Armadillocon in the rearview mirror

Armadillocon this year was a great deal of fun. I went in with the intent of taking a bunch of photos, and the image to the right of myself with the incomparable Howard Waldrop is the only one I managed the entire three days. Best laid plans and all that. Jennifer Juday and Marshall Ryan Maresca put on an excellent, well-balanced convention that offered seemingly something for everyone. The only real hiccups that occurred were an unusual number of panels swapping rooms at the last minute which led to a great deal of confusion. I'm sure they'll get that sorted out, because it was weird and I can't recall anything similar happening in recent history.

One thing I want to bring up before I forget about it is the fact that a significant percentage of the attendees were 30 somethings, and more than a few folks looked to be in their 20s. There's been a great deal of hand-wringing about the graying of fandom in recent decades, for good reason. Armadillocon itself has lost some of the oldguard to the ravages of time in recent years, and even more of the regulars have endured health scares. We won't be around forever to shake our fists at clouds. Whatever Armadillocon is doing, they're doing it right, because the next generation of fandom is here and engaged. That makes me happy.

Beyond that, a few highlights that stood out for me was Toastmaster Tonia Ransom, who turned out to be a funny, witty dynamo on every panel she was on; outstanding readings from Sim Kern and Jessica Reisman; running into old college friends, some I've seen recently and others not for 30 years; late-night conversations with Joe R. Lansdale and snarky banter with Mark Finn; and too many others for my age-addled memory to recall with any degree of accuracy. The absolute highlight of the weekend had to be the screening of "Night of the Cooters," a 30-minute film based on Howard Waldrop's 1987 short story (which also inspired the anthology, War of the Worlds: The Global Dispatches), produced by George R.R. Martin, starring and directed by Vincent D'Onofrio, from a script adapted by Lansdale. The animated film is just as weird and wonderful as one would expect from Waldrop's brand of Texas Weird, and I was happy to learn more about no fewer than four other Waldrop works currently in various stages of production. The reception to "Night of the Cooters" has been so positive that there are negotiations to develop into a limited run series for streaming. That'd be fun.

Can I wait until the next Armadillocon rolls around? No. No, I cannot.

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