Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Nov 11, 2014 22:54:08 GMT -6
Mike Ciriaco reports on last weekend’s LGBT-focused comics and pop culture convention, Bent-Con
www.frontiersla.com/frontiers-blog/2014/11/10/bent-con-2014-a-bigger-better-convention-celebrates-queer-comics-and-pop-culture
Bent-Con 2014: A Bigger, Better Convention Celebrates Queer Comics and Pop Culture
Gay Angelenos suffering post-Halloween costume withdrawal got one last fix with the return of Bent-Con this past weekend, Nov. 7-9. Hosted at the Burbank Marriott, this festival of LGBT pop culture featured exhibitors, panels, a well-stocked bar and, of course, plenty of queer cosplay. While considerably smaller than the far more famous San Diego Comic Con, or even Stan Lee's more family-friendly Comikaze event (held on Halloween), Bent-Con is important primarily for its much-needed gay focus.
"Bent-Con celebrates queer stuff that is usually marginalized and invisible in pop culture," explains Zahn Christensen, founder of the LGBT-themed Northwest Press, surrounded by shelves packed with notable queer comics such as the werewolf romance Fearful Hunter and the sexy, satirical Al-Qaeda's Super Secret Weapon. "I think the best thing about Bent-Con is you come here, and that layer of self-consciousness that you might have at a broad, mixed show—it's gone. You know everyone here is an ally or queer themselves, or trans or gay or bi or pan or omni or fluid or whatever. Everyone is welcoming."
Skeptics of contemporary mainstream comics would welcome the fact that the convention was dominated by indie artists and writers. Canadian writer Michael McAdam's Diaperman lampoons sexual fetishism, while Angeleno artist Aaron Ferrara reinterprets classic video game characters, like Mario and Link, in a homoerotic light. The weekend's "Love Machines: Robots and Romance in Comics" panel showcased a swath of gay talent. Helmed by WeHo scribe Josh Trujillo, best known for his technosexual anthology Love Machines, the panel featured artists Michael Schisler and Patrick Horvath, as well Alex Woolfson, author of the robo-homo graphic novel Artifice. Delving into the cyber content region of queer pop culture, Donna/Madonna monologist John Paul Karliak moderated the "Just Us Guys" panel, exploring the eponymous web series that's been described as a gay(er) Gilmore Girls.
But the highlight of the weekend was the cosplay, which culminated in a contest on Saturday evening. Notable costumes included out musician Lou Trent clad as a scruffy Captain America, flanked by his Avengers compatriots Vision and Hawkeye (above). Respected gaymer Matthew Michael Brown won Best Video Game Costume with his homemade portrayal of Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Even Ted Abenheim, President of the LGBT-themed Prism Comics, gussied up as a sleeveless version of Flash archenemy Captain Cold.
When it comes to gay copslay, skin is in.
"An important item in the cosplay arsenal seems to be a gym membership," says Christensen, adding, "I myself couldn't pull off some of these costumes, so I'm glad they pulled them off ... or, I'd like to pull them off them."
www.frontiersla.com/frontiers-blog/2014/11/10/bent-con-2014-a-bigger-better-convention-celebrates-queer-comics-and-pop-culture
Bent-Con 2014: A Bigger, Better Convention Celebrates Queer Comics and Pop Culture
Gay Angelenos suffering post-Halloween costume withdrawal got one last fix with the return of Bent-Con this past weekend, Nov. 7-9. Hosted at the Burbank Marriott, this festival of LGBT pop culture featured exhibitors, panels, a well-stocked bar and, of course, plenty of queer cosplay. While considerably smaller than the far more famous San Diego Comic Con, or even Stan Lee's more family-friendly Comikaze event (held on Halloween), Bent-Con is important primarily for its much-needed gay focus.
"Bent-Con celebrates queer stuff that is usually marginalized and invisible in pop culture," explains Zahn Christensen, founder of the LGBT-themed Northwest Press, surrounded by shelves packed with notable queer comics such as the werewolf romance Fearful Hunter and the sexy, satirical Al-Qaeda's Super Secret Weapon. "I think the best thing about Bent-Con is you come here, and that layer of self-consciousness that you might have at a broad, mixed show—it's gone. You know everyone here is an ally or queer themselves, or trans or gay or bi or pan or omni or fluid or whatever. Everyone is welcoming."
Skeptics of contemporary mainstream comics would welcome the fact that the convention was dominated by indie artists and writers. Canadian writer Michael McAdam's Diaperman lampoons sexual fetishism, while Angeleno artist Aaron Ferrara reinterprets classic video game characters, like Mario and Link, in a homoerotic light. The weekend's "Love Machines: Robots and Romance in Comics" panel showcased a swath of gay talent. Helmed by WeHo scribe Josh Trujillo, best known for his technosexual anthology Love Machines, the panel featured artists Michael Schisler and Patrick Horvath, as well Alex Woolfson, author of the robo-homo graphic novel Artifice. Delving into the cyber content region of queer pop culture, Donna/Madonna monologist John Paul Karliak moderated the "Just Us Guys" panel, exploring the eponymous web series that's been described as a gay(er) Gilmore Girls.
But the highlight of the weekend was the cosplay, which culminated in a contest on Saturday evening. Notable costumes included out musician Lou Trent clad as a scruffy Captain America, flanked by his Avengers compatriots Vision and Hawkeye (above). Respected gaymer Matthew Michael Brown won Best Video Game Costume with his homemade portrayal of Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Even Ted Abenheim, President of the LGBT-themed Prism Comics, gussied up as a sleeveless version of Flash archenemy Captain Cold.
When it comes to gay copslay, skin is in.
"An important item in the cosplay arsenal seems to be a gym membership," says Christensen, adding, "I myself couldn't pull off some of these costumes, so I'm glad they pulled them off ... or, I'd like to pull them off them."