Archon Is Your Con

Ready that elven finery and set phasers on stun: Archon, St. Louis' massive science-fiction and fantasy convention, enters our atmosphere for the 36th time Friday through Sunday (October 12 through 14) at the Collinsville Gateway Center (1 Gateway Center Drive, Collinsville, Illinois; www.archonstl.org). This year's event looks to be the best ever with enough gaming, cosplay and filking to satisfy even the most ardent of enthusiasts. Saturday boasts an ambitious program — this year's guest of honor, game developer and cryptography expert Elonka Dunin, hosts two panels, and Vixy and Tony, Seattle's Pegasus Award-winning filkers (singers of fan-made music with lyrics of a sci-fi/fantasy bent), perform live onstage. Best of all, none other than Gil Gerard, Captain William "Buck" Rogers of the cult-classic television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, makes a rare appearance here in the 21st century, answering your questions at 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets to Archon range from $8 to $65 depending on your age and the number of days you attend.
Oct. 12-14, 2012