Joe Paz horror host gives kids a taste of what Frank N'Con has to offer. (Jesus Garcia/Borderzine.com)

New sci-fi/horror convention promises to haunt and thrill the borderland

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EL PASO – A convention of ghosts and ghost-busters alike will gather here in the shadow of the Franklin Mountains this Halloween hoping to draw science fiction and horror fanatics from all over the southwest. The first ever Frank N’Con convention will descend on the hotel Wyndham El Paso Airport at 2027 Airway Blvd on October 29th-30th. The haunting event will feature big names from the twilight zone of horror and science fiction such as Ernie Hudson who was best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters movies. Convention chairman and founder Sal Arrellano says he expects some 3,000 people to attend the event. Convention organizer and filmmaker Dakota Thomas said that Frank N’ Con can be a new hub for sci-fi enthusiasts throughout the southwest.

Imperial Valley’s cosplaying blacksmith heads to Comic-Con

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MEXICALI, Mexico–When the sun rises Edgar Mayoral’s hammer strikes the iron on the anvil, creating an ear-piercing clanging sound that resonates throughout the neighborhood in this border city. The 23-year-old El Centro, Calif. resident has a talent to shape cold, lifeless sheets of iron into fantastical and vibrant wearable armor that would make you believe Mayoral has been transformed into a live-action Japanese anime character. A skill that cosplayers—short for “costume play”—and non-cosplayers alike marvel at. “This character has a higher fan base in Mexico than in the U.S.,” says Jerry Travis, 21, an anime scholar from Brawley, Calif.