Inside Awesome Con 2016

Washington, D.C.’s very own comic book themed convention, Awesome Con, has lived up to its expectations and is transiting from a niche gathering of nerds into an established brand.

Comic book conventions are usually known for taking place in major market cities like San Diego, New York City, and Chicago, but nothing had existed in the D.C, area until Ben Penrod and his colleagues at Third Eye Comics decided to take the initiative and created Awesome Con back in 2013.

For Awesome Con 2014, Penrod and company wanted to move away from corporate influence so they launched a Kickstarter to crowdsource $50,000 to stage the event in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The team reached their Kickstarter goal with a surplus of $6,248, and ever since the three-day event about comics, television and film, and gaming has become its own little phenomena in D.C.

This year’s convention had an emphasis on diversity in nerd culture. There were panels and art exhibitions representing women, the disabled, minorities and LGBTQ community members in the entertainment industry. Oddly enough, the event also included a sci-fi speed dating session for both LGBT and straight geeks. Diversity in talent was also present in the annual comic fest from amateur artists to the seasoned cartoonists.

When asked what he wanted to see more of in comic books, Philip Jean-Pierre, a black freelance graphic designer, expressed a need for diversity.

“Diversity,” Jean-Pierre said. “And I don’t just mean in characters. I mean in creators, product, stories that are not cliched in regards to their tropes of good versus evil, but more in the line of characters versus characters.”

As always, Awesome Con evokes a sense of acceptance. Thousands of fans from different backgrounds and figures cosplayed — the act of costume playing — as characters from various comics, films, anime and video games. From the authentic looking Spider-Man to the bearded man posing as a Sailor Scout, everyone there felt comfort in customs without fear of harassment or name-calling.

One of the biggest attractions this year were the gaming consoles that allowed adults to relive classic games like Super Mario Bros. 3 on the Nintendo Entertainment System and young fans to enjoy modern games like Super Rocket League on the PlayStation 4. The convention featured a live action R3-D3, a Star Wars droid to excite the crowd. At one point, a woman who was cosplaying as the latest edition of Harley Quinn hopped on the robot and straddled it as she played Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”

Awesome Con is the place where fans can stay connected and informed by celebrities. Nerdist host Jessica Chobot and G4TV’s former vice president of production Erika Lewis debuted their upcoming comic called Firebrand.

Actor Ron Perlman, best known for his roles in Hellboy, Pacific Rim and Sons of Anarchy, gave the audience an update after fans petitioned 20th Century Fox to give Perlman the role of Cable in the imminent Deadpool sequel.

“They have taken notice of all of this activity,” Perlman said as the crowd cheered. “They love this enthusiasm. They love me for the role, but that doesn’t mean they’ll just give it to me. There are going to be months and months before they finalize the script for it.”

With sincere appreciation in his voice he said, “I’m being considered thanks to you all.”