Comics by Shaenon II

Since there seems to be an interest in reviving the annual Narbonicon (with a new name), I thought I'd start a comment thread where readers of Narbonic and Skin Horse can brainstorm together.
Below, I've reposted my first comment, along with the comments from both strips so far. Would y'all mind posting your follow-ups to the Forum?
There seems to be a desire to be middly rather than coasty, so more people can attend, with some intriguing lobbying for Indianapolis and San Antonio. The readers abroad would be welcome: then again, they might want to host their own Con in Düsseldorf (because it's fun to say).
Readers have suggested next April-May and July, but that really turns on when Jeff and Shaenon could be available.

Kay Gilbert (kaygilbert) says:
Greetings, Narbonic and Skin Horse fanatics: I'm so jealous when I see pictures from the old Narbonicons. I'd love to revive them, and expand them to include Skin Horse. Jeff and Shaenon, what do you think? When would be a good time?
I'd be happy to host here in the Los Angeles area, and we could put up Jeff and Shaenon (and Andrew and Feech). I don't know, though, how convenient California would be for most attendees. (James Rice is local, but he's usually off adventuring somewhere.) Are the rest of y'all interested? If so, where should it be? I'd also love to hear from Narbonicon attendees what fun activities you did (besides visiting the Mall of America and eat at Hell's Kitchen).
The name: even though it's the same universe, Narbonicon seems a bit narrow. Some ideas: Shaenonandon, Shaenonicon, The Wells and Garrity Singularity, J and S Fans Coalesce, The Garrity and Wells Fan Cartels, The JC/SK Getaway, The Friends of Artie, The JCW/SKG Pink Chablis Jamboree . . . surely someone has a better idea!

John Ames (commodorejohn) says: Man, if there was another get-together in Minneapolis, you better believe I would be there for it.

Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says:
@Kay: How about DermEquuCon? (pronounced "derm-EK-u-con" ... derma = skin, equus = horse)
I'd vote for a midwestern location, to make it easier for more people to get there. Readers, what are some good mad-sciencey attractions in the midwest?

James Rice (jhrice) says:
Despite what it seems, the odds of me being in town on any given weekend, are actually slightly greater than 50%. July is usually a good month. I'd be happy to help any way I could.
- James Rice

Shaenon Garrity (shaenongarrity) says:
There's discussion of this going on in the Skin Horse comments right now, if anyone's interested.

Martin H. Olsson
Oh, I would love to be at a Narbonicon so much… Is there someone who can pay for transatlantic flights for Europeans who are “published” in at least two Narbonic Sunday strips (conveniently, it’s exactly two for me)?

Oz
My wheelchair has a range of 10 miles, so any chance of a Narbonicon in the San Antonio area? I can guarantee at least 4 attendee’s. 4!


Peni Griffin
Five. And seriously, you want to come to San Antonio. Why?
Sopapillas.
A convention center with a river inside it.
Breakfast tacos.
Ghosts. Every single downtown hotel, B&B, and office building is haunted! Even the relatively new chain hotels, but you’ll only get the good stories from the staff in the old ones.
Home of the only research facility in America that ever sent out an expedition to find the Abominable Snowman.
Safest, prettiest downtown in America.
A bar/restaurant/laundromat/carwash with a sandbox and a basketball hoop and live music on weekends.
Downtown business district with heron rookeries and barge tours.
But you don’t want to do it in August. May/April are best.


Wodwo
And once again I’m cruelly trapped across the country from where the best things are happening.
(Not that I ever go to cons in Atlanta either.)

Rex Vivat
Don’t complain, I’m trapped in another country altogether.


mnementh
I am still just as disturbed by the image of a POING!ing goat as ever. 
Also, I would attend (and drag my wife along) if it were held in San Antonio. You cannot pass up an opportunity to get a Hurricane at Pat O’s; but alas, if you seek the dueling piano bar you have to go to Howl at the Moon. If you want to get toasted cheap there’s Happy Hour at Crabby Jacks; I recommend waiting til you get to the RiverWalk to eat, however. Once you get there you can stop in at Dick’s Last Resort for your daily dose of abuse; and somewhere in there you MUST hit Rudy’s for some proper barbeque. If you’re looking for a Tex-Mex joint you pretty much can’t throw a stone without hitting one
mnem @Wodwo – You live in Hotlanta and You… don’t… go… to DRAGONCON? What? Were you eaten by a dragon in a past life or summat?


reynard61
There’s always Indianapolis. In the “Mad Science”-y realm of places to visit there’s the Indianapolis Medical History Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Me ... ory_Museum); a.k.a. The Old Pathology Building, formerly part of the Central State Hospital; where they used to autopsy mentally ill patients — and all (or none) of what that implies…
There’s also the more mundane science to be had at The Children’s Museum, a World Class facility in it’s own right. *yawn*


eddurd
But what are SK fans if not childlike in their wonder? (My wife will vouch for my childlike qualities … or is that childish?) Anyway, I second Indy. Although I wouldn’t mind San Antonio … only visited there once briefly, but it was beautiful.


Carl Fishman
Gee; from the comments here, it’s almost as if no-one remembers the Alamo! How weird is that?

Guys, just to weigh in here, I am about 200% in favor of people paying me to visit new cities. And, since I have no life, pretty much all y'all's need to do is give me a few months advance notice -- I have no real blackout dates in 2012.

Huh, there's a forum? What they can't do these days...

Anyway, as I said in the comments, I'd totally be up for a Minneapolis con. Elsewhere in the midwest would be cool too, though it'd require more planning.

Speaking from experience, the single most important factor in selecting a city for an impromptu convention is that it contain a brain-meltingly organized fan or group of fans who are already good at the logistics of bringing people from out of town and getting them to all gather in one place, a harder task than one might think.

Oh yes yes yes! While we're discussing venues, i'll just mention that Seattle, while off in a corner of the country and therefore not in the middle at all, has all kindsa general grooviness (especially in the not-that-rainy season, which is Not Now)...

My first reaction to reading the Sunday strips about Narbonicon in the archives was disappointment that I'd discovered Narbonic too late to take part in Narbonicon. Imagine my delight at the prospect that there might be hope for such a thing yet!

I live in Pittsburgh and would therefore find it easiest to go anywhere within about a day's drive, including Indianapolis. Further than that would be a dodgier prospect requiring more planning and funds and such--though I have friends in Madison, Wisconsin; the Kansas City area (Kansas side); and Edmonton, Alberta, to whom a nearby Narbonicon would give me a good excuse to finally plan a visit.