Holy fan convention, Batman!

Creators, cosplayers and comic book nerds collided at the very first Comic Book City Con last weekend, hosted by Acme Comics. Located in downtown Greensboro, N.C. at The Empire Room, the convention celebrated both Acme’s 30th anniversary and the women of fandom.

CBCC featured a live performance from geek girl duo The Doubleclicks, as well as panels from special guests like Hope Larson, Mark Waid and Gregg Schigiel.

Despite this being the convention’s first year, Acme impressed many of the long-time fans.

“It’s been really great, much better than I thought it would be for its first year,” said attendee Joseph Harrington, dressed as Batman’s infamous arch-nemesis, The Joker. “The cosplay contest was really competent, which is better than expected. I hope it grows in the future and becomes a really big thing for the city.”

Even the vendors found that the con exceeded expectations and loved the inclusive and friendly environment established by the people from Acme.

“It’s been an incredible experience for me, as an author and as an artist,” said adult fantasy novelist I.R. Harris. “It’s an atmosphere where you not only feel welcome but you also feel like you can be an individual, and your most authentic self. I think that’s a rare find in a lot of events, so I feel very honored to be here.”

The con demonstrated the growth of the local comic scene in Greensboro, and provided an outlet for the geek subculture. Everyone needs to geek out from time to time, and Greensboro is quickly becoming the perfect place to do it.

“With everything they’ve done in Greensboro, from Acme Comics, to Geeksboro, to the arcade, there’s a real building of a very specific and encouraging community,” said cartoonist, illustrator and writer Gregg Schigiel. “I think this convention is a part of that.”

Sunday’s cosplay contest was one of the con’s highlights. A lot of hard work and dedication went into all of the costumes. While Acme gave away prizes to the winners, most people cosplay for different reasons.

“If you really want to know why I do it, it’s for the kids,” said Kevin McKinnon, dressed in the trademark armor of Marvel’s Thor.

The people from Acme also focused heavily on creating a female-friendly environment to show their respect for geek girls and their contributions to fandom. While girls in “geekdom” tend to receive a lot of hate, CBCC was all about inclusion and celebration of women in the subculture.

It was clear in everything, from the panels to the guest list to the vendors, that women were an important part of the con.

The panel “Geek Girl Rising” was hosted by Doubleclicks duo Angela and Aubrey Webber, Hope Larson, author of the graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, and graphic novelist Jackie Lewis. It was moderated by Susana Polo, writer for TheMarySue.com.

The panelists celebrated the women of geek culture and discussed everything from favorite female characters to the treatment of women in comic companies.

“There are people in the geek community who don’t realize that girls don’t do everything they do for men,” said Angela Webber during the panel.

At the end of the panel, Larson gave advice to all young creators looking to get into the business.

“Value your own work,” said Larson. “Your work is worth money and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Whether you prefer Marvel or DC, Original Series or Next Generation, David Tenant or Matt Smith, everyone can agree that this year’s con was a success and that we hope to see more nerd celebrations in the future.