Throughout the course of my time covering conventions for We Got This Covered and previous sites I’ve worked for, I’ve stressed how I think it’s important for those of us in the geek community to attend events of varying sizes. Be they large, small or something in between, you’re bound to meet a favorite celebrity of yours, stumble across a rare comic book or collectible, and will no doubt make a few new friends along the way.
That said, I ventured back to the Commonwealth Commerce Center in Jackson, Michigan this past Saturday to take in MeggaXP V: The Fifth Experience. Considering how 2016’s offering remains one of my fondest con memories, I’ve made it a point to attend James Seagraves’ events whenever I can.
Though every vendor, crafter and comic creator had been condensed to one showroom this time around, there was still a lot to go over. In fact, it gave me a chance to catch up with screenwriter and comic book author David C. Hayes, perhaps best known for his work with Source Point Press. It was about time I purchased something of his, so I picked up The Rot, which looked to be quite the appealing anthology-style trade paperback.
As usual, the gaming room on the fourth floor turned out to be one of the more impressive aspects for the weekend. Should you have journeyed there, then you would’ve found more televisions than I’d care to count rigged with consoles current and classic. Plus, there were a couple arcade cabinets, tabletop games and even an archery challenge.
Seeing as how I enjoy taking in as many facets of conventions as I can, I did indeed set aside some time to game. Being able to revisit Mortal Kombat II in its original arcade form was an opportunity much too enticing to pass up. After that, I played a few matches of Mortal Kombat 3 for Sega Genesis, but that one sure wasn’t made for the three-button controller (I preferred the Super NES during that era).
If there were a recurring theme to the festivities, it’d have to be the thirtieth anniversary screening of UHF. To complement that, “Weird Al” trivia and karaoke were on the programming schedule. And speaking of karaoke, I did sing “Bestrafe Mich” by Rammstein at the after-party, though I stuck around for only the first hour of that.
Should you want to get in on some MeggaXP awesomeness, then it’s advised that you mark your calendar for February 15th, 2020. In case you’re curious, that’s the date set for Blood Bash, which is a horror convention/international film festival by way of the very same organizers. Until then, feel free to browse the gallery above for a few shots of some choice sights, cosplayers and the costume contest itself.
