SMOF News, volume 1, issue 42
The MCU includes a fan convention, and news in brief.
Fictional Con Review: Jersey City AvengerCon (Ms. Marvel, episode 1)
The first episode of Ms. Marvel is all about the heroine desperately trying to make it to an Avengers-themed convention to enter a Captain Marvel costume contest. The con is, as usual for mass media depictions, a media convention, but a much smaller event than the typical convention-center-based behemoth. There is no raft of stars, just a big room full of enthusiastic fans and merchandise booths.
Unlike the last fictional con reviewed here, this one has a substantial presence of nonwhite fans. Its demographics are still weirdly age-restricted, though that is probably in part because the plot desperately needs it to look cool to teenagers.
Ms. Marvel also does better in acknowledging at least a little room for active, participatory fandom (namely, the costume contest) though it’s still perfectly happy to endorse trivia-based gatekeeping when convenient. When the mean girl from school also turns up for the costume contest, she’s immediately put in her place by the heroine’s best friend pointing out that the mean girl’s costume is inaccurate.
The con comes to a messy end when the heroine’s superpowers manifest uncontrollably to the detriment of the venue and its contents, bringing up some fascinating questions which I’m sure will never be explored about event insurance in a world where superpowers exist. Can you get insurance for that sort of thing? Does it happen so often that the insurance is essentially unaffordable? If you can get insured for collateral superhero damage, do you have to prove that the cause wasn’t mundane in order to collect? The life of a claims adjuster in the MCU must be exciting.
Ms. Marvel is currently streaming on Disney+.
But Maybe Not Fictional For Long
No sooner had this episode been shown for critics than some of them wanted to know if a real AvengerCon is coming soon. Gizmodo reports:
It wasn’t just behind-the-scenes crew, either: “Tom Holland came back to see AvengerCon,” Ms. Marvel co-director Adil El Arbi said. That’s how much everyone wants this to happen! [Marvel Studios president Kevin] Feige did add that we may be getting a taste sooner than later, “There might be a few places you can go and visit the Ms. Marvel version of AvengerCon,” he hinted.
In Brief
Metropol Con, which as previously reported was being displaced from its weekend by the rescheduled Leipzig Book Fair, is now scheduled for May 18-20. It retains its original venue in Berlin.
KuroNekoCon (originally July 8-10, Spokane, Washington, USA) has been cancelled indefinitely due to the loss of staff and other pandemic effects.
TitanCon (originally August 5-7, Belfast, UK) has cancelled its 2022 event but will work toward holding more conventions in the future.
Druids & Dragons (originally July 14-18, Loveland, Colorado, USA) has also cancelled its 2022 event. It is unclear what its future plans are.
Covid policy watch: Anime Expo (July 1-4, Los Angeles, California, USA), one of the biggest anime cons in existence, dropped its requirement that attendees show proof of vaccination or a negative test on June 8, and turned right around and reinstated it on June 9.
Event Calendar
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
Mid-week event: SFRA 2022: Futures From the Margins (symposium), Oslo, Norway
Weekend of July 1-3
Westercon 74, Tonopah, Nevada, USA
InConJunction 41: The Next Chapter, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
XXXIV Semana Negra, Gijón, Spain
Festival Fantazie, Chotěboř, Czech Republic
BayCon 2022, San Mateo, California, USA
Anthrocon 2022: Aesop's Fables (anthropomorphic), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Paris est Ludique 2022 (gaming), Paris, France
Gem State Gaming Convention, Boise, Idaho, USA
Anime Midwest, Rosemont, Illinois, USA
BA-CON (anime), Alvin, Texas, USA
Anime Expo 2022, Los Angeles, California, USA
AnimeSHOW 2022, Bratislava, Slovakia
Fan Expo Denver (media), Denver, Colorado, USA
Eternal Con (media), Hampstead, New York, USA
Lewisburg Comic-Con, Lewisburg, Ohio, USA
Weekend of July 8-10
Finncon 2022 (Finnish national sf convention), Espoo, Finland
Festival Fantazie, Chotěboř, Czech Republic
Play On Con, Columbiana, Alabama, USA
Blerdcon (Black geekdom), Arlington, Virginia, USA
South Afrifur: Cyberpunk (anthropomorphic), Lanseria, South Africa
East Coast Gaming Expo, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
Dice Tower East (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA
Bold Matsuri (anime), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Rocket City Anime Convention, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Anime Friends 2022, São Paulo, Brazil
Comiccon de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
London Film & Comic Con, London, UK
Fan Expo Chicago (media), Rosemont, Illinois, USA
Greater Austin Comic Convention, Cedar Hills, Texas, USA
Mahoning Valley Comicon, Warren, Ohio, USA
TFcon Toronto (Transformers), Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Weekend of July 15-17
Estcon 2022 (Estonian national sf convention), Udu, Estonia
OzCon International (Oz series), Pomona, California, USA
Once and Future Fantasies (symposium), Glasgow, UK
Fur-Eh!: Mardi Paws (anthropomorphic), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Anthro Weekend Utah: The Curse of Awubis, Layton, Utah, USA
Brazil FurFest 2022: A Fantástica Fábrica de Doces (anthropomorphic), Santos, Brazil
Furway 2022 (anthropomorphic), Brandbu, Norway
Furry Siesta 2022: The Truth Is Out There! (anthropomorphic), Dallas, Texas, USA
Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France
ConQuest Fresno (gaming), Clovis, California, USA
FlaMinGoCon (gaming), Delray Beach, Florida, USA
Phoenix Con (gaming), Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Final Boss Con (gaming), Rio Grande, Ohio, USA
CharCon 2022 (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Lavecon 2022 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK
Ettin Con 2022 (gaming), online
Berlin Con 2022 (gaming), Berlin, Germany
GeeklyCon 2022 (gaming), Rochester, New York, USA
Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (video games), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Anime North, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dokidokon (anime), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Dream Con (anime), Arlington, Texas, USA
Atsusacon: Ninja vs Samurai (anime), Ghent, Belgium
Sydney Manga & Anime Show, Sydney, Australia
Shore Leave 42 (media), Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
ConnectiCon XIX (media), Hartford, CT
Hershey Comic Con, Grantville, Pennsylvania, USA
TrotCon (My Little Pony), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Metrocon (media), Tampa, Florida, USA
Saggeek (media), Saguenay, Québec, Canada
Breakout 2022 (gaming), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Utopia 2022 (Doctor Who), Wyboston, UK
Coda
Nobel laureates admit what they don’t know (The Fence) (hat tip: The Whippet)
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