Jerry Laso

Staff Writer

Mutants, Pokemon, and Power Rangers oh my! Florida SuperCon 2013 took Miami by storm this weekend with four days dedicated to every possible totem of nerdom. As a card-carrying nerd myself, I was right at home among the stacks of comic books, video games, and kids in outlandish costumes.

The convention featured some real icons this year, including Lt. Sulu (George Takei), Kevin Smith (of Clerks and Silent Bob-fame), and Laurie Holden (who played Andrea on AMC’s The Walking Dead).

The convention also featured some of the best known names in comic book artistry, cartoon voices, and wrestling.

But perhaps the best part of this year’s convention was the inclusion of three original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers!

Jason David Frank, arguably the most important and recognizable figure in geekdom to come out of the 90s, was a headliner at the Con.

Frank, who played Tommy Oliver (the Green and White Ranger), did a real fun and informative 50 minute Q&A session that revealed a lot of cool stuff about him and the show.

For example, he was never supposed be the leader on the show. It just happened because of what he attributes to being “passionate about something.” Interestingly, he also said that the show was originally titled “Phantoms”.

The biggest take away from his session was just how devoted he is to the fanbase.

He is as loyal to the fans as they are to him. He continues to be an active and accessible part of the franchise because he knows that he still holds a special place in the hearts and minds of those he has inspired.

SuperCon also featured a lively Q&A with the original Black and Blue Rangers. Walter E. Jones (Zak Taylor) and David Yost (Billy Cranston) have proven to be good stewards of the Power Rangers franchise.

At this session, they discussed everything from Zak’s hip-hop karate dancing, to the difficulty of Billy’s intellectual jargon, to pranks on set (Tommy fed Billy a fly once!). It was a funny and remarkably intimate time that left no question unanswered.

As one fan put it, young kids have to observe heroism in order to grow into it. For the kids and the kids at heart who met their heroes this weekend, SuperCon is always a special treat when it rolls into town.

Miami isn’t typically known for its mighty nerd culture; but judging from the wrap-around lines to get in every day, I’d say that we nerds are a force to be reckoned with.

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