September 6, 2012
While Dragon*Con has been going on for years and I have lived in the Atlanta area for just as long, this is the first year I have ever gone and it was a load of fun.
If you love pop culture, you’ll love Dragon*Con . There is a parade, panels of speakers on all kinds of books, TV movies, shopping and just about the best people watching ever.
Spotted these guys walking down the sidewalk. I have no idea what they are, but they look really neat. by Corinne Nicholson
I stood in a lot of lines Saturday and Sunday but didn’t mind a one. Well except for the one to get my badge, but that is just because I wanted to get started on my adventure and didn’t want to wait.
I had lots of panels I wanted to see, so that meant a lot of walking and getting in lines. But when in line, you make friends with those around you. People came from all over. I met people from Kentucky, Seattle, Denver and South Africa. And everyone said the same thing: They loved DragonCon and that Atlanta’s Southern hospitality was out in full force. The couple I met from Seattle said they prefer DragonCon to ComicCon because the people here are much nicer and it is not too big for its britches. It made me feel proud to live here when everyone said we were so nice and welcoming.
I went to panels with Adam Baldwin (super nice to all of the fans), voice actors from cartoons and video games like Futurama , Animaniacs and Street Fighter (very funny), “Battlestar Galactica” stars and “Walking Dead” stars. There were all great and I’m glad I was able to see them.
The shopping was almost overwhelming. There were whole ballrooms filled with vendors with T-shirts, books, comic books, toys, stickers, patches, costumes. Anything you could want was there. I went into a bit of sensory overload but I managed to pick up a bunch of bottle cap charms featuring Indiana Jones, Han Solo, Mal from “Firefly” and “Goonies” for a necklace.
The best thing about Dragon*Con is the people watching. It is simply amazing. There are people in costume everywhere. And some of them are very elaborate. They also aren’t limited to sci-fi or fantasy. If it is on TV, in movies, video games, books or on the radio, you can dress up as it. It is fun to hang out in the lobbies, courtyards, steps and sidewalks and just watch the fun walk by. I saw lots of characters from superhero movies, comics and TV shows and characters from “Hunger Games,” “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” and “Game of Thrones.” I also saw plenty of Muppets, video games characters, cartoons and zombies. Seriously you can go as almost anything.
And while you are people watching sometimes speakers from the panels will walk right by you. While sitting outside of a hotel waiting for friends, Steven Yuen who plays Glenn in “The Walking Dead” walked right past us. On Sunday, I spotted Lee Arenberg who plays Grumpy on “Once Upon a Time” and Pintel in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies as he walked past us in the Marriott lobby. After seeing Steven Yeun the day before, my friends and I spotted Grant Imahara from “Mythbusters” dressed as Glenn from “The Walking Dead.”
But the highlight of my Dragon*Con was spotting Aaron Douglas who plays Chief on “Battlestar Galactica” eating pizza in the corner of the Marriott lobby. He very graciously posed for a picture with us when he was done and was super nice.
I had so much fun at this Dragon*Con people watching and going to panels, I am definitely going back. And I think I’m even going to go in costume. I have a whole year to think about it.
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