Condulac

If you saw any of the news coverage of the 40th Comic-Con, San Diego’s gi-normous pop culture convention (125,000+ attendees) that was held last summer, you might have noticed that the same kind of red carpet celebrity attention usually paid to, well, celebrities, was trained on the creators and fans of science fiction and fantasy writing in comics, role-playing games, and the Japanese graphic novel form, manga. Comic-Con has a very specific focus, but it barely scratches the surface of the Sci Fi and Fantasy fan world, which expresses itself in hundreds of annual conventions worldwide, including the Lake Area’s own expo, Condulac (convention by the lake), now in its second year, from June 11 – 13 at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

The expanded Condulac, hosted by the Southwest Louisiana Science Education Foundation, is produced by an all-volunteer group dedicated to enjoying and spreading Sci Fi and Fantasy fan pursuits such as gathering to share insights and information about Sci Fi movies, television series, comics, graphic novels and other books, as well as participating in making and displaying costumes, gaming, and a myriad of related activities. This year, Condulac will feature numerous well-known figures in the Sci Fi and Fantasy field including actresses Luciana Carro, who was featured as Viper pilot Louanne "Kat" Katraine in Battlestar Gallactica for three seasons (and also played Priyah Magnus in the Battlestar Gallactica prequel spinoff Caprica) and Chase Masterson, well-known among Star Trek Deep Space Nine fans for her recurring role as Leeta, as well as her portrayal of Xela in Star Trek V: Of Gods and Men.

I spoke with Carro about her role at Condulac, and about her work as a performer, and learned that an actor may be said to be “resting” between roles, but the rest is not really restful. “I take a lot of classes – acting, scene study, dance, auditioning technique, Alexander Technique – when I’m not working on a specific role,” Carro said, because you have to stay prepared for the work when it comes up.” Carro explained that for television or film, each actor usually prepares her/his role alone, and rarely gets time to rehearse with the other cast members until the location or set shooting takes place. “We rehearse while they’re setting the lighting,” she told me, “so you have to be ready to go from your own previous work on your lines and character.” I asked what the director does, and Carro and I laughed when she said she wasn’t entirely sure. “They set up the shots and make sure that they have what will be needed to edit the scenes to reflect the emotion and meaning of the storyline.” I asked if any directors had given her specific instruction about her characters’ demeanor, and Carro remembered one special moment: “Directors have occasionally helped me understand my character’s place in the story or at the moment in time that we’re shooting. One director was coaching me to understand what “Cat” was feeling when she was in her Viper and could see blinding lights ahead of her in space. He told me to imagine I’d just seen the face of God. That was a powerful explanation, and the look on my face in the finished scene told the whole story.”

Condulac organizer Justin Toney spoke with me about the much-expanded programming for Condulac II. “One thing led to another, and everyone wanted to help. When we knew we would have the Civic Center, we could plan on bringing out more programming and events to touch on things a broader audience is interested in.” In addition to Carro and Masterson, Condulac will feature Roger Nygard, who directed both of the “Trekkies” fan documentary films as well as episodes of “The Bernic Mac Show” and “The Office”; and Larry Nemecek, whose Star Trek TV series’ connections range from writing to acting and consulting on Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Next Generation and more; anthropologist and pop culture theorist Darryl Frazetti, whose recent work includes an analysis of Star Trek and the role science fiction plays in higher education; Pastor Curtis Webster of the Encino, California First Presbyterian Church, who leads a monthly discussion titled the Spirit of Star Trek, and has appeared at numerous cons to speak about the mythic dimensions of Sci Fi and Fantasy.

Each guest will participate in numerous programming options over the course of Condulac, including panels, Q&A sessions, photo and autograph signing events, meeting and greeting fans, and more. Carro and Masterson will judge the masquerade costume contest, and Masterson will perform her jazz and torch songs in a Saturday night concert. Nygard will exhibit his recently completed film, “The Nature of Existence” which asks the question, “Why do we exist?” of hundreds of people all over the globe, such as evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion and director Irvin Kershner (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), and many more. Due to the nature of some of the film’s scenes, this showing will be for over-18s only.

And for those of a literary bent, like myself, Condulac will feature Sci Fi and Fantasy authors Including Denise Roper, author of The Lord of the Hallows: Christian Symbolism and Themes in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, M. B. Weston, author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, D.B. Grady, a former paratrooper with US Army SpecOps, a Baton Rouge resident and graduate of LSU, whose work has appeared everywhere from “Boys' Life” to “The Atlantic” and whose debut Sci Fi novel, Red Planet Noir, was released in December 2009, and McNeese State employee Judith Leger, whose fantasy romances include Love's True Enchantment and Dragon Wish.

Being an avid recreational reader, my idea of a great party is a convention where authors and others gather to talk about writing and ideas over good food and drink. Luckily, that’s one kind of Sci Fi convention readily available, because many Sci Fi and fantasy fans are voracious readers with catholic tastes – as anyone who’s shopped recently in Books-A-Million might guess from their lengthy aisle filled with science fiction and fantasy novels in its many sub-genres. Not to mention the packed racks of comics, graphic novels, role-playing card games, and other Sci Fi, fantasy, and manga offerings at Paper Heroes.

While the publishing industry bemoans shrinking readership in general interest fiction, Sci Fi and fantasy in a multiplicity of forms is “holding its own,“ says Books-A-Million’s genre buyer, who attends comic conventions, and sees lots of crossover customers for graphic novels, manga, and especially fantasy. “Fantasy is growing,” he said, “because those readers are ravenous. They want everything by their favorite authors, and they’re not concerned about fancy covers or hardbacks, just the content.” Which is why Books-A-Million has a deep backlist – that is, the older books. “If you go to the big box stores, like Wal-Mart, or the airport newsstands, they’ll only have what was published in the last two months,” he told me. “In Sci Fi and Fantasy, the best sellers will be around forever.” That’s one reason that our local Books-A-Million devotes so much floor space to the joined categories, carries the most famous authors from the early years of science fiction writing, and even saves additional floor space for graphic novels and Japanese manga. “We’re mostly selling books by the bigger publishing houses,” the buyer told me, “but then they also distribute books by some of the small houses and indie labels. That’s why I always recommend that young writers try to get picked up by a mid-sized publisher, so that we can stock them in our stores.”

There are outlets for the indies though, especially in the graphic novel and manga fields. In Lake Charles, you can get your Sci Fi and fantasy game on in the packed racks of comics, graphic novels, role-playing card games, and other sci fi, fantasy, and manga offerings at Paper Heroes, which sells more of the indies. “The customers are loyal,” Kevin Cinquemano, owner of Paper Heroes owner told me. “They come back all the time, but especially when the new editions come out.” Customers can earn loyalty points and subsequent discounts for their purchases, just like the chain stores offer, and when I was in the store, one twenty-something lingered over a display case and his purchase, then discussed the loyalty program with Cinquemano. “I can really get something special with that many points,” he said, beaming. Paper Heroes also offers in-store gaming, and will be sponsoring a Magic tournament at Condulac. Go on, get your game on. And your costume too.