From Gruesome to Galactic

There’s a moment in the now-defunct comedy series Party Down where nerdy screenwriter Roman corrects an adult film actress about her supposed interest in science fiction: “Dragons are fantasy…I’m into hard sci-fi.” And hard sci-fi we shall find at Contamination 3D, St. Louis’ inaugural pop-culture convention. Finally horror fanatics, comic-book enthusiasts, tech geeks and sci-fi aficionados can rejoice under one roof as the likes of Peter Mayhew (a.k.a. Chewbacca), porn legend Ron Jeremy and other cult celebrities grace the convention floor of the Renaissance Hotel (9801 Natural Bridge Road, Berkeley; 314-429-1100). In addition to a panel of artists and writers, fantasy author Shane Moore will unveil his latest masterpiece, The Apocalypse of Enoch; a twisted tale about the end of days and life during the zombie apocalypse. The con kicks off Friday at 4 p.m. and continues through Sunday, and it's packed to the guilds with a filmmakers' showcase and vendors from across the nation. Tickets are $5 to $140; for more information, visit www.con-tamination.com.
June 16-18, 2012