The Doors of Fandom

At media fan conventions, there's a tradition of decorating your hotel room door to reflect your interests. Here are photos of doors I've taken at cons over the years.

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Gondor

In addition to LOTR, there's flyers for Combat! and Elden Rings zines.

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Leah Rosenthal, right, with her wife Ann Wortham

In Memoriam: Leah Rosenthal

Very sad to hear that long time fan artist Leah Rosenthal passed away. Annie has a GoFundMe to help with final expenses.

Donate to Leah Rosenthal Final Expenses and to Help Annie, organized by Ann Wortham

Hi, my name is Ann Wortham, often called Annie. My beloved wife and partne… Ann Wortham needs your support for Leah Rosenthal Final Expenses

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In Memoriam: Jo Ann McCoy

I just heard from a friend that longtime fan Jo Ann McCoy passed away on December 9, 2021. She was 78.

Her friend said this:

Jo Ann was one of my first friends in fandom. We met in a registration line at a Chicago-area convention over thirty years ago. She was kind, welcoming and generous. She immediately drew me into the fold and shared her huge collection of zines with me. At that time her main fandoms appeared to be Pros, Blake’s 7 and Harry and Johnny (so obscure I’m not sure I ever figured it out). But given Jo Ann’s eclectic tastes, I wouldn’t swear to those three. Over the years we shared many good times at conventions throughout the eastern United States; in particular, at MediaWest. Especially memorable were our annual DOB dinners in Lansing. Jo Ann was a prolific writer and zine publisher. She was active in The Professionals circulating library. She was one of the organizers of Mountain Media Con in Colorado. Jo Ann had dozens of fur kids over the years. She trained her brood of papillons and competed with them in agility trials. She and her husband were known for adopting stray mutts they came across and the occasional cat. A mutual friend of ours knit fannish-themed hats and sweaters. When she’d ask for suggestions for motifs, Jo Ann would inevitably answer, “Horses are good.” She owned horses and rode them on her property in Pueblo. Her ashes will be scattered in one of those pastures. Jo Ann was a special individual, both passionate and compassionate. As her health deteriorated, she faced each challenge with courage and dignity. Not that she wasn’t worn down at times by her many issues, but she’d always pick herself back up and forge on. I don’t know what the other side offers, but I hope there was a crowd of friends, two-legged and four, to welcome her into a new band of fellowship .

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Your brain on Harrison Ford

A Harrison Ford door. From MediaWest in the 1990s, I think. Sometime before I got a digital camera. 

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Grimm

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Dexter’s List

Includes The Joker, the Master, and Supreme Commander Servalan.

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Kevin Tod Smith door

“Tribute to the Man, Actor, Loving Father, & Ares, GOD of War.”

This was the first MediaWest after Kevin Smith’s untimely passing.

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William Shatner’s Hair Club For Men

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Steele Crazy after all these years...

A Remington Steele door. MediaWest, 2002.

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Time Traveller’s Annual Convention

Featuring The Doctor, Sam Beckett, Hermione Granger, Spock, and others.

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A Tribute to “Second Bananas”

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NCIS land

This door is decorated to look like a Candyland-type game with a NCIS theme.

It won “Best In Show” at MediaWest in 2014.

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Duck

“Dear rebels: Duck.”

Possibly one of the Star Wars roleplayers who roamed the halls shooting at each other.  

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Traveler

This door features Traveler, Blake’s 7, and some NFL and MLB.

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Homage...

“...to the Brainfarted Writer and Artist.”

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Not the door you’re looking for...

A Star Wars door...sort of.

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RIP, MediaWest*Con

The courtyard of the new-old MediaWest hotel over the years.  

For the first time in almost 40 years, there’s no MediaWest*Con this Memorial Day Weekend.  Looks like the 38th MediaWest*Con in 2019 will be the last one.

The end of an era.