In 2021, Margaret and myself went to Atlanta Comic Con. It was our first convention and it was an absolute blast. On our way back to Jasper that night, we decided to just dive into the deep end and go for the big one – Dragon Con.
The annual five-day convention, established in 1987, takes place within five host hotels and the America Mart in downtown Atlanta. It is first and foremost a celebration of diverse fan cultures. I can’t think of a single fandom that I didn’t see represented. While it can’t be done, I’m going to try to summarize and wrap up the past five days in this single column.
For me, I was thrilled to see so much representation from Star Trek. At every other convention I’ve been to, I’ve seen a grand total of three Trek cosplayers. Dragon Con, however, I fit right in with my ‘Next Generation’ era uniform.
Of course, Star Trek was far from the only or even prevalent cosplay seen. From obscure costumes like Colonel Sanders and Little Debbie to the more well known likes of Harley Quinn and Spider-Man, one could go hang out in downtown Atlanta on a Labor Day weekend and just enjoy the people watching.
Our journey began on Thursday as we headed to the Sheraton to pick up our badges and then just roam around to get the lay of the land. The first thing I noticed was just how big this convention is. Unlike others, such as the Atlanta and Alabama Comic Cons and Kami-Con in Birmingham, all of which take place within one contained convention center, Dragon Con fully takes over five massive hotels in Atlanta.
Within those hotels are celebrity Q&A sessions, fan panels, an art show, musical performances, parties and pretty much anything else you can think of. It’s easy to miss something you want to attend just because of the sheer scope of Dragon Con. Even having a schedule and sticking to it will not guarantee you make everything you want to see and do.
One of my favorite moments of any panel was when Supernatural’s Mark Sheppard, who once played the King of Hell Crowley in the CW series, decided to hop off stage and take over microphone responsibilities. At one point he was even seen holding someone’s baby in the crowd.
Another aspect of Dragon Con that Margaret especially became invested in was the ribbons.
I had heard about this before and even followed the topic on Facebook, but I was unprepared for just how prominent this thing is to the convention. I can’t do it justice here in this format, but ribbon collecting basically consists of fans and attendees printing out ribbons that they then trade and give away.
She attended a meeting/panel with the Loyal Order of the Ribbon and learned all about it. It’s a fascinating and fun part of the convention that we are definitely taking part in next year.
Getting home on Monday, I learned the meaning of the phrase “post con drop.” It was literally non-stop for nearly five days. As I sat down staring at my living room wall, I missed the natural high brought on by a constant sensory overload. It truly was an amazing experience that I look forward to repeating next year.
As I said earlier, it is impossible to do Dragon Con justice in this one-off kind of format. I could literally write a column per day for a week and then maybe cover everything there is to talk about from this glorious, nerdy spectacle.
If you’ve never heard of it, or you have and have never been, tickets are on sale now for next year’s event. (We are buying ours for next year on Friday!) I can’t recommend enough to go check it out and experience it for yourself.
Just be sure to wear walking shoes. Your cosplay will forgive you.
More Photos:
