Science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts from the Triangle area gathered at the Cary Embassy Suites for the fourth annual illogiCon, a science fiction convention. The three-day convention consisted of author signings, panels, merchandising and a cosplay contest.
NC State English professor John Kessel returned to the con as a guest and did a reading from his upcoming novel on Sunday. Guests of honor included New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Carey and Hugo award-winner Christopher J. Garcia.
Kessel said he has been going to conventions since he was about 19 years old. He enjoys illogiCon for its emphasis on writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, which is something he values greatly.
“I tend to prefer cons that have at least some emphasis on writing and reading and not just on media,” Kessel said. “The media cons draw some huge numbers of people, but I’m not as much into that.”
IllogiCon started in 2011 when a group of friends decided to launch a convention geared specifically toward members of the Triangle area.
“Usually we’d have to travel to Greensboro or Charlotte, and we just decided to make our own,” said illogiCon dealer room coordinator Justin Andrews. “A bunch of us got together, threw our money together, started it up and have been running it ever since.”
Unlike some of the larger conventions such as NC Comicon and ConCarolinas, illogiCon is relatively new and had just a few hundred people in attendance this year. Many attendees and guests agreed that the quieter atmosphere is enjoyable.
“Each con has a different feel to it,” said illogiCon guest Garth Graham. “IllogiCon is very laid back, very open and has a very friendly atmosphere.”
Graham is a comic book artist with a degree in industrial design from Virginia Tech. During the convention, he promoted his web comic “Star Power,” which he has been working on for the last couple years. As a lifelong science fiction and fantasy enthusiast, Graham has been doing web comics for the last decade and works as an independent artist.
With more than two dozen panels this year, topics ranged from social issues in science fiction to feminism to comics to cosplaying as an art. One in particular focused on how comedy has a place in science fiction and fantasy. During this panel, comic book writer and North Carolina native Jeremy Whitley discussed how his comics exhibit humor.
“I write this series called ‘Princeless,’” Whitley said. “It’s all about a princess who’s locked away in a tower, by herself, waiting to be rescued, and she decides to rescue herself. I work in a medium which came from people being funny and which people in it now are afraid of being funny.”
The other guests at this panel also talked about how comedy is essential to the genre today, especially with an overflow of more dark and cynical material.
In addition to the guests and panels, the cosplay contest was another highlight. Multiple participants eagerly came dressed as characters from “Doctor Who,” “Star Wars,” “Star Trek”and many other shows and movies.
Natasha Marrero, a senior studying film and French, came dressed as Jack from the popular video game “Mass Effect.” Marrero recently started attending cons and has a strong interest in cosplay.
“This is my first illogiCon and my second con ever,” Marrero said. “I’ve always been interested in just dressing up, and Halloween is my favorite holiday.”
Since attending NC Comicon in November, Marrero and a friend of hers plan on attending additional Cons in the future to compete in more cosplay contests. She said the costume she made for illogiCon this year took her almost the entire month of December to complete.
“The whole thing was a tattooed body suit that I hand painted,” Marrero said. “I made pretty much everything myself except the pants, which were from the thrift store.”
Regarding the smaller atmosphere of illogiCon and the more personal aspects of it, Andrews said he and the other organizers would like to maintain that, but that the feel will ultimately depend on how many people attend in the future.
“I’d like to keep that,” Andrews said. “But as we grow there will come a time where we’re just too big.”
John Kessel, an English professor at NC State who specializes in sci-fi writing, reads an excerpt from a yet-to-be-published piece at illogiCon. illogiCon took place from Jan. 9 – 11 and drew fans interested in all varieties of sci-fi media.
