Virtuous Con 2021: The Future of Black Pop Culture
Virtual Cons are the new standard for comic cons in the age of the pandemic. Free to all, they usually consist of a series of pre-recorded conversations with a bit of “newness” in between.
Not here….
Cerece Rennie Murphy
Last month, February 2021, I had the opportunity to visit Virtuous Con founded by nerdy girl, famed author extraordinaire, Cerece Rennie Murphy, author of the world-famous Order of the Seers trilogy and overall Writing Badass!!
How I found this con? Last month, I saw an advertisement on a FB page dubbed Virtuous Con. With its focus on the Black aesthetic, incorporating various themes of Afrofuturism, comic book culture and the Black experience in pop culture, I had to come here. And as the date of the event came, I could feel its energy (its weird, I know). I knew I had to be here, to see the fam and familiars once again to kick off 2021 in con fashion.
Sponsored by DC Comics and Subsume, this con provided a nostalgic feel to being at a family reunion and seeing all of your favorite “auntys”, uncles and cousins again at a coronavirus free family event.
As tradition with RGN 99, I, Joseph Watkins, the distant traveler, approached this con, this sacred space of Black Pop-Culture to see for myself if Virtuous Con was the family reunion of Black Comic-Con Spaces….
100% Yes it was….
And they sure as hell didn’t disappoint….
They showed themselves out as a litany of indie and established Black artists, in all forms of media: print, television, social media and more, spoke about their achievements, struggles, and their highs and lows in the industry. Their meaning of “Blackness in Creativity” took on many points of view as they provided their perspectives as well as introduced their media content and brands.
As with any family reunion, the love of being all together again and listening to both, the youth and the elders in the game was truly a blessing. As they dropped wisdom in all its forms, I can’t help but imagine what this event would look like in person (face to face). The addition of a questionnaire box on the side of the panels however, made the experience as close to the actual physical con as possible.
Black Creatives: Thaddeus Howze,, Kwanza Osajyefo, Joseph Illidge, Regine Sawyer, Jamila Rowser
As the panelists talked, we, the audience communicated in our own way, through “dms” and emojis. As the panelists discussed and described their upcoming and recent projects, I saw the continued hopes and dreams of the Black creative and the Black creative society at large as we applauded their achievements.
It was awesome.
Reflecting, the Pandemic created a new lane for Black creatives and as comic cons are still the virtual go to spot for that nostalgic feeling of comic con glory, we continue to be these virtual travelers, roaming the digital universe, searching for that divine feeling of Comic-Con comfort that a physical comic con once brought to our lives. Virtuous Con was just as close to the real thing, if not one of the top five indie virtual cons I’ve been to for this year.
Floor Layout
Observing this two-day event, I was amazed by the layout and design. With over 5+ floors of virtual waiting rooms, and an online store, the team thought about every detail of the event and provided us a virtual habitat to engage with other members of the con community in between panels. Navigating 2021, under new leadership, a vaccine rollout, and a possible return to normalcy, I’m very excited to know that there are still great people out there holding it down for the Black Comic Con-Virtual Space….
Thanks Cerece!!!
Joseph Watkins: Da Watcher
Virtuous Con was indeed a blast, filled with wonder and excitement and, of course, provided the Black pop culture experience in a whole new way. Armed with some amazing talent in the creative spectrum, this new wave of creative champions are laying the groundwork for new avenues in the industry.
As I journeyed in and out of the panels, between the famed Dwayne McDuffie Room and Octavia Butler Room, Cerece did these elders proud as she held them, as well as the panelist of creatives to high standards. Although, I only had one day [Saturday] to really enjoy myself; I’m happy I came to this event.
Armed with my debit card and with a few clicks of my computer, I made this experience one for the ages.
Deconstructing Black Pop Culture…
My first foray into this con was met by Fanboy Fighter Frankey Smith of Let’s Be Frank on YouTube, with James Boyce aka. GrandMaster Faqs. Their topic, Black People Breaking Archtypes in the Nerd Space was an amazing experience as they discussed how various actors and actresses of the Black diaspora are shedding the stereotypical movie roles of the past and showing the world that African Americans are destined for greater things in the media spectrum.
