I’m fortunate to have friends and family all across the United States. It allows me to travel cheaply and safely. Last weekend, I drove to Kansas City to attend Planet Comicon. I have been to Planet Comicon three times, including this trip. Every time I go, I stay with my cousin, who is gracious enough to put up with me for a few days. I always go to the convention on Friday only, so then I can explore Kansas City with him on Saturday before driving home. I wanted to summarize Planet Comicon, along with sharing pictures of my weekend in Kansas City.

For Planet Comicon, I cosplayed as Harley Quinn. I shared a little bit of my process a few weeks ago, but now I’ve got to try it out! For Harley, I did a makeup trial a week before the convention. This allowed me to try out different types of makeup styles. Additionally, Harley’s makeup has more eyeliner, and I typically don’t wear eyeliner all that much. I felt like I had to re-teach myself how to put on makeup. Doing the makeup trial was well worth my time. I felt that on the day of the convention, I was able to put on my makeup faster, so I didn’t take as long to get ready. The only thing I would do differently is the wig. I felt that the wig I ordered was uncomfortable to wear throughout the day. In between conventions, I will probably order a new wig if I cosplay this version of Harley again.

Normally, I attend Planet Comicon by myself. This year was a little different. My cousin moved in with his partner, and her daughter also attends Planet Comicon. It was fun to roam around the convention with someone else and have someone to talk to. She’s a huge anime fan, so I got to hear about her interests, and she would explain cosplays to me if I didn’t understand the reference. There was one cosplay from a manga called Chainsaw Man, which I had never heard of before. The cosplay was awesome! There was a foam chainsaw on his head and bloodied foam chainsaws on his arms. I was impressed.

Besides the convention, my cousin and I did some exploration around Kansas City. Every time I visit, I end up doing something different. We went out for lunch at a new BBQ place that I haven’t tried. Tin Kitchen is a BBQ place located in an old historic building. I ordered a beer, along with a pulled pork sandwich and mac and cheese. It was delicious! After that, we drove to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library to check out the museum. It was fascinating since Truman took over when FDR passed away. There was a lot that happened during Truman’s presidency, including the atomic bombs, the Korean War, and the Red Scare, to name a few events. Once we finished at the Truman Presidential Library, we drove to one of my favorite breweries, Boulevard Brewing Company. Like Minneapolis, Kansas City has its share of breweries. Boulevard is one of my favorites, their tap room is huge! I had their Space Camper IPA, which was featured at Planet Comicon. After Boulevard, we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant before unwinding for the rest of the day.

Planet Comicon was so fun! I always have a great time visiting Kansas City, as it’s one of my favorite US cities to visit. I can’t wait for my next trip.