Flame Con — the world’s largest queer comic convention — first started in New York City four years ago to build community for queer comics and creators, and the queer nerds who love them. Created by Geeks OUT, a nonprofit that organizes events for the queer geek community, Flame Con takes place annually, bringing LGBTQ+ creators of all backgrounds to NYC. I flew out from L.A. to be part of this magical weekend full of fashionable cosplay, blisteringly sexy art and comics, and a wonderfully exuberant celebration of who we are as LGBTQ+ people. While everything at Flame Con is wonderfully queer, here are the seven things that make the event heaven on earth.
The Opening Speech
“We are here, we are queer, and it’s all happening!” Cecil Baldwin, narrator of the extremely popular podcast Welcome to Nightvale proudly stood on the main stage in front of a packed room buzzing with excitement and joy. Baldwin celebrated the diversity of sexualities, gender identities, ethnicities, and nationalities in the room before adding, “You’re not just the future of fandom, you’re the future of the world.” There’s nothing like the electricity in a room of thousands of queer nerds, each excited to meet their favorite creators, make new friends, learn new skills, play games, and shop for merch.
Artists’ Alley
Flame Con is my favorite convention because it’s the one place where everyone in attendance is as big a fan of my friends as I am. That is never more evident than in artist’s alley, where thousands of queer fanbabes spend their dollars on everything from comics to prints to enamel pins — all of it so specifically and wonderfully queer. I’ve been to several comic cons and none of them have as diverse a group of artists as Flame Con does. It’s amazing to see so many happy queer and trans people of color dressed in every piece of queer apparel they own, having the time of their lives, and making a living doing what they love. Whether you’re looking for new, original LGBTQ+ comics and art; or some of the best and hottest fan art of characters from Sailor Moon, Voltron, Steven Universe, and many other of the biggest and gayest properties out there; Flame Con has what you’re looking for.
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