Festival Coverage
An Interview with CrucialFest’s Jarom Bischoff
SLUG asked CruciaFest’s Jarom Bischoff some questions about CrucialFest 4, slated for June 4 – 7. We also interviewed Gaytheist, Kowloon Walled City and Call Of The Void, available to read here! … read more
PAX East 2014 @ Boston Convention and Exhibition Center 04.11-04.13
I’ve been a big fan of Penny Arcade for years, but I didn’t fall in love with it until my first PAX in 2011. Penny Arcade creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins (Gabe and Tycho in the comics, respectively) created the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in 2004 to be a gaming convention for gamers, by gamers. It’s grown from 3,300 attendees to well over 60,0000. It’s a utopia for every type of gamer. … read more
4th Annual High Times US Cannabis Cup in Denver, Colorado
Away from the enticements of “FREE DABS!” in the recreational smoking area and the allure of glowing marijuana buds, bathed under a vivid purple grow light in the indoor industry section, I found myself standing in the doorway of Forum 1 at the Denver Mart—a poorly lit reception hall. A small riser sat at the front—upon it a folding table with matching chairs—and in front of that there were several rows of chairs to accommodate the attendees of the seminars for High Times Cannabis Cup weekend. … read more
FanX 2014: Nilbog is Goblin Spelled Backwards — Darren Ewing,...
In 1990, a ragtag Italian production team came to Utah to make a horror movie about a family that gets in over its head when their wholesome vacation plans get ruined by a pack of vegetarian goblins. The result was one of the most fantastic celluloid train wrecks in cinematic history. Despite the fact that Troll 2 has one of the lowest ratings on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, it continues to unite movie fans all over the world with its unique brand of awesome awfulness. … read more
FanX 2014: Chris Hoffman talks Salt City Strangers
Unbeknownst to many comic book fans, the city of Salt Lake has its own band of superheroes who strive to defend our unique, Utahan way of life. Created by Chris Hoffman, Josh Butterfield and Jeremy Gates, the Salt City Strangers is a comic book series that chronicles the adventures of Utah’s own super-powered team of do-gooders. … read more
FanX 2014: Day Three–Gaining Closure
The third and final day of FanX brought with it a sense of bittersweet excitement. Fans knew that today was the day that the convention was planning on bringing out the big guns, but they also knew that after the doors of the Salt Palace closed for the evening, they would have to make the long, somber journey back to the real world—at least until September’s convention rolls around, that is. … read more
FanX 2014: Starcraft II Midwest Pro Am
After six hours of intense combat, Polt became the Midwest Pro Am champion, and the audience funneled out into the crowded convention hall. It is a rare occasion that Salt Lake is graced with gaming royalty, and an even better moment when our locals get to take a shot at beating them live. … read more
FanX 2014: Day 2 Adventures
Salt Lake City lit up again today as roughly 14 quadrillion (that’s a real number) people descended upon the Salt Palace for day 2 of FanX. The beautiful thing about this con is the incredible range of activities available for everybody attending. No matter your cup of tea, it is still entirely possible to get lost in a sea of incredible cosplay and vendors offering everything under the sun. … read more
FanX 2014: Day Two–A Little Bit Louder Now
As I watched the crowd billow and swell throughout the avenues and boulevards of the FanX exhibition hall on day two, I wasn’t thinking about how many of them had driven from out of state to behold our fair convention. I wasn’t thinking about how wonderful it is to see so many geeks converge and let their freak flags fly. Instead, I couldn’t shake the thought that if just one of these people was bitten by a zombie, we would all be righteously screwed. … read more
FanX 2014: Day One—The Calm Before the Storm
As FanX opened its doors to the many-headed beast of Utah’s geek culture for day one of the three-day event, there was a subdued feeling in the air—not unlike the kind that settles in just before a storm rips through town, leaving nothing but smears of grease paint and empty Mountain Dew cans in its wake. … read more