe it has to do with being fed up with all the negativity coming from the comic industry lately. There has been a strange tension between creators and fans in the past few years (well I suppose for longer than that, but the internet has allowed for a vocalization of the tension). Fans complain that nothing new happens in comics and creators complain that fans don’t want anything new (such as new genres outside of the superhero medium). I’m still working through these issues in my head, but this weekend, I’ve for some reason decided to side with the fans for once. I’ve decided to embrace my inner-nerd and appreciate everyone for who they are rather than what I would want them to be and I think its in large part due to a vocal minority who have been dumping on fans lately.
Either that or the nearly 70 degree weather after a blizzard has just gotten me all excited for life.
People may criticize Visioncon for being a party con more than an actual convention, but I felt like this year took some major steps towards legitimizing the convention. In my mind, conventions live and die by the guests and this year’s guests were pretty impressive.
Sure, last year had comic book artist Javier Saltares, but this year had Jolly Blackburn (the creator of Knights of the Dinner Table), voice actor Samantha Inuoe Hart, voice actor Richard Epcar (perhaps best known as Ansem from Kingdom Hearts), former Disney animator Terry Naughton, fantasy artist Tyler Walpole, and many others. While the names might not be immediately recognizable to everyone, looking at their credentials, I kept thinking to myself, “Wow! I recognize that!”
What struck me most this year was the diversity of the convention. Personally, I prefer comic book conventions to gaming conventions because while I enjoy playing D&D, I have no desire to play in a deafeningly loud lobby. But, Visioncon is no mere gaming convention. There are comics, crafts, music, clothing, girl scout cookies, martial arts demonstrations, zombie survival tips, recordings of ghosts, bellydancing, musicals, and much more.
I spoke to the organizers of Visioncon and they explained that their goal was to appeal to as broad an audience as possible and to an extent, their goal was achieved. All walks of nerddom can attend the convention and find something to occupy their time. The only real problem is the pricing of tickets.
Preregistration was $30 per ticket before July 31st, $35 before December 31st, and $40 at the door. For a 12 hour pass, it was $25 and for a 4 hour pass that ended at 8:00p.m., it was $20.
It’s a bit steep for someone who doesn’t plan on gaming at all. The casual fan has no real way to access the convention with this pricing. The dealers tables are free which is cool, but to go and experience anything else, it’s going to cost a pretty penny. Compare this to Overland Park’s Planet Comicon which features more dealers and bigger guests and the tickets are $20 at the door for the whole weekend, and it’s tough to compare.
I’m sure the organizers of Visioncon have their reasons for pricing, and I honestly shouldn’t complain because they were gracious enough to let me in for free with my press pass, but I’m just thinking about the casual fans in Springfield who are interested in some of the things that I am interested in, yet they have no access to it because pricing is too high.
Enough complaining and on with the pics. Enjoy!
