AwesomeCon DC: Year One

by Samantha Tynes 

For a con in it’s first year, the amount of attendees at AwesomeCon was surprising. The convention center was packed full of people milling about, socializing and chatting on staircases and in corners, taking pictures of their favorite cosplayers and generally enjoying the casual atmosphere. Everyone was friendly, and you could feel the excitement for DC’s very own comic-centric con.

A booth can be a thing of beauty in and of itself.
(photo by thisisbossi)

Admission lines were long, curling their way down the hall, stairs, and back around before finally reaching the end. I planned ahead and purchased my ticket online (a fantastic idea). One of the line wranglers pointed me in the right direction and I said goodbye to my companion as he began the trek to the end of the sale line. It took only me a few minutes in the will-call line before I was on my way to enjoy the con with my wristband and bag of swag. 


AwesomeCon did have the same problem that many other conventions of their size encounter - not enough space in the panel rooms. I knew there was no hope in getting into one of the bigger name stars’ Q&A sessions; people had been waiting in line for the hour before with no guaranteed entry.


I thought the costume contest would be easier (Silly me). The hall outside the judging room was packed with people waiting for the contestants to exit for their own mini-parade. I should not have been surprised with the popularity of the costume contest with the sheer amount of cosplayers and the extraordinarily high quality of many costumes. Almost every incarnation of Deadpool made an appearance, as well as the cast of Adventure Time (with Finns and Fionnas). Regal Time Lords and baby Daleks roamed the halls, and even a giant Space Marine and his bolter.

Need a costume? Why not Zoidberg?
(photo by thisisbossi)

I did manage to squeeze my way into Super Art Fight late in the afternoon. If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, I highly recommend them (like at the Black Cat this June). It’s an entertaining hour and change of watching talented artists battle each other on a giant piece of paper while the crowd cheers and jeers them on. Keeping in theme with the weekend, each artist begun with a starting superhero theme, such as X-Men vs. the Avengers and Harry Potter vs. Doctor Who. The trick was incorporating the new themes that got thrown out by the Wheel of Death.

(special thanks to thisisbossi)

Although the convention focused on comics, the board game room was a popular destination. Every table was full with demos, competitions, and gamers trying out their new vendor room purchases.

Oh right. The vendor room.

The vendor room was filled most of the day, and with good reason. It was an incredible, magical space completely packed from end to end with boxes and boxes of comics and graphic novels, tables covered in art and collectibles, and walls and shelves filled with general fandom goodies. Almost every comic vendor had things on sale and special deals for their comics.

AwesomeCon came together beautifully. The staff was, well, awesome. They were friendly and knowledgeable about where things were and the best way to make your way across the center to find what you wanted. The panels and events they had were interesting, the guests people were excited to see, and I’m looking forward to next year. Overall, a highly successful first year con - no mean feat.