ComiqueCon is a lively convention presented by Green Brain Comics and held at the Arab American National Museum focusing on “awesome women making awesome comics.” Despite the convention being focused on women in comics, it is definitely not exclusive to women. Many men attended to browse and listen to the panels.

A variety of women artists set up booths and sold their artwork. Topics ranged from what it’s like to write/create a comic and include diversity to tips on publishing and getting name recognition. The conference also had crafts and coloring programs throughout the day for all ages.

Of course, the conference couldn’t conclude without a “cosplay” contest! There were kids, couples, and adult categories to enter, and many prizes to be won. Amazing costumes were showcased on stage. Even the judges had a tough time choosing a winner. Founder and organizer, Chelsea Liddy, stated, “This is our second year doing this convention and hopefully it’ll be a yearly event and there will be more to come."

Marvel and DC comics are working hard to bring female heroes and characters into the light and ComiqueCon did a wonderful job of showing you how you can do it, too.

One of my favorite parts about the convention was visiting all the booths and talking to the different artists. There was one booth that drew pictures of “Super Group Hugs,” where the picture contained pop culture characters like Deadpool and Iron Man hugging something relating to their characters. Another group of artists were promoting their comic, Vagabond, which are collections of comic short stories.

The panels touched on topics like “How to Use Social Media for Self-Promotion,” which did more than give advice, but also warned people of what you shouldn’t do on social media. The panelists also mentioned the importance of frequency when working, saying how it’s always important to keep putting yourself out there and eventually someone will care. Each panelist talked about their personal passions involved in comic book writing. It’s an intricate medium because they can say so much more than what’s on the paper. The comics can also be a means to deliver a moral or at least get people thinking about issues such as gender inequality.