Happy New Year

Well, it’s finally 2008 and that means we are only a few short months away from the first Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival. This may be the first convention some of you have gone to. For others, you know what to expect because you’re a veteran of the Midwest convention circuit. But whether you’re new or experienced OSFest will have something for you.

To help smooth the way for new convention fans, we have as our Toastmaster a member of First Fandom. Someone who has been around since the early days of the World Science Fiction conventions and has honed a presentation called; “How to Enjoy Your First Convention.” He will leave you with a good understanding of what this SF con thing is all about.

I remember when I showed up at my first convention; the 1976 Worldcon: MidAmericon or Big Mac in Kansas City, I had no idea what to expect. I attended some of the periphery functions without ever knowing what was really going on. I missed the main activities that weekend. But there was so much going on; the peripheries were so exciting, that I never knew I was missing anything until much later.

So how do you choose? Well the first thing to do is download the schedule from the website as soon as it gets posted, usually about two weeks ahead of the convention (www.osfes.org/osfest.htm). Check out the descriptions of events in the program book once you get registered and have your copy. And always keep your pocket program handy, mine’s always in my back pocket. Rusty normally runs his panel early Saturday morning. But you don’t have to be on your own Friday night. Just walk up to someone wearing a con badge and ask, “Is this your first convention?” At worst you’ll be able to double team the next person the two of you ask.

OSFest will be a lot of fun, with a lot of activities going on. As we get them planned out, I will blog them your way so you can know what to expect. I’m looking forward to seeing you in July.

Bye, bye Claudia

Well, OSFES has run into our first snag in bringing a boffo fan experience to Omaha. We have lost our Media Guest of Honor. Due to commitments with her production company, Claudia Christian will be working on a reality television series for William Morris during the time period we will be holding The Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival. While this is great news for Ms. Christian, the actress; it forces us to rethink some of our convention priorities.

For decades the realm of science fiction and fantasy was strictly literary and therefore the traditional convention was centered around the writers and artists that produced the stories we enjoyed. Lineups for conventions consisted of a Writer, Artist, and Fan GOH with a Toastmaster, typically another writer to get two on the bill. That is especially true today since the banquet the Toastmaster officiated at has disappeared. Even then, there were fewer writers to draw from that everyone enjoying the field recognized any name you invited. That is not true today.

The ideas, the new worlds, the fun toys that writers have always brought us are being packaged in new forms. Television, movies, games, animation, and even the internet have opened new ways for we, the fans of this genre, to experience the visions the creators of this genre have dreamed up for us. So how to honor those creators?

OSFest started down this path by inviting Claudia Christian as our Media GOH. As an actress, she created a character that captured the imaginations of many fans of SF/F. She had been our attempt to capture the television side of the picture. Her lose will force us to examine how we can celebrate other facets of the genre. In the coming months, changes will be made in the lineup of the guests we are bringing to meet their fan base. Your input can help us decide which avenues to pursue. If you have a particular area of interest, or person you would like to learn more about, let us know. There are many ways you can do this:

• http://www.osfes.com/ is our fan forum, where you can post opinions and view those of others.
• On Yahoo Groups we have Omaha_Sci-Fi_Fantasy_Discussions, where you can post messages and reply to others directly from you email account.
• OSFES and many of its members have started MySpace and Facebook pages. Check them out and become a friend. www.myspace.com/osfes
• Email you opinions directly to: omahascifi@gmail.com
• Or simply post a comment to this blog.

So farewell for now Claudia, we will miss you. At least for OSFest '08.

Anime NebrasKon 2007

For me the Midwest convention season ended with three really wonderful conventions. Each had its own flavor, each was the right size for its purpose, and each brought in enough funds that they will be back next year. The last of these was the anime convention held in the University of Nebraska’s Student Center: NebrasKon.

Anime is a sub-genre of science fiction that grew up in response to the vast emptiness of American animation in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Probably the best way to explain why Japanese animation found an immense audience waiting for it is to look at its competition in the early 1980’s; Super-Friends had reigned on American Saturday morning television for over a decade (1973-86). The discovery of anime (or Japanese Animation as we called it then) gave us the choice of the exploits of the Space Battleship Yamato or “Wonder Twin powers activate”. I have DVDs of the former, but not the later.

