Texas Tech University

CoMC sponsors annual Lubbock-Con

Taylor Plate, CoMC Student

February 25, 2019

CoMC Advising

Lime green skin and pink hair. Floor-length capes and vinyl masks. These words might lead you to picture a comic book superhero, but this describes some participants at the Fourth Annual Lubbock-Con held Feb. 23-24.

Lubbock-Con, a convention comparable to Comic-Con which showcases local niche art, offers discussion panels comprised of community experts, and invites fans from near and far to participate in the fun by cosplaying (a blended word for “costume” and “play”) their favorite character.

This year, the College of Media & Communication was the title sponsor of Lubbock-Con 2019, and both students and the community benefited from this support.

CoMC Advising table
(CoMC adviser, Stacy Elliott, speaks with attendees of Lubbock-Con 2019)

Robert Peaslee, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Journalism & Creative Media Industries, spoke on several discussion panels at the event and said he feels strongly about Lubbock-Con's significance in the local community.

“Lubbock-Con is organized and produced by locals for locals, and both the college and the Department of Journalism & Creative Media Industries see themselves as an important part of the Lubbock community,” he said. “Working with Lubbock-Con gives us an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to our city's quality of life and support the fans of many forms of popular media.”

Similarly, David D. Perlmutter, Ph.D., professor and CoMC dean, spoke highly of the convention and of the growing value of video games and related media. Perlmutter stated that the college is investing in the future and preparing current students for their potential careers.

“You're entering a world where the delivery of stories is changing rapidly every minute,” Dean Perlmutter said. “We like to provide our students with the latest and greatest. We want to expand to where the world of media currently is and is going.”

Julia Sewing, a junior journalism and creative media industries major from Grapevine, Texas, had the opportunity to represent KTXT-FM 88.1 at the event. Sewing spent time interacting with Lubbock-Con patrons, as well as advertising her radio broadcast show, GRLPWR.

KTXT at LubbockCon
(CoMC students and representatives of the KTXT-FM radio station converse with Lubbock-Con 2019 attendees.)  

“It's amazing to be able to see so many people who are passionate about different types of media, and it's fulfilling to be able to share my own interests with them,” Sewing said. “This is my first experience at Lubbock-Con, and it's really opened my eyes to the spectrum of people in Lubbock.

“Also, I wish I would've dressed up. Next year I'm definitely going as Dumbledore,” she added.

Bobby Schweizer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media Industries, was new to Lubbock-Con 2019 and appreciated the authentic nature of the event.

“There's something for everybody, and it's a welcoming place for all of us to embrace our inner nerd and see how others do the same,” he said.

 

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