Spring 2021 • Issue No. 9

It’s been a year. Can you believe? But we’re back with Issue 9 of the Pop Insider.

2020 was certainly a time we will never forget, no matter how much we might want to. Every day seemed to bring more bad news, loss, unrest, isolation, restrictions, and closures. And while 2021 still poses some of the same issues, we finally have something we barely got to glimpse at in 2020: hope.

Vaccines are rolling out, businesses are starting to safely reopen, and — on the East Coast — our cold little hearts are beginning to thaw as the weather finally starts to warm up. Some of the biggest cons are still canceled, and the hugs we’ve been longing for will have to wait just a little bit longer; but for the first time in what feels like forever, we are actually on our way to the more social life we have all been longing for.

And we learned a lot on our way here, don’t you think? We learned how to be grateful, how to slow down, and how to find the joy in what we have. In more ways than one, entertainment got us through this pandemic. We bonded over shows and movies we were all watching together, whether they were old favorites or new obsessions. Our favorite characters gave us reasons to laugh, and the fandom community grew to new heights. We’re not unscathed by any means, but we’re getting through the madness together, and that’s cause for celebration.

At the Pop Insider, we’ve worked hard to get through the past year and keep you up to date on all your favorite cons, help you find the perfect gifts for the fans in your life, and continue to bring us all together, even when we’re all physically apart. This year was tough in so many ways, but fans are family, and we stick together.

We hope you enjoy this issue, and we cannot wait to see you again.