But it is not the movies, OVAs (Original Video Animation), or series that make an anime convention. You can buy those and watch them in the comfort of your living room. It is the fans that make up a really good convention. From the discussions of what is good or bad on DVD, or whether you should watch dubbed or subbed videos (DVDs make this argument pointless since they come with both versions), to the cosplay (costume play) that happens during the entire weekend. Yes, there is going to be a Masquerade or Cosplay Competition sometime on Saturday evening but you still see a good many costume characters throughout the convention.

Yet, anime conventions are still trying to find their pattern. They have a lot of rough edges yet that SF/F conventions have polished down over the years. The best example of this is the Cosplay or Costume Competitions they hold. Rules seem to vary and have not taken all participants into consideration yet. The two anime conventions I attended this year were both flawed from the perspective of the audience, especially those of us trying to take photos. The entrants also need to polish their presentations. But anime presenters have been at this for a mere two decades and I am comparing them to events that have been honed since 1939. I think SF/F fandom has a lot to offer Anime fandom.

I also think that Anime fandom has a lot to offer SF/F fandom. Anime conventions have a raw energy about them. It seemed that almost one-fourth of the NebrasKon goers were in some type of costume, and in character for that costume. Their dealers room was thriving and they have found a new avenue for the artists to meet their fans; the Artist Alley. Though I do miss the Art Show with its hanging images where I can crawl into a new and wondrous world created by talented imagers.

Traditional SF/F fandom is graying, getting too comfortable in those events that are finely polished, lacking the hunger to create new experiences. How often have you gone to the same panel? Can you name a SF/F convention that does NOT have one named, “Where do you get those crazy ideas?” If traditional SF/F conventions cannot find a way to re-integrate both gaming and anime fandom back into our makeup, we will die. It is often asked at the traditional conventions by the con goers, where are the younger fans? Well they have started their own conventions around the sub-genres that we did not give enough resources to. If you look at the attendance figures; gaming, anime, and media conventions are growing. These were all pieces of the traditional SF/F convention until we started snubbing them, despite the fact that we enjoyed them.

Can a convention be created that will bring experienced fans together with energetic fans? I think it can and The Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival (OSFest) is going to try. I hope we can really create a science fiction convention with something for everyone.

What do You want?

ICON has risen from its ashes!

ICON 32 was Nov. 2-4 this year back onto I-80. Held in Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, the convention has moved back to the Iowa City area where it began.

Everything said about how this convention went has to be viewed with the understanding that after ICON 31, ICON was dead. Around January of this year, a group of experienced convention runners, lead by Greg Parmentier and Steve Keith Tait, got a bid together and presented it to the Mindbridge Board of Directors (Mindbridge is the corporate entity that is responsible for ICON and other convention in the Iowa City area). After their proposal was accepted they had only 10 months to pull everything together.

The Marriott is a fine new hotel, even if I grumble at having to pay for parking. OSFES went in to do our first room party ever and found an easy connection for our electronics. I most hotels, if you are lucky, you can disconnect the RF cable coming into the television to hook in a video deck. The Marriott had a wall mounted selection of connector plug-ins that hooked into their large flat-screen TVs. So with a few bed-movings, some room decorations (with no tape being applied to the walls), and John Pershing’s home-brew; OSFES’ party went over quite well. “”That’s Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (pause, wait for it) with Pia Zadora.”

The convention shared its space with a wedding and a couple of meetings that weekend. It was a bit odd to see a non-SF/F group getting into costumes for their event – and they weren’t square-dancers. Their activities were very spread out, their Toastmaster, Rusty Hevelin, had to use an electric scooter to get around.

Yes, they had some problems. A snafu with the Art Show rules caused a lot of artists to not send in art and made the Art Show very small and the Art Auction almost non-existent. Several panels were run by a single individual (at least the ones I got to), but their Moderators (is the main person still called a moderator if they are the only panelist?) kept the panels interesting and on topic. Finally their costume contest had at least as many entrees as Windycon a week later, along with belly-dancers and The Great Luke Ski as half-time entertainment.

ICON has risen from its Gallium ashes – next year join Tanya Huff, Rusty Hevelin, and a host of the usual suspects at ICON 33 on Halloween for another really cool weekend.

Nuke-Con XVII

The Creighton University Skutt Student Center is a nice place to hold an event but you have to be in good shape to get from the parking lot to the actual building which hosts events. And most of fandom isn't, not with XL clothing being considered fannish medium. It's a nice walk for a 20-year old but I didn't see too many of the Creighton students gaming. Inconvenient parking plus the gaming convention in Des Moines (Fields of Honor) and River City Roundup the same weekend meant that Nuke-Con was going to take a hit on attendance, which they did.

