On the last Saturday in June and first day of a NYC heatwave, the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza was host to the Women in Comics Con or WinC. This was its first year in Brooklyn but this free con has for four years showcased women creators in multiple disciplines and genres.

I was pulling multiple duties working to cover the panels, check out the vendors, one came all the way from California, and being a guest co-host on the livestream broadcast of Musical Pathways show. We spoke with any creators we could pull into the room.

Now you might be asking, as a guy why should I care? The answer is because theses creators, who just happen to be women are talented, and have ideas that transcend the page or screen. This con is called Women in Comics, but it is a massively inclusive event that works to bring fans together, whatever your gender, sexual orientation, or race.

With panels like “Feminism and Fandom” they discussed the issues that women face trying to simply have fun in their respective geekery. What made this panel a gateway was they didn’t just talk about the toxic elements in fandom, they gave solid suggestions on how to bring folks in without poisoning their love of the genre. Comic writer Vita Ayala put it best “Make friends and don’t be a dick!”

There were other panels and workshops that discussed how pros got their start, planning grassroots conventions, portfolio reviews, mental health in fandom and a lightsaber demonstration from the Rouge Alliance.

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