ConnectiCon News

As you all should know, Larom and I went to ConnectiCon this year. I am entirely pleased that we did. It was the finest, most fun and fantastic convention I've ever been to. We met a lot of fantastic people, made a lot of new friends, and a glorious time was had by all. And we wouldn't have been able to have meet everyone we did, and have all that fun without this convention, but more specifically the two people behind it: Matt Daigle and Briana Benn. Yeah, it's just those two that crafted, coordinated, and formed all that is the glorious experience known as ConnectiCon. We would love to return at ConnectiCon 2006, and we're going to do our damnedest to ensure we will.

This brings me to the banner above this rant. For you see, ConnectiCon and those two very new but dear friends of mine are in trouble.

Previously the Con had been held on the campus of the University of Hartford, but due to management changes they were forced to move to the brand new Conneticut Convention Center this year. Due to a series of misunderstandings and more than a few additional expenses tacked on at the end by the Convention Center, Matt and Briana are now more than $34,000 in debt. In my mind, it is wholely unfair for them to have to shoulder that kind of burden. Not after they have done so much for the webcomic community, the many fans of webcomics, science fiction, fantasy, and anime, and certainly not after they have done so much for US, Comedity. We were there because of Matt and Briana. We became friends with a long list of web cartoonists because of Matt and Briana. We got to watch Tim fall off stage at the uberwebcomic pannel because of Matt and Briana. For me, this is a touch on the personal side. I owe them. But I'm not the only one. Many of the webcomics met or started out at ConnectiCon. I feel I can safely say that the webcomic community would not be what it is today without ConnectiCon, and ConnectiCon could not be without Matt and Briana.

So, we decided, Sunday night, that something had to be done about this. And being the creative lot that we are, something was. To save ConnectiCon, not just the future ones, we need your help too. There's a donation button at http://www.saveconnecticon.com and so if you can give to the cause, do so. On top of donations, we, the webcomics will be auctioning off original art to help raise the $34,184.50 that Matt and Briana owe. I can also tell you that the Fuzzy Green Ball 'O Signage will also be auctioned off. That ball was thrown from person to person around to convention floor and they signed. As I only started it, I am not entirely certain who all's signed on there. But I do know that Ian and Matt, Mookie, Hawk, Trish, and many, many others have scrawled their sign across that fuzzy green surface.

I'll talk about the brighterside, all the cool people I made friends with, the funny stuff that happened, and all that jazz when I finally get the con report comic done proper-like. Until then, and even there after, please, help us save ConnectiCon.

Welcome to the Comedity. Don't step on the Penguin.
Garth (Monday - July 11, 2005) -01:01:15