There were some changes the Nuke-Con committee had to make to adapt to this new venue. The usual concession stand was replaced by Creighton sponsored eating establishments, though prices had been negotiated down for the weekend. It was a multi-level event, since the student center has its rooms divided between three floors. And their anime room was the five large screen televisions in one of those eateries. But the things we come to expect from a Nuke-Con were all there. Lavish miniature games, RPGA events, newly designed gaming experiences straight from the companies designing them, computerized warfare, lead figure painting (as opposed to the Chinese practice of painting figures with lead), gaming supply vendors, and a game materials auction. Fredd Gorham, their Artist Emeritus, ran his Artist's Jam on Saturday for the second year, which makes it a fannish tradition Fredd. Several local fannish groups were also in attendance supporting the convention: OSFES, NERO, OtakuOmaha, Amtgard. So it doesn't matter the venue they are able to find, the Nuke-Con people know how to bring fun things together in a complete low-cost package. Watch for another change in venue for 2008. The Skutt center does not book events a year in advance.

While it is easy to blame external circumstances for dropping attendance figures at Midwestern fannish events. I have to wonder if competing activities or a sense of apathy pervading Omaha fandom is the reason. Are we getting too old and/or jaded to support these events. What do you think? Post a comment about the state of Omaha fandom. Let's hear from you.

Star Trek - TOS returns

New episodes from the universe of the original Star Trek series have hit the web waves. Star Trek New Voyages currently has three new stories available for viewing at their website: http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/. The Cawley Entertainment Company with the Magic Time Company is currently working on a two- parter written by veteran Star Trek writer David Gerrold.

I came in on the third web episode: "World Enough And Time", which was written by Michael Reaves and Marc Scott Zicree, directed by Marc Scott Zicree, and starring George Takei. Grace Lee Whitney as Commander Janice Rand and Jacqueline Kim as Ensign Demora Sulu put in cameo appearances.

I was impressed by the technical accomplishments, it was like watching the old 1960's series complete with the kaleidoscopic computer screen and non-detailed model of the NCC-1701. The cast did an excellant job of mimicry acting, what else can you say when you have to recreate a role someone originated. And there was actually a plot with decent dialogue for the actors to say. It was like stepping back forty years and watching the cancelled series carrying on for the rest of its five year mission. While I was amazed at the recreation done with the sets and props used in this production, one thing I really care about is the writing that goes into something I watch, which is why I like the old episodes of Doctor Who despite their lack of a special effects budget. "Worlds Enough And Time" had a strong plot, tying in characters we had grown up with in the Star Trek universe together and sketching out a period in Lt. Sulu's life that woudl only have been possible in science fiction. The writer even dropped hints about where his story was taking us by the names he used for the shuttle craft and the planet where Dr. Lisa Chandris (the weekly new crew member) boarded the Enterprise. It was little things like this that endeared fans to Babylon 5, so watch for them.

I look forward to viewing the first two web-episodes and hope they keep getting whatever funding they have and making many more adventures of that first crew boldly going where no man has gone before.

The votes have been counted and...

...the 2009 World Science Fiction convention (Worldcon) will be held in Montreal, Canada. Anticipation (http://www.anticipationsf.ca/#English), the 67th WorldCon will be held August 6-10, 2009 at Palais des congrès de Montréal . This continues the trend of major SF conventions being more family friendly. This year's NASFIC, aka Tuckercon was August 2-5, 2007. Denvention 3 will be the 66th Worldcon August 6-10, 2008 (http://www.denvention3.org/). With these earlier dates families don't have to worry about pulling their children out of school if the family wants to attend these annual conventions. The traditional Labor Day weekend dates for the convention had been established before schools moved their starting dates into the middle of August. So maybe its time that the Worldcons moved back too.
Montreal is a 1305 mile drive from Omaha or a 6 hour flight (that is shorter than their flight back from Nippon, which explains why they have not updated their website with convention information yet). Today's problem, of course, is that we will need a passport to return home after visiting Canada. So if you are thinking of attending - and a Worldcon is a unique experience everytime it is held - I would encourage you to begin planning now. They are having a problem processing all the passport applications they currently have. Besides the memberships, once they go on sale, will be close to $200 and tht is the cheapest they will ever be.