Originally posted on WilliamBruceWest.com
This past Saturday, I attended the 3rd annual Awesome Con in Washington, DC. I’d actually never been to the show in previous years, though I was aware of it. I kinda hated the name, plus I felt like Baltimore and New York Comic-Con were superior to it, so I spent my time and money going to them instead. This year, however, I’m going to be missing both of those shows due to weddings, so I figured it was time to see what Awesome Con was all about. My verdict? It’s a pretty good show.
The layout, vendor selection, and guest list were reminiscent of Wizard World Richmond, which I attended last Fall. This show, however, seemed to have more vendors and bigger guests. While Wizard World Richmond had one Power Ranger (albeit arguably the greatest Ranger of all time), this show had four former Rangers. Plus, this show had marquee guests like William Shatner, George Takei, Sean Astin, and more. Still, you also had your sci fi cult stars like Dina Meyer, Casper Van Dien, James Marsters, and some of the Comic Book Men. So, there was something for everyone.
As for vendor selection, most of the local comic shops were represented, as well as a few out of town shops – which certainly wasn’t the case for WW Richmond, which had about 3 comic vendors. While there didn’t seem to be a lot of current books up for sale, you could grab anything from discounted trade paperbacks to chainmail Jayne hats from Firefly. The show was very well-attended, but not overcrowded like NYCC and SDCC are these days. You could navigate freely without bumping into too many people. Like Wizard World, I still think the admission price was a bit steep; $42 for Saturday admission, compared to Baltimore Comic-Con’s $30. Since I didn’t buy a ton of stuff, I spent most of my time taking pictures.
For this post, instead of focusing on the plethora of Harley Quinns, Arrows, and Jokers that you always see at these shows, I thought I’d focus on the cosplay that featured women, minorities, crossplay (gender-switched cosplay), or was just something you just don’t see at every show. I was impressed by all of these costumes, and I hope you’ll enjoy taking a look at them.
Wasn’t that fun? At the end of the day, I had a great time, and I have to give Awesome Con the credit it deserves. Still hate the name, but I also hate clothes emblazoned with words to describe the wearer (you’re not a “Cutie Pie,” regardless of what that shirt says!). It just sounds so… grandiose, but you’ve gotta have goals, right? I know the Awesome Con brand got a bit tarnished when the Milwaukee edition was abruptly cancelled last year, but I think this show is on the road to being a force to be reckoned with. In the next few years, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marvel and DC had booth presences at the show. All I know is that I’ll definitely be checking it out next year.
Oh wow, a lot of these are really well done.
I’m particularly diggin both Batmen, Bob Ross,the Assassin’s Creed cosplayer, Xena, and Miles Morales.
Cool pics!
I went to AwesomeCon this past weekend, too. I had a great time and got to meet a lot of these cosplayers. These are some fantastic pictures.