Last weekend was Planet Comic Con and I’m happy to have been able to go this year. Planet Comic Con has quickly become a convention staple for me and it’s a convention that I try to work into my schedule every year. Attending Planet Comic Con is easy for me since I have family near Kansas City, so it makes for a cheap and quick trip outside of Minnesota. It was a jam-packed weekend and created a nice kickoff to convention season.

For Planet Comic Con, I only go on Friday, so I can spend the remainder of the weekend with family. Attending bigger conventions on Friday is something I would recommend for those who don’t want to compete with a bigger crowd. I find that it’s easier to walk the show floor and take a breather by sitting in on a panel or two. The other benefit of going on Friday is that it’s a lot easier to take photos. Planet Comic Con has several photo opportunities with cosplayers and backdrops. I ended up taking a photo with Emperor Palpatine which was fitting considering Ian McDiarmid was at the convention. Speaking of cosplay, I debuted my Padme cosplay for the first time! I’m thrilled with how the look came together.

In between panels and photos, I did end up purchasing a few comics. I bought K Lynn Smith’s third volume of Plume which is a Western supernatural adventure comic. I talk about K Lynn Smith a lot because I like her comics and her art style. It’s become a routine where I look up ahead of time if she will be there and if so, I try to stop by her booth. I also bought a comic from Mad Cave Studios. As a side note, Mad Cave is one of the greatest comic publishers out there. They publish comics that many publishers might pass up on if the concept is a little odd. If that wasn’t enough, Mad Cave actually pays their artists on time. The reason I pointed this out is because I went to Mad Cave’s comic panel on Friday and they talked about their partnerships with artists and what that process is like when they work with a new artist for the first time.

Planet Comic Con is always a convention that I look forward to because it usually ends up being the first convention that I attend. The only grievance that I have with Planet Comic Con is that I wish they did convention badges instead of wristbands. They might do badges for those attending the whole weekend, I wouldn’t know since I only attend on Friday. I prefer badges to wristbands because I have a designated hook in my bedroom where all my badges hang off and the wristbands, I don’t know what to do with them. Other than that, Planet Comic Con is a blast.

Besides attending Planet Comic Con, we found a new BBQ place to eat at. For those who haven’t been to Kansas City, I consider Kansas City a “foodie” city. Kansas City is known for its BBQ, but also the breweries throughout the area. My cousin took me to Chef J which is in an area called the “West Bottoms”. The West Bottoms is west of downtown, across the river, and in a more industrial area. Chef J is in one of the older buildings which is actually really neat. It looks like the city is trying to revitalize the area since there are several vintage shops, furniture stores, and live music playing somewhere nearby. Back to Chef J, the BBQ was so good. I had a BBQ sandwich with sausage on it and I had to order Mac and Cheese as a side. It was delicious and worth the wait.

After eating BBQ, we went to two breweries. The first brewery was Double Shift Brewery which was only a few minutes from Chef J. The brewery was tucked away into this corner with all of these local businesses. There was a distillery across the street, a coffee shop, and a few art murals on the nearby buildings. My cousin had a beer called “Pancake Mafia” which had hints of syrup, vanilla, blueberries, and blackberries. I wasn’t quite as adventurous with the beer that I picked. After Double Shift, we went to Cinder Block Brewery which is a brewery that I have been to many times. I love the taproom; it’s open and sunny. It has an industrial look to it with the gray paneling in the main seating area. It was relaxing being able to sit especially because I walked 20,000 steps at the convention the day prior.

This weekend was what I needed! I haven’t taken a trip since our Europe trip last September and my travel bug was starting to come back. There’s nothing more fun than being able to travel and attend a convention at the same time.