Friday, July 11, 2014

(Save a) Con-Man: Power-Con


One of the great things about living in Southern California is the abundance of conventions.  From the long standing Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention to the five year strong Long Beach Comic Con to newer giants Comikaze and relocated WonderCon to the mecca of all things artistic and fandom, San Diego Comic-Con.  For the last 3 years, a He-Man and She-Ra centric show was kicking ass in Torrance, Power-Con.  I've attended twice and had a blast each year as there's a nice exhibition floor along with fantastic panels and guests.  A very, very well run show with exclusive art prints and tee shirts up for grabs as well as an awesome staff made up of passionate yet professional fans.  By the 3rd year, Power-Con added beloved franchises like Thunder Cats and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to help broaden the appeal and I figured they'd add G.I. Joe for 2014's edition.  Then, con-tragedy struck as the organizers of Power-Con announced they were moving to New York this year.  But why?!  Apparently, attendance had peaked in SoCal so after years of clamoring, Power-Con was moving out East to Queens.  It seemed logical as the New York Comic Con brings in over 100,000 attendees and Power-Con would only need to tap into a fraction of that audience to break even.

Unfortunately, pre-sales for Power-Con are not going well and if limits are not met by TODAY then the show faces cancellation.  With so many guests on the west coast, travel expenses have mounted on top of the basic costs of running a show like securing a venue, advertising, etc.  There are only a handful of announced guests thus far so it will be an intimate show with a segment of super fans which makes these things more special as you're all on the same page and not some casual fan taking up space.  So come on New York, if you're at all into the nostalgia and future of He-Man, She-Ra and the rest of the Masters of Universe, buy some tickets.  I had an absolutely wonderful time in my 2 years attending as just about anything He-Man related is up for grabs in the forms of toys, comics, statues, clothing, posters and more from the various toy and cartoon series as well as the live action motion picture starring none other than Dolph Lundgren.  I hope the show meets it's pre-reserves today because it's definitely a show that deserves to be enjoyed.  It's for fans by fans in the best way, not one of those new age shows that's an excuse for "celebs" to make a few bucks charging for photographs and signatures.

You have the power!

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