CycloneCon Taking Centenary by Storm 

Centenary is sending out the bat signal for artists, cosplayers, creatives, and fans of superheroes, anime, manga, and more! 

The first-ever CycloneCon is kicking off with an academic conference on pop culture on Friday, April 12, followed by CycloneCon on Saturday, April 13. 

The Reeves Gym will be transformed into an exhibitor hall of vendors and artist tables from across the tri-state. This space will also feature a cosplay catwalk, a video game tournament, and photo ops. 

Meanwhile, the library will host panels and programs, including “Story Time with a Superhero,” drawing workshops taught by art teachers from the Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, and workshops on stage combat and theater makeup taught by Professor Stephen Davis, associate professor of theater arts. 

More events are being planned every day! Be sure to check CycloneCon’s website and social media for updates!

The event has been heroically assembled by Dr. Erica McCrystal, an assistant professor of Education and English. Dr. McCrystal’s passion for all things gloriously nerdy has inspired her to teach fascinating courses such as Superheros and Society, an exploration into the relationship between comic books and culture. 

This dynamic perspective has also been transcribed to her podcast, “Villains 101” and her novel, Gotham City Living: The Social Dynamics in the Batman Comics and Media.

Consequently, Dr. McCrystal is very excited about the wide variety of activities being offered at CycloneCon. 

Tell me about the genesis of the event. What inspired you?

Our late former first lady, Jeanne Murphy, reached out to me a few years ago after I gave a talk about Batman. She encouraged the ideas of both an academic pop culture conference and a pop culture convention. We ran the pop culture conference, Multiverses in the Mid-Atlantic, for the first time last spring, and it will be back again this spring. And now we will finally also hold the convention, CycloneCon, the following day. 

What are your aspirations for CycloneCon? 

We have students on campus who are interested in such a variety of areas of pop culture. We have students who love manga and anime and students who love video games. We have a tabletop gaming club. We have students who love horror. And we have students who cosplay. So I wanted to create an event that would have something for everyone, including activities for kids—this is a family event! 

What impact are you hoping to have on the Centenary community?

I am hoping that we get not only a great student turnout but that we can also bring a lot of people in the area to campus. A convention is a really fun way for folks to experience the energy of shared fandoms. 

Is the event open to the public?

Yes! Come one, come all! Bring your kids and bring your grandparents! 

Don’t miss out on the action! Tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks. 

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As Centenary gears up for this landmark event, Dr. McCrystal welcomes all students and staff interested in helping with the convention to join the planning committee, which can be reached at CycloneCon@centenaryuniversity.edu. 

Artists and vendors are also welcome to register for the event! The Artist Rules & Agreement form and registration form are available on the convention website.