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Fictional Con Review: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)
How conventions are depicted in mass media shapes public perception and sets new fans’ expectations, so it falls well within the scope of this newsletter to check on the latest fictional conventions to see what the world is being told about fandom.
The fictional con in this case is Fan Con Los Angeles, a large media con held at the LA Convention Center. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers depicts it as an event full of Hollywood has-beens eking out a living selling autographs and souvenirs of their old glory.
In the bad old days, media fans were stereotyped as socially awkward young white men who lived in their parents’ basements. This being the modern era, this movie allows that there are young white female fans as well, and even a very, very occasional nonwhite fan. Fans are shown to be energetic but passive consumers; there’s a sign pointing to an artist alley seen briefly, and a possibly homemade costume or two, but no other trace of active fandom. Official-looking outfits and accessories are much more prominent than any fan works.
Outside of the con, a crucial part of the plot turns on determining whether the main human character, who incidentally is a Black woman, qualifies as a real fan or not. Real fandom is determined to lie in having episode numbers and trivia memorized. It fits right in with the overall theme of the movie, which comes across as a lecture on the Disney corporation’s thoughts about letting anyone else come anywhere near its intellectual property. Rated PG, 98 minutes, streaming on Disney+
In Brief
With the only bid for the 2024 World Science Fiction Convention being for Glasgow, Scotland, there is expected to be a 2024 North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC being held only in years when Worldcon is outside North America). A bid to hold that NASFiC in Buffalo, New York will be announced at Balticon this weekend. A minimal website is already available with links to social media presences.
Metropol Con (originally April 28-30, 2023, Berlin, Germany) is faced with a dilemma after next year’s Leipzig Book Fair was rescheduled onto the same weekend. The con says, “We’re sorting through all our options right now,” and will provide updates when a decision is made about what to do.
Northwest IdolFest (October 21-23, Seattle, Washington, USA) has added Kaho Shibuya as a guest.
The Glasgow bid for Worldcon has commissioned its own limited-edition gin, GIn2024, “with freshness of citrus balanced well with spice, and using Science Fiction & Fantasy inspired botanicals”. It can only be shipped to addresses in the UK.
Event Calendar
Weekend of May 27-29
Balticon 56, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
ConQuesT 53, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
MisCon 36: Carnival of Wonders, Missoula, Montana, USA
Satellite 7, Glasgow, UK
Fargo CoreCon: The Great Age of Dragons, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
Åcon 11 (relaxacon), Mariehamn, Finland
WisCon (feminist sf), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Mephit Mini Con 23 (anthropomorphic), Kirchen/Sieg, Germany
ConFuzzled (anthropomorphic), Birmingham, UK
AnthrOhio 2022: Tech Noir (anthropomorphic), Columbus, Ohio, USA
KublaCon (gaming), Burlingame, California, USA
GOBFest (gaming), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
ReCon (gaming), Kernersville, North Carolina, USA
PrairieCon (gaming), Brandon, Manitoba
Rocky Top Game Con, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Nordsken 2022 (gaming), Skellefteå, Sweden
Gamex 2022 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA
Lincon 2022 (gaming), Linköping, Sweden
Richmond Open 2022 (gaming), Richmond, Virginia, USA
BGG.Spring (boardgames), Dallas, Texas, USA
Enfilade! 2022 (miniatures gaming), Olympia, Washington, USA
FanimeCon (anime), San Jose, California, USA
Naka-Kon (anime), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
Anime Onsen, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Anime Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Thy Geekdom Con (anime), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA
Animazement (anime), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Momocon (anime), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Mizucon (anime), Miami, Florida, USA
Sabaku Con (anime), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Naka-Kon 2022 (anime), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