I do need to stop and talk about Black pop-culture’s newest sensation: Frankey Smith. There’s something about her as she’s taking the social media industry by storm, deconstructing pop culture’s microaggressions and highlighting them for what they really are. Ranging for feminism, classism, racism and any other “ism” there is, she’s the Angela Davis of Black Pop-Culture. Her deconstructionist approach to pop culture is what both amazes me and draws me to her channel, over and over again. If you haven’t had the opportunity to, visit her.….She’s Amazing.
Nubia Becometh
Next, I journeyed to the land of DC as I was able to watch some great artists discuss their upcoming work on the revival and re-introduction of Nubia. Moderated by Karama Horne, the creatives were L.L. McKinney, Robyn Smith, and Alitha Martinez.
Nubia’s Back: A Convo with DC Storytellers who Bought Back Wonder Woman’s Sister: Karama Horne, L.L. McKinney, Robyn Smith, Alitha Martinez
They discussed their creative work on the famed Black twin sister of the DC heroine, Wonder Woman, and as they talked, you could see that these wonderful women put their heart, soul and “sweat equity” into their profession and projects as their creativity lead to the re-imagining of a fantastic character with a great storyline to match. I was so enamored by their dedication to their projects, I bought both: Nubia: Real One and Immortal Wonder Woman #1 and #2. I also asked if their would be a possible movie and the response was real as can be…..see below.
Definitely looking forward to the continued adventures and success of Nubia L’Shae Johnson for months to come.
Abrams Megascope
Diversity in Graphic Novels: Introducing the Abrams Megascope Book Line: John Jennings, Chuck Collins, Daniel Jose’ Older, Jaz Joyner and Maxwell Duncan.
Professor, illustrator, author, creative extraordinaire, John Jennings moderated the Diversity in Graphic Novels Panel with fellow creatives, Chuck Collins, Daniel Jose’ Older, Jaz Joyner, and Maxwell Duncan as they discussed their Label, Abrams Books: Megascope, a line of graphic novels dedicated to showcasing speculative and non-fiction works by and about people of color, with a focus on science fiction, fantasy, horror, and history. Each panel member were God Creatives in their own world as they discussed their upcoming works and past achievements.
Chuck Collins – Creator of Bounce! The Graphic Novel Series and Art Director of the Animated Short for the Netflix Documentary, Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell.
Daniel Jose’ Oliver – Lead story architect for Star Wars: The High Republic and New York Times Bestselling Author and former NYC Paramedic.
Jaz Joyner – Writer, Assistant Editor for Megascope and Surley Books, a new line of graphic novels celebrating queer stories. She’s also the host of The Black Bibliophile Podcast.
(Baba Malik Duncan) Maxwell Duncan – Co-writer for the Book, Death’s Day., featuring Daniel José Older with art by Chuck Collins.
I was so in love with this panel I immediately bought After The Rain, their first title of their new imprint. “After the Rain,” an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s short story “On the Road”, was created by writer John Jennings and artist David Brame.Had to pick it up to show support.
Black Publishers, Black Creativity, F.U.B.U. …..Respect!!!
Cerece’s Virtuous con was very organized, delightful, and full of surprises. As Black creatives discussed the industry and engaged with the audience, I felt that this event was the seed for the imagination of numerous Black and Brown kids who want to be Black creatives and may have had a hard time finding people who look like them in the field. This event solved the issue.
The fact that DC Comics also sponsored the event gives me hope that at least one of the major comic book publishing companies is recognizing the creative talents of the Black Diaspora and making steps to highlight us within the industry as a whole. DC, I salute you as well….
But Virtuous Con and its success belongs to Cerece and the staff that helped run it.
Well Earned and Deserved Praise for this Event.
She and her crew has, hands down, created a fantastic weekend full of panels and fan meet-ups and I’m glad that I was able to attend.
This con encompassed some of the greats and introduced us to some newcomers in the industry, from print to media, and I was able to interact, learn and gain some valuable insight into the Black side of the media business. While the best part of the event, to me, was when I was able to ask my question about Nubia to the world famous Blerdgurl and get a lively response….I can’t wait to see what this event will look like live….
Looking forward to next year in a, hopefully, more social interactive setting.
