Not sure why this hasn't caught on sooner but Bent-Con 2011 was a blast! Being a comic fan for so many years and going to various conventions I always thought the gay presence was very prevelant in the people walking around those sacred halls and to make an event that specialized in gay interest, not just in comics but many forms of enterainment, all I can say is: It's about time!
This was the second year that Bent-Con spread its wings. Last year it was a free event with about 400 attendees in a modest donated space. This year it was a paid event, became a legal non-profit organization, boasted over 1900 attendees and located in a fancy hotel in downtown Los Angeles. (Granted it was the basement but hey - quite a splendid venue!) Let's hope Bent-Con keeps growing.
As an artist it was great to see other people's work and immerse myself in all the creative energy. Not just comic artist but there were also actors, costume designers, make up artists, musicians, gamers, movie makers, web series producers...for those of you wanting to share your work with like minded individuals this is the place!
What I may suggest in the future is to emphasize cartoons, film, webisodes, etc. a bit more. A little film festival may be cool - call for submissions throughout the year and have a showing during the Con. Maybe the people at Logo would allow us to screen something...even be a test audience for a new show? Ru-Paul's Drag Race usually starts in January...wouldn't it be cool if Bent-Con were to show something from the upcoming season...? And how about a venue in a more 'gay' area - West Hollywood or Long Beach? Though the Westin Bonaventure was FABULOUS...
I didn't have my own booth but I was able to showcase some of my work at the Prism Comics booth and sold a few calendars - YES - so that was a nice ego boost for my work! Prism Comics is a non-profit organization that promotes GLBT awareness in comics - for more information visit: http://www.prismcomics.org/
And find them on Facebook too! We need volunteers to help so please donate your time if you can.
Some of the Interesting People I met: Kerry O'Quinn (http://www.kerryoquinn.com/), the nice people at Northwestern Press (http://www.northwestpress.com/), the lovely ladies at Tomboy Teez (http://www.tomboyteez.com/) , Alex Wolfson - writer for Artifice Comics ( http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/) beautiful art!, the great ladies of Scuttlebutt Ink (http://www.scuttlebuttink.com/) , sweet lady comic artist of Trying Human (http://www.tryinghuman.com/), comic strip artist Eric Schlegel (http://www.skippingoutcomic.com/) , Jeff Schuetze and his partner Joe (http://www.jefbot.com/) and the quirky guys of Star Squire (http://www.starsquire.com/).
It's good to network!
And for some great gay nerdy stuff - visit http://www.doorq.com/ (Door Q not Doork) for the latest reviews on movies, comics, books and all things sci-fi. Another great website is: Fanboys of the Universe (http://www.fanboysoftheuniverse.com/) for a great 'gay' view of what's happening in enterainment - with an emphasis in comics.
BONUS CLIP - I had a great time volunteering with Brian J. Patterson who is directing a short film Batman: Battle for the Cowl - hopefully it will be ready in time for Wonder Con ( http://www.comic-con.org/wc/) in March 2012. Brian directs and stars in the film and I am looking forward to seeing it next year. It is being shot in San Francisco so if any of my fans want to be part of the project please let them know - thanks! http://www.battleforthecowl.com/
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