Awesome Con has grown significantly since the year it was initially held in a founder’s basement. The convention now regularly has thousands of attendees in the heart of the nation’s capital each year. It has celebrity guests as famous as John Barrowman and Susan Egan (the voice of Meg from Hercules and the first Belle on Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast). In addition to having such great guests, the convention organizers ran the event efficiently and without issue, ensuring that we all had a great time.
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The convention is very well run year to year. Held in Washington, D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center, attendees could find a variety of activities to attend. Panels were rich across the weekend, covering topics as varied as how we review media, diversity, and combatting toxic fan culture. The first of the panels mentioned was quite intriguing, with entertainment journalists like Roxana Hadidi and others speaking with audiences directly on how people in the industry typically go about reviewing film and tv, and how we should interact with creatives. As someone who writes for But Why Tho? it was quite informative for me. While the convention center could be long and hard to traverse, walking all that way to get to all those excellent panels was more than worth the exercise.
The artist corner was incredible. One of my favorite artists Michael Matsumoto (featured above) happened to be in attendance, along with many other talented artists. The cosplayers were varied, from various Spider-Persons from across the Spider-Verse to various anime characters, to the original Power Ranges and Rita Repulsa in attendance at the con. It was great to see so many various fandoms present at the con.
Additionally, this was my first interview experience with actors, and it was a great experience. I was able to speak with Zach Callison and Susan Egan of the hit show Steven Universe, asking them about their experiences recording as Steven and Rose Quartz, what the show has meant to them, and what we might be able to expect from Season 6 and the upcoming film. You can find that interview here on our flagship podcast.
Awesome Con has become a convention staple, comparable to the size of New York Comic Con. If you’re on the East Coast and aren’t able to make it to NYCC, Awesome Con is a very comparable and fun experience. The guests and panels are top notch, ensuring a fun and unique time.
