Indiana Comic Convention 2026: "Deathstalker (1983)" & The Ray Bradbury Center

CatBusRuss concluded his first day at the Indiana Comic Convention with 20 3-Mile Island Wings at Hooters, so all would seem to be a success after a comedy of errors resulted in a late arrival to Indianapolis, failing to be in the right panel rooms at the right times, and enduring the original "Deathstalker". The crew from the Ray Bradbury Center at Indiana University Indianapolis and some pushing from a new friend made it all worthwhile.Our host was late to the con because he chose to try and see if he could make it "Deathstalker" week. He saw the second one at B-Fest this year and he had just watched the 2025 remake for the last episode of the podcast. Wanting to get a full eight hours of sleep (or the most he could get based on the whims of Eva the Queen Kitty), he did not pack his bag till the morning. As he was packing, and trying to forget about the poorly directed and overly rapey "Conan: The Barbarian" knock off, the thought dawned on him that he should break out the Captain N cosplay for at least one day.The wardrobe decision paid off for Russ because as he was trying to get an idea of what "Bootleg Safari" would be Saturday night from Effin' Birds creator Aaron Reynolds, he drew the attention of graphic novel writer Lan Pitts. Pitts felt he found a kindred spirit because of his eighties cartoon nostalgia and I Dig Crazy Flicks button that replaced "Dig" with the Cannon Group logo. A conversation would ensue about "Masters of the Universe", his latest novel "Beat Every 1-Up", and what is the sexuality of just being attracted to those who do not identify as men.From there he went and accidentally sat in on a very educational panel from Jason Aukerman of the Ray Bradbury Center about the history and need to resist censorship in arts. Russ's original plan was to check out one of the few older nostalgia panels at the con about THE "Star Trek Trilogy". It was probably for the best that he was not in a position to demand recognition for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" meaning they should be celebrating a quadrilogy.The serendipity of being in room 140 was that four more representatives of the Bradbury Center had three panels after Aukerman to check out. Russ only meant to stick around for two of them, a discussion about the history of fembots and an effort to shutdown those who say "Sinners" was no different than "From Dusk Till Dawn", but Kylie Adkins, Coye Lloyd, Christopher Adkins, and Andy Jorgenson were so inviting and friendly, he had to sit in on their queer legacy in video gaming panel.After this day, will Russ have the energy for the rest of the con? A good way to get that energy is to give a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough a try. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