Written by Tanner Banks, April 12, 2016, at 9:28 p.m.
The hype train is heading towards Indianapolis, and it is full steam ahead, people! This former Kickstarter campaign has become one of the places to go for all your nerdy needs. Whether it’s anime, gaming, film, or WRESTLING(!), Indy PopCon has you covered. The Slickster team is excited to cover the event this year and as I count down the days (actually the seconds), here are the top ten reasons I’m excited about Indy PopCon 2016.
1. Indianapolis
Indy is a really nice city that really exemplifies the Midwest. The people in Indy are nice (except for my ex), the city is beautiful, a decent nightlife, and the food is great! Seriously, I might have been raised on Cincy Chili, but I’ll be spending each night after the convention in a coma after having a dozen slices of Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza. I mean, take a look at this pizza! Papa John can suck it.
2. The Game Developers
It’s no secret that I love game developers. It’s almost like I write about small development teams on a regular basis… Indy PopCon looks to have a great lineup of dev teams ready to showcase their stuff for the world to see. Whether it’s two high schoolers telling the pixelated story of a chicken rescuing its eggs, a puzzling painted game of a colorful thief, or a twin stick shooter about ASTRONAUT CATS IN SPACE, there’s plenty to see from developers at this year’s IPC.
3. Big Bad Bosses
He who hates music hates life itself. These musical maestros managed to master multiple media by manipulating mainstream music. This music parody group has some really great music to go along with their shtick of playing classic video game villains. If you haven’t had the chance to check out their album Power Overwhelming change the part about your life.
4. Tara Strong, Nolan North, and Kyle Hebert
The reason I grouped these three together is because they all played major roles in my childhood. Nolan North, the voice for Deadpool and Nathan Drake is also doing a panel for IPC as well.
As for Tara Strong, I’m pretty sure she’s done voice work for everything. Voicing everyone from Hello Kitty and Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls to Harley Quinn and Li Mei in Mortal Kombat X, Tara is considered the gold standard in female voice acting.
And who is Kyle Hebert, you ask? Oh nobody special, just the voice of RYU IN STREETFIGHTER AND THE NARRATOR IN DRAGON BALL Z. Who else will be at Indy PopCon? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
5. Ninja Sex Party
I feel like the duo randomly thought of three awesome nouns and threw them together for the name, but regardless NSP is a lot of fun. This year they released their fourth album Under the Covers, which hit the Billboard 200 topping out at 55. Their cover of “Take on Me” by A-Ha is a personal favorite of mine, which I’ll provide a link for here. Also, believe it or not, Brian Wecht is a tenured professor in theoretical physics at Queen Mary, University of London after holding research positions at MIT and Harvard. Dude is wicked smaht.
6. Sweet Cosplays
Costume play has gotten more and more popular as time goes on. Whether it’s big names like Meg Turney, the local Star Wars squadron 501st Legion’s Bloodfin Garrison, a group of battle rapping Disney Princesses, or the guests coming in handmade costumes, Indy PopCon is sure to show why cosplay is so popular at conventions.
7. Nostalgia Critic
This guy will shit on everything you ever loved about your childhood. For the Nostalgia Critic, nothing is sacred, and there will be no survivors. Whether he’s ripping the latest blockbusters or explaining why your favorite cartoon from childhood sucks ass. However, he knows what makes a series good and is able to mix comedy with thoughtful commentary at ease. Also he has a sweet hat.
8. Bob, Wade, and Molly
Bob and Wade might have gotten their start with their crimson friend Markiplier, but this trio are not riding anybody’s coattails. Bob “Muyskerm” Muyskens, a law student and unabashed lover of the beverage Kickapoo always has a deriding comment ready for his friends when not working as a law student. Wade “LordMinion777” Barnes and his girlfriend, Molly “Foxtrot44,” are a pair of YouTubers and Twitch streamers who are a blast to watch play games like Minecraft, GMod, or, in Wade’s case, Settlers of Cattan.
9. Elspeth Eastman
I’ll be honest, I don’t play League of Legends, one of Eastman’s most well-known voice acting roles. However, the reason why I have her so high is because of what she represents. She is the epitome of self-made. Having been there since the first Indy PopCon, she has built her career from the ground up thanks to conventions like Indy PopCon. As a guest of honor, Eastman is a shining example about how you can achieve anything by chasing your dreams through hard work.
10. Conventions Are a Blast!
I’m still a rookie when it comes to cons, but Indy PopCon has more than just a little bit of everything for everyone. Whether it’s comics, anime, movies, the internet, or gaming, Indy PopCon has grown year in and year out. This convention is a far cry from its first convention after its successful Kickstarter campaign. Indy PopCon is a great time for any kind of nerd, so we hope to see you there.