Photo : Black Panther ( Disney, Marvel Studios )

This summer, a Black Panther-inspired convention called Wakandacon is coming to Chicago, with a press release calling it “a first of its kind” event that will celebrate “Afro-futurism, tech, and entertainment” as well as “black superheroes in film, gaming, television, and comic books.” The convention was founded by Chicago residents David, Ali, and Matt Barthwell, along with producers Lisa Beasley and Taylor Witten. (Ali is also an A.V. Club contributor.) The organizers say in a statement that they “wanted a space to gather and talk about everything African-Americans are passionate about” after they saw Black Panther, adding that Wakandacon will be “for black people to look past the present and into our future.”


The press release says the con will feature “educational and entertaining programming” as well as “a marketplace for African-American small business owners”—though it doesn’t sound like specifics have been announced yet. Wakandacon will be held at the Hilton Chicago from August 3 to August 5, and you can find more information at its official site.

Meanwhile, the town of Wauconda, Illinois, is probably either very frustrated that it’s missing out on some good Black Panther stuff or it’s excited that nobody is bothering it with more Black Panther stuff.


Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Ali Barthwell is a founder of WakandaCon, but failed to recognize that she is also an A.V. Club contributor. (You may recognize her name from her Rise and She’s Gotta Have It recaps for our TV Club section.) The post has been changed to reflect that fact. We regret the error.