Dragon Con 2011 Report & Photos

Posted on Sep 15 2011 - 3:54pm by aBrestHolecek444

Michael ‘MPsy’ here…

This year this writer was lucky enough to head out to the east coast for one of the world’s largest around the clock costume parties known as Dragon*Con. Taking place over labor day weekend I would describe my time in Atlanta as a booze fueled (mainly Yuengling) adventure of costumers galore, shuffling from dusk till dawn, powered by a few hours of sleep, and an adventure which I will not soon forget.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed during my time out in the ATL is seeing such a wide array of costumes and costumers all gathered in one place. Costumes from movies, television, comic books, video games, anime, literature, and more all partied side by side. And let’s not forget the awesome costuming groups who also made their presence known throughout the event such as the Mandalorian Mercs, the 501st, the Rebel Legion, the Georgia Ghostbusters, the steam powered Remnants, Avengers Assemble, and the Colonial Fleet just to name a few. A number of these groups appeared in the parade on Saturday which was quite a sight to see.

As a good friend of mine told me, San Diego Comic-Con was a convention where you met your favorite celebrities and Dragon Con was the convention where you partied with your favorite celebrities. The guests of honor this year included Terry Brooks (Shannara series and Magic Kingdom of Landover series), Richard Garfield (Creator of Magic the Gathering), and Michael Whelan (Illustrator specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art). Other guests who were also in attendance were Bruce Boxleitner (TRON and TRON: Legacy), Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer andCriminal Minds), Felica Day (The Guild and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog), Elvira (Elvira’s Movie Macabreand Elvira’s Haunted Hills), Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street and Green Lantern: The Animated Series), Tom Felton (Harry Potter and Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Carrie Fisher (Star Wars and Weeds), Doc Hammer (Venture Bros. and Rub), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica and Dark Blue), Stan Lee (Spider-Man and X-Men), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future andThe Addams Family), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Torchwood), Peter Mayhew (Star Warsand Terror), Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who), Temuera Morrison (Star Wars and Spartacus), Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica and Blade Runner),William Shatner (Star Trek and $#*! My Day Says) and Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation and Fresh Hell) just to name a few. The concert list itself was also quite impressive with Abney Park, Ayria,Frenchy and the Punk, the Hellblinki Sextet, Jefferson Starship, the Peculiar Pretzelmen, and Voltaire were just some of the performers holding concerts at D*Con.

For you film buffs out there Dragon*Con also offers an Independent Short Film Festival which categories include fantasy, science fiction, drama, horror, horror comedy, comedy, thriller, music video, animated comedy, animated fantasy, and animated drama.

Maybe your taste in convention activities lend more towards attending panels and if that’s the case you had quite a number to choose from such as the Doctor Who New Series Review, the Back to the Future Q & A with the cast, Creating a Web Series with Felicia Day, the Venture Bros. Panel, the Star Wars: Clone Wars Panel, and the Steampunk Exhibition. These are just a small handful of panels listed in the separate (and pretty thick) programming guide were offered once I got my badge. As this was my first trip out to Dragon*Con and it felt like I only skimmed the bare surface of this four day convention. And now I’m already making plans for next year’s Dragon*Con.