The Chicago Winter Con Reports Part 1: Kicking off 2015 with a Bang at Kollision Con

Posted on Mar 17 2015

Kollision Con Convention Report

Chicago is finally getting warmer and the crazy mountains of snow we received are now turning into rivers of water; it’s the perfect time to reflect on a very fun event that took the Chicago winter storms head on! Back in January, I was fortunate enough to attend Kollision Con as it leveled up its stats and moved on up to the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, IL. Though it was another short and sweet convention in my books, Kollision Con continued to exude that certain charm that has always kept me as a fan since its humble beginnings in St. Charles.

Braving the snow Friday night, I was able to catch a small glimpse of Kollision Con as it shone through the snow like a beacon calling anime fans to a warm home. I popped into a very informative and entertaining panel hosted by four of Kollision Con’s webcomic guests: Trevor Mueller, Krazy Krow, Steve Horton, and Gabriel Bautista. Even though the night was winding down, I was determined to enjoy as much as I could. Naturally, I found a massive Cards Against Humanity game to hop into when suddenly a wild Paul St. Peter appeared! I just want to state for the record that Paul is an absolute blast to be around! He was extremely friendly, jolly, and happy to join in on the debauchery. In fact, he continued to liven up the night during a late night improv panel featuring some of the more eccentric staff members!

Saturday proved to be ripe with talent as I grabbed front row seats to the Kollision Con Masquerade. I cannot stress enough about how amazing the competitors were this year. Mind-blowing costume after mind-blowing costume walked across the stage to a crowd eager to cheer for their favorites! I managed to take as many solid pictures as I could; it was the least I could do to honor everyone’s hard work! After the Masquerade, I relaxed a bit and caught up with an old high school friend before we decided to hit up the rave for a moment. I didn’t stay long but I will admit that the music got my blood flowing! I ended my night nearly dying of laughter at a con horror stories panel hosted by some of Kollision Con’s staff. The stories told that night would haunt weak and unprepared souls.

Sunday, as most final con days, proved to be bittersweet. Unable to escape the clutches of my day job, I was only able to catch the closing ceremonies. Not one to waste my time at a con, I decided to stick around for the small, yet intimate, ceremony. It’s always good to remember that a great con has great people helping it along in the background. In the end, I left Rosemont feeling satisfied but also yearning for more. Personally, I can’t wait to see these guys return to make next year’s Kollision Con another success, and I’ll be sure to enjoy much more of it this time around. The future of anime and fan conventions continues to grow and it only makes me that much more excited!

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Comments
  • Kayarath March 18, 2015 at 12:56 AM

    Nice to see you get back into the swing of things!

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