Conventions: Awesome Con D.C. 2015

Two  weeks  ago,  The  Walter  E.  Washington  Convention  Center  played  host  once  again  to  Awesome  Con!!!!!  I  was  alone  this  time  as  my  little  brother  decided  to  sit  this  one  out.  As  you  can  tell  by  the  photo  above,  it  was  held  at  the  bottom  of  the  convention  center.  EVERYONE  had  to  walk  all  the  way  down  just  to  get  there.  Tedious?  You  know  it,  but  one  of  the  upsides  was  that  the  weather  was  warmer  than  two  years  before.

I  was  there  on  Saturday,  again,  because  I  couldn’t  afford  to  be  there  for  the  whole  three-day  event.  It  would  be  nice  to  do  that,  but  money  doesn’t  grow  on  trees  (Wouldn’t  it  be  nice  if  it  did?).  As  usual,  I  attended  the  Pro-Wrestling  Panel  which  was  without  its  moderator  Joe  Carabeo  as  another  panel  he  was  doing  was  double-booked.  The  rowdy  panel  went  on  as  scheduled.  I  got  to  meet  George  Takei  (Star  Trek),  Ralph  Macchio  (The  Karate  Kid),  Townsend  Coleman  (Teenage  Mutant  Ninja  Turtles,  The  Tick),  C.  Martin  Croker  (Space  Ghost  Coast  To  Coast,  Cartoon  Planet)  and  Jess  Harnell  (Animaniacs,  The  Cleveland  Show)  and  Walter  Emmanuel  Jones  (Mighty  Morphin  Power  Rangers)  and  talked  with  them.  I  didn’t  get  any  photos  and  autographs  because  of  the  exorbitant  fees  that  were  requested.

I  met  cosplayer  YuffieBunny  and  took  a  photo  with  her!  Look  Below!

Here’s  another  cosplayer  named  Jennifer  Rose!

And  here’s  me  with  her!

Here’s  another  cosplayer  named  Ani-Mia!

And  here’s  me  with  her!

Visit  YuffieBunny,  Jennifer  Rose  and  Ani-Mia  on  Facebook.

Both  George  Takei  and  William  Shatner  were  there,  and  as  I  mentioned,  I  spoke  with  George  and  gave  him  my  condolences  for  Leonard  Nimoy  who  passed  away  in  February  at  the  age  of  83,  and  Grace  Lee  Whitney  who  passed  away  last  month  at  the  age  of  85.  I  also  gave  him  my  condolences  for  Gene  and  Majel  Barrett-Roddenberry,  DeForest  Kelley  and  James  Doohan,  and  he  told  me  that  they,  especially  James,  were  all  wonderful  people.  There  was  A  VERY  LONG  LINE  for  William  Shatner,  but  I  did  get  a  glimpse  of  him  when  he  walked  onto  the  convention  floor.  I  finally  spoke  with  Walter  Emmanuel  Jones,  but  Austin  St.  John  had  already  left  while  David  Yost  and  Karan  Ashley  Jackson  were  getting  ready  to  leave.

The  women  in  the  next  three  photos  are  representing  a  novel  and  comic  book  series  created  by  Chad  Morton  called  NUN-The  Awakening.  The  series  is  about  Ancient  Egypt,  and  its  vast,  rich  history.  I  know  that  it  will  be  a  hit,  because  we  as  a  people  must  as  Captain  Jean-Luc  Picard  says,  Make  It  So.

Look  for  me  in  Photo  #2!

For  more  information,  please  visit  NunTheAwakening.com,  and  find  them  on  Facebook  by  typing  What  Is  NUN?.

Here  are  two  photos  of  me  with  two  beautiful  Trekkies!

And  here’s  me  with  Ms.  Marvel  circa  1977!

I  think  her  friend  was  trying  to  get  the  right  photo,  but  hey,  it  was  fun!!!!

These  three  days  were  huge,  and  as  I  said  last  year……………I’M  READY  FOR  NEXT  YEAR!!!!!!!!!  Enjoy  the  photos!!!!!!!!!!

