Zombie Walk Mobile was pretty epic. I had never gotten into costuming, cos-play, undeading it up, etc. This wasn’t too far a stretch as I ended up a fairly … fresh looking zombie with a few open wounds but no base makeup to give that stylish embalmed look. Yet, it had the added bonus of me feeling more tan than I’ve ever felt in my life.
An event like this is really perfect for the starting or apprehensive cos-player. It’s not like you’re jumping into a massive con as Jar Jar with a “Free Hugs!” sign around your neck, (zombies are respected on some level). The activity is inclusive; it’s most likely the biggest group cos-play in which you will ever participate. Zombie costumes are also cheap and hard to mess up, making it a great beginner’s project.
The immersion you have lurching amongst 150 – 200 undead is pretty infectious. It’s not long before something clicks in your head beckoning you to forget reality, grasp the moment and eat its delicious oozing flesh.
It was a good day for a lurch. Zombies young and old came together. A significant collection of canned goods were gathered for the Bay Area Food Bank. It was managed well and the weather was about perfect. Zombie Walk Mobile was a lot of fun; we’re looking forward to the next event.
Bob and Carl are quite possibly the best thing to happen to humanity since the discovery of antibiotics. We were first introduced to them in 2010 when we arrived at Dragon*Con that Wednesday and several clips were playing through the pre-con, Dragon*Con TV loop. We’ve been hooked ever since.
It is because of this awesomeness that we took the limited skills at our disposal to carve a janiteer pumpkin, awing passers by and striking fear in the hearts of our enemies.
For those out of the loop:
Originally conceived by Michael Goodwin as a video piece for an Atlanta puppet slam. Bob and Carl went on to take DragonCon 2010 by storm. Their geeky humorous shorts were a fan favorite on DragonConTV’s programming. There was such a positive response that The Sci-Fi Janitors Team (Beau Brown, Matt Nitchie, and Patrick Freeman) decided to keep making more to release on the internet. Now Bob and Carl provide convention entertainment to make those long waits for panels and events to start more bearable.
Before Con*Monkey there were still nerdy exploits. When filler is needed we post these past projects.
There isn’t much to say about this one. Halloween is two days away and here is a past project from 2009. We carved a World of Warcraft cyclops pumpkin. It just didn’t seem appropriate to use this any other time of year.
While we’re posting documentaries, why not throw in the Emmy-winning Four Days at Dragon*Con? Chapter 1 is below, you can see it in its entirety @ the PBA video page.
Conventional Wisdom is a short documentary directed by Kenney Broadway on Dragon*Con 2008. It gets a bit sappy but overall is a good watch. It does a good job of capturing the feel of the con and bringing you back.
Two years ago a group of four film students went to DragonCon. They met an assorted cast of extraordinary characters, and they made a movie about them. This year the 2010 DragonCon Film Festival will show that movie.
Not sure how the Film Festival turned out, but if you like it, the creators have asked you leave feedback on Infinite Ammo.
Sukoshi Con: Mobile v.2.1 hit Mobile October 15, 2011. We came, we saw, we gave away manga.
This, as expected, was a small con. We estimate it peaked at around 200 participants. A small dealers room sat to the left of the registration desk when entering. Down the hall opened to the artist alley with a few local artists, along with FAN:dom and Mobicon promoting their goods. A gaming room, video room and panel room branching from the hall kept everything together and lively.
This con had a lot of good energy. It often felt like a large gathering of people not so much participating in a con but … preparing for one. The atmosphere was more relaxed. The panels were small and informal. Seth Jones and Yoko Mizuhara hosted well, panels on cos-play, prop building and makeup effects.
There were several participant oriented events: From cardboard human mecha battles to anime Jeopardy and karaoke. The video room hosted several anime music videos by local video makers as well as full length anime selections rotating hourly throughout the day. The gaming room offered several analog tables as well as providing a Wii, Xbox and PS3 for play.
Overall, this one day con delivered well. Despite its small size there was enough going on to keep participants entertained and the party going.
FAN:dom hits the University of West Florida this November. It’s a budget friendly con at $5 a day, (cheaper for pre-reg), and the partner hotel has a con rate of $75 a night. This appears to be FAN:dom’s second year with last year’s con boasting 752 attendees over the course of the weekend.
The con looks to have a heavy anime influence with a large furry demographic. It is a family friendly con on University soil, so we’re all hoping said furries will keep the public yiffing to a minimum. (I kid, sort of, nothing but reluctant, arms length love for our eccentric furry cousins in fandom.) There are three panel rooms, a Quidditch tournament, cosplay contest, rave Saturday, concert Sunday, gaming tournaments, a masquerade, vendors and artists in abundance.
Before Con*Monkey there were still nerdy exploits. When filler is needed we post these past projects.
Buddy Ghost was the first project my wife, Con*Monkey’s own miri, and I worked on together. It was a concept piece to determine the viability of using papier-mâché and sheet-rock mud for constructing a Dr. Zoidberg head. Zoidberg is still pending but Buddy Ghost has been going strong ever since, moving with us more than our critters and even making an appearance at our wedding.
So, if we’re covering these things we might as well cover the bases. The YouTube channel ConMonkeyTheater is now open. Just the one video now, a Dragon*Con 2009 assembly, but more to come. Mentioned in the video is congirls.net a project of our very own flibbertigibbet. Link now available in the right column.
Well, probably. Hotel rooms go on sale for the Atlanta Marriott Marquis tomorrow morning, October 3 at 7:00am CST. If history is an accurate indicator, these rooms will sell out within the hour.
The following link and rate information gathered from the Dragon*Con website. “Other things” gathered from PassKey. Con*Monkey will never share information of this type that is not already public:
You may also call: (800)266-9432 (or 1-506-474-2009 for international callers).
Rates are, based on occupancy:
Single/Double: $190
Triple: $200
Quad: $215
A few other things to note:
The first night’s room and tax will be charged to your credit card on “the week of July 9, 2011″, and is non-refundable; if the credit card declines, you will have 5 days to provide a valid credit card, or your reservation will be cancelled
A deposit of $50.00 per night is required at check in for incidentals.
It is the discretion of the hotel management to restrict the amount of alcohol that is allowed in our guest room. Excessive amounts of alcohol may be restricted at the entrance of the hotel
Sukoshi Con: Mobile v.2.1 hit Mobile October 15, 2011. We came, we saw, we gave away manga.
