Springfield, MO will host Rublecon this weekend. Rublecon will be held at the Howard Johnson on South Glenstone Ave from 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturday August 17th and Sunday August 18th. The price is $5 at the door for a Two Day Ticket.
This is an interview with Rublecon creator, Danial Ruble. Along with creating Rublecon, he owns Rublemizers, a local shop for Comic Books, Sports Memorabilia, & Collectibles.
GK (Geeky KOOL): Danial, Thank you for agreeing to an interview with Geeky KOOL. Please tells us about Rublecon and what patrons can expect this weekend with Rublecon.
DR (Danial Ruble) : Rublemizers puts this convention on each year in August. We keep it a local event that is sponsored by our local comic book store. This is our 3rd show in a row and we make it bigger and better each year. We have a mix of vendors, artists, writers, and special guests. This is a kid friendly event as well. We want to bring hobbyists, fans, and families together to have fun. There will be door prizes and we raise money for local families in need each year. We feel we are the premiere comic convention in Southwest Missouri, hands down.
GK: What is your attendance expectations for Rublecon this year?
DR: We would like to double last years attendance and have at least 1,000 or more people come to our show. We have been very successful the last two years.
GK: Each Comic Convention has a different focus and flavor. Some conventions have a heavy focus on Vendors, other cons have a focus on comic creators, some focus on the gaming community, and other conventions are heavy on entertainment guests. What is the general focus of Rublecon?
DR: We have a blended balance of vendors, creators, gaming and guests.
GK: Cosplay has become a mammoth part of the Comic Convention world. Are cosplayers being encouraged to attend in costume? Is there any costume contests for Cosplayers during the convention?
DR: Yes and yes. We have been promoting the costume contest heavily online, by word of mouth and in our printed flyers. We have a kids and adults costume contest with cash prizes for the top three.
GK: Who are some of the special guests in attendance that might interest the readers?
DR: We have Jai Nitz (Dream Thief, Green Hornet, El Diablo), Fly By Knight Comics (Zee, Dark Bat, The 5th), Kyle Strahm (Haunt, Hack/Slash, We Will Bury You), Brian Koschak (Star Wars Adventures, The Will of Darth Vader), Gary Bedell, Javier Salterres, Doug Roberts and many more!
GK: Are there any panels at Rublecon? If there are panels, can you share a list of panels with us?
DR: Yes, we have a comic panel hosted by four creators who will go over the comic business, answer questions and their podcast about comics.
GK: This is Year Three of Rublecon. What kind of changes and adjustments are you making from the previous two years?
DR: Each year we try to add more to the show, more creators, more vendors, more activities and more fun. This year we are adding gaming contests, a comic panel and more creators.
GK: Many conventions have various “Meet Up” and “After Hour Parties” after the convention hours. Do you know of any After Rublecon parties this year?
DR: Unconfirmed at this time but we are trying to get a “Drink and Draw” event at Classic Sports (Bar inside of the Howard Johnson).
GK: Putting together a Comic Convention appears to be ton of hard work. What has motivated you to put on Rublecon in Springfield, MO?
DR: We have always felt that we would like to be popular than rich. We keep prices low and would like to get more exposure for the retail store by getting bigger and better each year.
GK: As a convention attendee, we often don’t think about the level of work that goes into a Convention. What amount of planning and work goes into putting on a convention like Rublecon?
DR: It is a massive undertaking. There are countless hours that go into flyer design, promotion, contacting guests, getting the venue, answering questions, putting cool events together, contacting vendors, designing the floor plan, putting the press releases together and all the last minute details that need to be done to put on a great con!
GK: Thank you, Danial, for taking your value time, especially during these last few days before Rublecon, to talk to us and our readers about this wonderful convention.
There you have it readers. If you are in the Springfield, MO area tomorrow, then make sure to check out Rublecon at the Howard Johnson on Glenstone. It should be a great time. Make sure to let us know if you are going to be in attendance. We will be checking our social media, while at the convention. If you give us a shout out on twitter, use the hashtags: #GeekyKOOL and #Rublecon.
Stay Geeky My Friends!