Conventions: Awesome Con D.C. 2014

This past Easter Weekend was an interesting one for conventions. Anaheim, California hosted WonderCon, New York City hosted a martial arts movie festival, and Washington, D.C. hosted the 2nd Awesome Con. Some people believe that Easter Weekend is not the best time to hold a convention. Some may think otherwise. But, it all depends on how you look at it.

My little brother and myself were there last Saturday, and we were both greeted by a VERY LONG LINE that wrapped around The Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It reminded me of the line at Katsucon 18 two years ago. According to reports, it took longer for those who pre-registered, than for those who were only there for one day! It was one of the big complaints of the event. The promoters have tallied the attendance at 40,000.

Here are a few standout cosplays:

The Pope and his Cardinals

Jesus. This wonderful gentleman named Anderson Marchack travels to conventions cosplaying as Jesus Christ spreading the message of good deeds and tolerance. To find him on Facebook, type in Cosplay Jesus.

Rainbow Brite

Booster Gold

One highlight was the return of Ernie Hudson to the convention. He recognized me from last year, and I gave him my condolences for his friend and Ghostbusters castmate Harold Ramis who passed away in February. And here are photos from what I felt were beautiful tributes to Harold’s life, memory and career.

The Ecto 1A from Ghostbusters II

Other celebrities that were there were Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Andromeda), Erin Gray (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Silver Spoons), Billie Piper (Doctor Who, Secrets of a Call Girl), Cary Elwes (Glory, The Crush, Robin Hood: Men In Tights) and the duo of David Yost and Walter Emmanuel Jones (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers). I tried to meet them, but the lines were long, especially for David and Walter. Maybe I will see them again. I did attend the Pro-Wrestling Today Panel which was fun, in wich I was instantly recognized by the moderator Joe Carabeo, and panelists Ben Taylor and Dan Nokes. They also had DC101 FM’s Mike Jones as a guest panelist!!!. They had video game room that I forgot to visit, but my little brother told me that I didn’t miss much (YIKES!!!!!). Here’s another standout photo:

From what I can tell, Catwoman joined the Justice League!!!!

This was a grand three days, and I’m ready for NEXT YEAR!!!! Here are more photos, ENJOY!!!!

Conventions: Awesome Con D.C. 2013

On Saturday of last week, my little brother and myself attended what was billed as Washington, D.C.’s first ever comic book convention Awesome Con. The event was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The promoters thought it would have a small turnout, but it was much larger than they expected (YEE-HA!!!) The celebrities who in attendance were Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Oz), Billy West (The Ren and Stimpy Show, Ren and Stimpy’s Adult Party Cartoon, Doug, Futurama), Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Phil Lamarr (MADtv,  Samurai Jack,  Futurama) and Theodus Crane (The Walking Dead). They were there to take pictures and sign autographs, but the visitors and myself were told that it was not free, but I did get a chance to talk with the legendary Ernie Hudson.

Another celebrity who was in attendance was Larry Hama, who played a big part in the revival of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe in 1982. It was his designs of the characters that were seen in the comic book series that was a big hit with Marvel Comics from 1982 until 1994. The series was under name G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. I had the chance to speak with him as well. There were panels, one of them was the ongoing debate of Star Trek vs. Star Wars, and I missed that one.

The one panel that I did participate in was about professional wrestling!!! I caught some heat during the panel for wearing a Hulkamania t-shirt that I got last Christmas, but I told them that it’s MUCH, MUCH BETTER than John Cena’s new t-shirt. Afterwards, I did shake hands with all three of the panels moderators, and became friends with one of them on Facebook!!! Another feature was Sci-Fi Speed Dating, that one I sat out and watched. There was also a costume contest, but a lot of people were unable to get in.

This two-day event was a wonderful celebration of comic books, movies, television, anime, art and popular culture in general. I am one of many who can’t wait until next year!!! While I didn’t take a lot of photos, here are some below that I did take. Enjoy!!!