NexCon 2 happened last May 16-17, 2015 at Function Room 2, SMX Aura but I’m only writing about it now because Real Life got in the way. Boo to Real Life! 😛
First off, I’d like to say THANK YOU to everyone who made NexCon 2 possible: the wonderful attendees (seriously: you guys are the best con attendees ever!), the amazing guests and panelists (we bow to your experience and insights!), the exhibitors (thank you for believing in our event!), and the convention staff (hard workers all around!).
How much fun did we have? A LOT. A WHOLE BUNCH. A WHOLE FREAKING TARDIS-LOAD.
Fitting NexCon 2 inside the TARDIS. Photo by Adam Fuqua.
Tales from the Diabolical, a special Trese panel with Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo and moderated by Hank Sparrow himself. Photo by NexCon Official.
Tagalize This!, a special panel on dubbing foreign material to Tagalog with veteran voice actors Noel Urbano and Louie Paraboles, with special participation by Kat Sales and Janir Castillo. Hey, a Tagalog dub of Doctor Who! Photo by NexCon Official.
Tux Teach By Tux Team (Miguel, Jin, and Reskiy onstage) on cosplay photography on a budget, with bonus on-the-spot Big Hero 6 cosplay shoot! Photo by NexCon Official.
The launch of Anino Comics’ new titles! Photo by NexCon Official.
Signing by international comic book artists Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz! Photo by NexCon Official.
Crowning the Ultimate Geek at GeekFight Battle Royale year 2! Congratulations to Team Lans and Arion for defending their team and individual titles! Photo by Rej Layug-Rosero.
NexCon’s craziest stunt this year: Lip Sync Kombat! Khal Drogo lip synced to “Sex Bomb” and was backed up by four (four!!!) Khaleesis 😛
I’d also like to mention/pimp out/namedrop the organizing team AKA some of the best people I know: Adrian Arcega from Stompworks and Pablo Bairan, Tanya Bairan, Alex Sibug, Henry de Dios, and Guy Singzon from Cosplay.ph 😀
Co-organizing NexCon was both fulfilling and exhausting but I’m happy that everyone was satisfied with the event. Reading all the positive post-event comments made my heart swell and put a huge-ass smile on my face for the next three days. It also made me feel slightly anxious because of thoughts like “What are we going to do next year that will top this?!”. But more on that later 😛
On a personal note, debuting my Melinda May (from Agents of SHIELD) cosplay at NexCon was also a thrill. Let’s be honest here: Melinda May would do unnoticed at ToyCon and Cosplay Mania because of the bigger, fancier, and more anime-centric costumes around. It’s only at NexCon where the borderline-closet cosplay of a Marvel character would be instantly recognized.
I totally enjoyed being a badass. Yes, I didn’t smile the entire time I was in costume. Hurrah for my local thrift shop having the (almost) perfect leather vest for Php 200 (US $5)! <3 Photo by Adam Fuqua.
And hey, the rest of the Agents of SHIELD were at NexCon too! Shoutout to fem!Ward and FitzSimmons <3 Photo by Vinni Misa.
What’s in store for NexCon 3? Only time will tell.
Just kidding 😛
We already have a venue! NexCon 3 will be on April 2-3, 2016 at Function Room 5 of SMX Convention Center Manila! We’re already working on the program and promise to deliver even more fun and geekiness next year! I’m not sure what’s bigger than a “TARDIS-load of fun” but we’ll get there. See you all next year!