MomoCon 2022 (anime), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Phoenix Fan Fusion (media), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
MCM London Comic Con, London, UK
Fantasy Basel (media), Basel, Switzerland
Star Wars Celebration 2022, Anaheim, California, USA
Weekend of June 3-5
ConCarolinas 2021, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Oz-Stravaganza 2022 (Wizard of Oz), Chittenango, New York, USA
Biggest Little Fur Con 2022 (anthropomorphic), Reno, Nevada, USA
DieCon 20-22 (gaming), Collinsville, Illinois, USA
UK Games Expo (gaming), Birmingham, UK
Y-Con 2022 (gaming), Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
North Texas RPG Con (vintage tabletop RPGs), Irving, Texas, USA
A-Kon 31 (anime), Irving, Texas, USA
Black Hills Con (anime), Rapid City, South Dakota, USA
KimoKawaii (anime), Conroe, Texas, USA
DoKomi (anime), Düsseldorf, Germany
Anime Riverside 2022, Riverside, California, USA
ExpOtaku Torremolinos 2022 (anime), Torremolinos, Spain
FedCon (media), Bonn, Germany
Awesome Con (media), Washington, DC, USA
3 Rivers Comicon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
ColossalCon 2021 (media), Sandusky, Ohio, USA
Alabama Comic Con / KimestuCon 2022, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Whinny City Pony Con 2022: Super Hero Showdown: The Return! (My Little Pony), Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
Weekend of June 10-12
Robert E. Howard Days, Cross Plains, Texas, USA
44th Superman Celebration, Metropolis, Illinois, USA
NEWh3re (music), online
Heroes, Villains, and Blerds (art), Winter Park, Florida, USA
StratosFur (anthropomorphic), Houston, Texas, USA
Origins Game Fair 2022, Columbus, Ohio, USA
NordConline (gaming), online
Bayou Wars 2022 (miniatures gaming), D’Iberville, Mississippi, USA
AnimeCon 2022, Rijswijk, Netherlands
Anime Blues Con, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Space Coast Comic Con, Viera, Florida, USA
Anime Town: Utah, Farmington, Utah, USA
Anime Marathon, Königslutter am Elm, Germany
Anime Lubbock, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Oz Comic-Con: Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
North Country Comic Con, Watertown, New York, USA
SWFL SpaceCon (media), Fort Meyers, Florida, USA
Weekend of June 17-19
LibertyCon 34, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
YetiCon, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Pyrkon, Poznań, Poland
4th Street Fantasy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
CastleCon 11 (anthropomorphic), Horb, Germany
Arcon 38: Multivertshuset (gaming), Oslo, Norway
Q-Con Lite (gaming), Belfast, UK
Congress of Gamers Summer Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA
South Texas Gamers Expo (video games), McAllen, Texas, USA
Wie.MAI.KAI (anime), Flörsheim am Main, Germany
YUMiCON (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA
Anime Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Cosplacon 2022 (anime), Jefferson City, Missouri, USA
Desucon 2022 (anime), Lahti, Finland
Fan Expo Dallas (media), Dallas, Texas, USA
Sci-Fi Valley Con (media), Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
Austria Comic Con, Linz, Austria
Smallville Comic Con, Smallville, Kansas, USA
CanterCon (My Little Pony), Tempe, Arizona, USA
Weekend of June 24-26
SoonerCon 30, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
PortConMaine, Portland, Maine, USA
Cosplay America, Cary, North Carolina, USA
RAGECON 7 (gaming), Sparks, Nevada, USA
Magic City Con (gaming), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Neo Anime Oasis:01, Boise, Idaho, USA
ExpOtaku Zaragoza (anime), Zaragoza, Spain
SunnyCon Anime Expo, St. James Park, UK
Anime Festival Wichita, Wichita, Kansas, USA
Kyokai Con (anime), Harlingen, Texas, USA
OMG!con 2022 (anime), Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Anime Festival Orlando 2022, Orlando, Florida, USA
JAFAX 2022: Let the Games Begin (anime), Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Heroes Convention (comics), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Forest City Comicon, London, Ontario, Canada
Sci-Fi on the Rock (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Mississippi Comic Convention, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Comic Con Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
Rail City Fan Fest (media), Saint Albans, Vermont, USA
TrekFest 37 (Star Trek), Riverside, Iowa, USA
My Little Pony Fair, Tampa, Florida, USA
LeakyCon (Harry Potter), Orlando, Florida, USA
Coda
There can be only one Josh (Lincoln Journal-Star)
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