With a name like Kelly’s, you know this place is going to pull out the stops on St. Patrick’s Day. Take it from a guy with the last name of Leary. If green beer, green gear and green cabbage to go with your corned beef is what you want shaking your shamrock, along with plenty of loud, raucous music, you’ll want to head out to Kelly’s Irish , 2222 E. 53rd, which will once again, be hosting the largest St. Patrick’s party in the Quad Cities! Friday, March 17th and Saturday, March 18th. As always, no cover, all ages and thousands of your closest friends. Here is the schedule of events: FRIDAY,... Read More

As a fire-and-brimstone preacher delivered a fiery oratory about comics fans courting hell and the devil on one floor of Davenport’s Hotel Davenport and Conference Center Sunday afternoon, far more pleasant and happy people chatted about other fantastic scenarios on the floor below as the annual Q-C Fun Con drew several hundred people to the venue for a great time. Comics exhibitors watched as fans filed through boxes upon boxes of golden oldies issues. Artists and other creative types plied their vibrant wares to interested fans. Video games were played on the big screen, movies were screened,... Read More

This weekend, the Quad-Cities will be exploding with pulse-pounding action at the QC Fun Con, the latest convention and celebration of superhero culture in the area. Every year, the popularity of comics and related genres of action, adventure and science-fiction is increasing locally. But what is the radioactive burst of energy that’s giving the popularity of these things such incredible super powers? I asked a few local luminaries in the field of comics to provide their explanations for it. Most pointed to movies and their huge success. Some said it was something bigger, a longing for heroes.... Read More

As the Quad-Cities braces for another pulse-pounding, explosive comics blowout sale and event at Tim’s Corner, 2963 14th Ave., Rock Island, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 16,  theaters in the area are already bursting with the powerful onslaught of comic books being brought to celluloid life, much to the joy of thousands of film fans. But what does the cinematic trend mean to local comics retailers, can it continue, and why have comics, once on the fringe as cult entertainment, become so mainstream? “(Comics movies have) action, romance, explosions…everything that makes up a great... Read More

From graphic novels to graphic discussions of superhero dating practices, the Quad-Cities Planet Con played to a full house of fans of all ages Sunday at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Rock Island. Once again, Mellow Blue Planet hosted the 7th Annual event, a favorite meeting ground for creators, dealers, vendors, cosplayers and fans in the Q-C area and organizer, and Mellow Blue Planet shop owner Tim Johnson was thrilled with the turnout. “I’m extremely happy with the event this year,” Johnson said. “Attendance is about 600, which is up about 50 from last year, and every year it’s... Read More

The Quad-Cities Planet Con is touching down again this weekend. Mellow Blue Planet will host the 7th Annual event, a favorite meeting ground for Creators, Dealers, Vendors, Cosplay, and Fans in the QC area, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Holiday Inn Convention Center, 226 17th St., Rock Island. It’s $3 admission, although $1 off coupons are available at Mellow Blue Planet, 2212 5th Ave., Rock Island Q&A panels start during the morning hours and include: 11a.m. – “Turn Your Passions into a Business” 12p.m. – “Horror Comic Books: From the Page to the Silver... Read More