Awesome Con, Awesome Time

Three years ago a new convention emerged in the Washington DC area, going by the name of Awesome Con. Moving its boisterous title aside for a second, I'll admit to having wanted to attend this show since its humble(ish) beginnings. While none of these factors definitively make a con experience for me per-se, it was tempting to see another event being held at a relatively local venue, that was exceptionally cosmopolitan (in regards to the types of fans it attracted) and had a low/affordable cost of entry. Despite my desire to attend though, I've always had several other cons on my schedule, which made trying to fit Awesome Con in a bit of a hassle. For these past three years I had to sit back and wonder to myself if this premier gathering was as amazing as some past patrons have claimed it to be.

Thankfully my long wait to be a part of Awesome Con has finally ended, as of June 5, 2016 I got to attend, but only for the day.

Regardless of my brief stay, I feel I can confidently state that Awesome con is every bit as awesome as the moniker implies, and oddly enough, the moment I knew I was truly in for something special was when I got in the "registration line." I put quotations around those words, because there essentially wasn't a line to speak of there. In all of my years/travels with conventions, this was perhaps the most efficient registration process I've ever been through. Within five minutes I had my badge, and three of those five minutes were spent filling out the appropriate papers. Never mind that I was an at-door purchase, as opposed to the pre-reg attendees whose line moved even faster.

I know that a simple experience such as going through a registration line isn't exactly indicative of what a convention can honestly offer, but this was certainly one hell of a first impression. Far too often I hear wait times in lines as the consistent complaint when it comes to anyone being at a convention of any type. I understand that every convention out there has its own set of troubles, and that some things are easier said than done, but there have been so many occasions where I've even found myself in a slog of a line that really did taint my overall enjoyment of a show. No one likes to wait for hours on end for pretty much anything, and when you've sometimes got to do it in a sweltering summer sun, the inconvenience of it all can add up to a very bad time. Thus, the level of organization Awesome Con exuded on this one aspect alone was nothing short of invigorating to someone like me. If more conventions possessed even half of Awesome Con's performance here, I can say assuredly that at least a third of con-goers would have one major complaint completely wiped.

A Certain Sheild

Life-Goal Achieved!

One of my first encounters of the con was the Hall of Heroes: Super Hero Museum. I'll be frank and say these guys were the real deal, and had some serious chops when it came to their display. From Iron Man's destroyed car from the first film, to Adam West's actual Batman costume, to nearly countless issues of comics and toys, every bit of super hero history in the media they could get their hands on was beautifully displayed.

As great as all that was, the one item there that truly got my attention was none other than the actual shield of Captain America from Captain America: The First Avenger, autographed by the entire cast of the movie for proof of authenticity. While I've never explicitly stated it here on the blog before now, I'm a bit of a Cap fan, as I've absolutely loved all of his films in the Marvel cinematic universe.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for the classic pulp-storytelling method.

Moving on, I had an opportunity to snap some photos of the shield, and (for a few minutes) got to legitimately hold it! It's almost needless to say, but it was like a dream come true to strap on the shield, puff out my chest, and stand next to Iron Man.

I think I honestly reverted back to a ten year old mentality, as the second I had it fully on my arm I immediately wanted to start running around with it. The weight of the shield, while notable, didn't hinder my ability to move around, and for a minute made me feel like the power of justice and freedom itself was coursing through my very veins.

Then I had to give it back.... and return once more to reality.

All the same, it was still pretty damn incredible to be able to hold the shield, and in a sense, hold a one of a kind piece of cinematic/super hero history in my hands. My hat also goes off to the gentleman who was kind enough to help take the pictures you see here to commemorate the momentous occasion. This will certainly be something I'll never forget, at least unitl I develop Alzheimer's disease.

Just to show it's legit.

This proud geek moment brought to you now in full color!

Celebrity Encounters

The legendary Ron Simmons... Damn!

Another thing that happened was some of my (albeit brief) run-ins with a few of my more favorite celebrity figures who were guests at the convention. Getting to talk with the likes of Ron Perlman, Karl Urban, Michael Rooker, Peter Capaldi, Summer Glau, Grey Delisle, and Charles Martinet was right up there for me with holding Cap's shield for five minutes. Think about it, I got to shake Hellboy's hand, fist bump Dr. Leonard McCoy, hug River Tam, whistle with Yondu, high-five Super Mario, and joke with The Doctor.

That isn't even considering that when I met Ron Perlman, I also got to (very quickly as he was en route to a panel) show him my artwork. While I can say that he's a very dry (and blunt) voiced man, he complimented my art, and even said he'd love to have something from me! I also got to meet the one and only Ron Simmons (Farooq to some wrestling fans out there) and even got to hold his WCW World Heavyweight Championship Title. As a wrestling fan growing up, he was always one of my more favorite performers, and getting to finally meet him in person was outstanding. It's also endlessly hilarious to me that Mr. Simmons looks almost exactly like one of my best friends Joe Silver. 

Then there was my chat with Grey Delisle. For those who don't know, she's up there with the likes of Cree Summer and Tara Strong as being one of the most prolific female voice actors in the industry today. She provided the voice for the character Princess Azula from one of my all-time favorite shows (Avatar: The last Airbender) to the entire female cast of G.I. Joe: Resolute, so meeting her was kind of a big deal to me. We talked about her history in comedy, music, and voice acting, all of which culminated in a tight hug and a mutual appreciation for the audible arts.

Unfortunately I totally forgot to have my voice recorder handy with me to do any quick interviews (which Grey Delisle said she was more than willing to do) so I wasn't able to preserve any of the conversations I had. Regardless, it was nonetheless a stupendous series of encounters I got to have at the con. It isn't often these days that a convention actually has guests that I'd love to meet, let alone wait in line to talk to. Much to my chagrin though, a lot of these guests were charging for photos, except for Ron Simmons (hence the one picture) so I guess you guys just gotta take my word for it that I managed to meet some of these kick ass people.

Cosplay Chronicles

While I wasn't able to get as many photos as I would have like to for Awesome Con, the ones I did manage to get turned out plenty good enough. One of these days I swear I'm going to get a much better camera than what I currently own, til then we do have these pictures.

The Juggernaut

Judge Anderson

Fallout Survivor w/Dog

90's Rogue

Rose Quartz

Oolah

Sofia Sivan as Jessica Rabbit

Kit Candela's Red Sonja and co.

The Pink Ranger

Mystique

An awesome Elder Scrolls cosplay

A Jawa, because why not?

Nina rocking it as a Green Latern.

Hello ladies, it's the Old Spice guy.

Kaneda!

Rufio!

Blue Beetle and Booster Gold

Agent Carter

Come on Back Now

While my day was ultimately a short one at Awesome Con, it certainly was memorable. Seeing as how some conventions (such as Gencon) have been becoming more difficult in the recent years to attend, I feel this will make a more than adequate replacement. From the celebrities, to the Wild Bill's Olde Fashioned Soda that everyone was drinking there (myself included) Awesome Con gave me exactly what I wanted and more. Getting to explore the new D.C. Convention Center was pretty nice too, as it's where Otakon is moving to next year!

There was clearly more that Awesome Con had on offer, I simply just didn't have the time to experience it all. I know that some of the panels held were a blast from what I've heard, and the free arcade gaming was something I only got to quickly indulge, but the exhibitor's hall was more than enough to tide me over for the duration of my stay. Next year I'm without a doubt making it a point to be awesome!