Indy PopCon Day One recap

Written by Tanner Banks, June 17, 2016, at 6:53 p.m.

What. A. Day. The first day of Indy PopCon is officially in the books and all I can say is “what a day.” From the initial rush of adrenaline as the doors were opened, to the last question asked at the panel with Bob “Muskerm” Muyskens and Wade “LordMinion777” Barnes, everything was just a complete blur. For now, I’ll do my best to write down everything.

Indy PopCon Day One Recap

Right at the beginning Slickster Magazine photographer Anthony and myself  knew we were in for a great time. We got a taste of how the day would go when Eamon Hagarty, a professional bagpipe player, came out in his kilt and squid hat playing the Imperial March . With thousands of people, hundreds of vendors, and dozens of places to be we did so much but felt like we did so little.

Over at the indie game booths we met up with familiar game developers like Big Seat Studios and Ian and Elie Studios. We also had the chance to make some new friends like the Heart Shaped Games and Robotic Potato. Whether it’s a chicken trying to save his eggs, living out generations of heroes, a fantasy game that teaches you how to code, or fighting Nazi dogs in space, the indie game development world is really picking up steam.

The great cosplays that we got to see were also amazing. From the duo Daft Punk, to a set of psychos form Borderlands, to a super plumber, and a very groovy Velma, there was a lot of high quality work done. And speaking of the psychos, the team behind them, Thousand Faces Cosplay, is donating all proceeds from their print sales at Indy PopCon. All proceeds go to the charity Tenth Life, an animal shelter for stray cats and special needs animals. Here’s to you Thousand Faces, you have the shiniest meat cycle!

One thing we’re really looking forward to tomorrow is the Invasion Wrestling show presented by Strong Style Wrestling. We had the chance to catch up with the wrestler Jake “Black John Stockton” Omen. Jake told us about being trained by former WWE wrestler Jimmy Yang, cutting his teeth in the independent circuit, and “making it” to wrestle in Japan. He’s our favorite for the fatal four way match tomorrow but we’re only a little biased.

We wrapped up the day with a panel featuring the Youtubers Bob and Wade. It was really funny getting to hear them joke with the fans and answer (not so) serious questions from fans. Another highlight was the trash talk about their friends Mark and Jack from the channels Markiplier and JackSepticEye. My favorite quote came from a fan’s question of who is Mark’s favorite friend.

Wade: “Honestly, Mark is Mark’s favorite.”

Day One at Indy PopCon is in the books and we’re ready for Days Two and Three!