by Emil Favila, Reporter

This weekend, myself and a few others at ComicsOnline, had the pleasure of attending Washington D.C’s 2^nd Annual Awesome Con.  This year’s convention was bigger, better, and extended to three days instead of two.  For those not familiar with the event, Awesome Con is Washington DC’s response to Wizard World where attendees are able to meet comic book writers and artists as well as celebrity media guests.  It is pretty cool to see celebrities like Sean Astin (LOTR, Rudy) and Billie Piper (Dr. Who, Penny Dreadful) who are a little more accessible here than the famous San Diego and New York Comic Cons.  Here is a quick roundup of this past Easter Weekend.

Friday (4/18) Day One

Friday may not have been the most exciting day, but it was the perfect day to attend if you wanted to avoid the chaos of getting your registration pass Saturday or Sunday.  None of the media guests were there Friday,  but a few of the major comic book writers and artists were.  Joe Harris (X-Files, Great Pacific) and Steve Niles (30 Days Of Night, Army Of Darkness) were in attendance as well as the legendary Joseph Rubinstein who inked a few of the classic Wolverine issues.  He actually inked the cover to my friend Ben Shaw and Mike Lunsford’s book, Ethan Stone P.I., Ben was one of the many local artists in attendance along with Steve Conley (Bloop) working to gain exposure for their creative titles.

They did have a few events panels such as “Positively Energizing Young People with Comic Books and Puppetry” and “Sci-Fi Speed Dating” which extended to all 3 days.

Saturday (4/19) Day Two

Saturday was definitely the day to be there if you had to pick one day to attend con.  While most media guests were in attendance for both Saturday and Sunday.  There were a few such as Dana Gurira (Walking Dead), Jewel Staite (Firefly, Serenity), J. August Richards (Angel, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), and of course Maurice Lamarche and Rob Paulsen (Pinky & The Brain) that were only appearing Saturday.

All of the comic and literary guests were there that were not there for Friday or Sunday (Easter).

There were a few panels that had a cut off point of how many people could attend.  The rooms were spacious but not big enough to accommodate the likes of Billie Piper and Dana Gurira.  For those who were not able to get in the Saturday panels for Billie Piper and Sean Astin, fans could attend the next day in the morning and early afternoons.   Last but not least, Awesome Con had their massive costume contest event.

For those who were interested in continuing the Awesome Con festivities Saturday night, Andrew W.K. headlined the Awesome Con-cert at the Black Cat in downtown Washington D.C.  His opening acts were Adam WarRock and Rare Candy who write video game inspired tunes.  If you have never seen Andrew W.K. live, it will likely be the most fun you have ever had at a rock show.

Sunday (4/20) Day Three

Sunday was the second least eventful day of the weekend as it was Easter.  The final day of any convention is when retailers are desperate to get rid of overstock which is no exception on this family holiday.  On any other weekend, most consumers would have considered this the day to go.  Unfortunately for retailers, not even the promise of cheaper sales could deter consumers away from their families.  This minor setback would only affect retailers and organizers of the con slightly as far as sales and attendance.

Sunday did have a few exclusive panels that Saturday did not have.  Such notable mentions are the Andrew W.K., Cary Elwes (Princess Bride), and Nicholas Brennan (Buffy) panels.  And some celebrities like Billie Piper, Sean Astin, and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), were happy to do a second panel for fans that missed them on Saturday.  Unfortunately, not all media guests would do a second panel for Sunday.  So if you missed the day before then you were out of luck.

Overview

Awesome Con is the perfect event to attend if you are new to the whole comic book world experience.  It’s not too small like some of the local conventions you see at hotels and college universities.  At the same time, it’s not too overwhelming such as New York and San Diego.  And if you live in the District, the convention is only a metro stop away.  There are people in cosplay, items to buy, and you have the chance to meet your favorite writers, artists, and media celebrities on a much smaller and accessible scale.  There is just enough going on and the price of admission is right for even a newbie to attend out of curiosity.  Awesome Con is bigger and better this year and I one can imagine it will get bigger for years to come.  If you have a chance to attend even for one day.  I recommend checking out Awesome Con in 2015!

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Awesome Con 5 out of 5 Zombies

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