My First Year at Awesome Con Was Out of This World!
Story and photo by Maestro Joyner.
From March 8th to10th, 2024, I attended Awesome Con. While this wasn’t my first Con, it was my first year at Awesome Con, so there were many new things that I was introduced to. Awesome Con is Washington DC’s comic-con where people from all over celebrate geek culture with comics, anime, cosplay, and celebrity voice actors.
During the 3-day convention, I visited the Exhibit Hall that held many spaces like the Artist Alley, where many artist showcased their works or advertised themselves to a greater audience; Pride Alley, where LGBTQIA+ organizations shared their creativity with others who are queer; and Guest Photo Ops and Signings, where attendees met with their favorite voice actor or celebrity for an autograph or photo. Next, many cosplayers were from many different fandoms and TV series that were created in many different and creative ways. Then, different panels where voice actors, authors and queer groups talked about issues that they have encountered in their journey or played games with the audience, creating a more interactive experience.
Day one was very busy, so I got the opportunity to take pictures of the tabletop area, where people who are experts or beginners play board games to either gain more experience through learning different types of strategies, or develop an interest in tabletop gaming. While in the tabletop gaming room, I was able to meet the owner of Labyrinth Games & Puzzles, Kathleen Donahue, who started Labyrinth Games & Puzzles in November of 2010. Her vision was to bring people together through tabletop games. To learn more about tabletop gaming, visit Labyrinth Games & Puzzles website here.
I also explored the Exhibit Hall, where I took pictures and talked to exhibitors whose items piqued my interest. There I got more insight into what it's like to be a creator and put myself out there for the public, and with the Exhibit Hall being very huge, I got to also learn and explore new ideas. I also purchased my first convention merch from an exhibition that I frequently visited whenever I went down to the Exhibit Hall. This was a different type of feeling since I bought from small artists before, but never in-person or at a convention.
On day two I was able to do many things while there were crowds of people, like take pictures and network. I was able to get many pictures of cosplayers that were unique, and was able to share my contact information via Instagram to show more of what I had to offer and share photos. Afterward, I spent some of my time listening to panels that were on the main stage or individual rooms, where people talked about their experiences voicing an anime or their experiences of queerness in the book or cosplay industry. These panels were very important, since they gave insight on what it was like to be queer in an industry that does not always cater to the LGBTQIA+ community and tends to dismiss or ignore them.
The final third day tends to be calm, so I spent it at the gaming space that was reserved for MAGfest, a gaming and music convention I attended in January of this year. I spent my time in the makerspace area, where people of all ages make arts and crafts from crocheting to sewing. With the makerspace, I learned to crochet. To learn about arts and crafts or how to crochet, sew, or make buttons, visit the MAGfest website here.
Overall, Awesome Con was a grand experience and I am going again next year to see what other amazing things that they have in store. I recommend Awesome Con to not just people who love anime, cosplay, and nerd culture, but to people on the outside who are curious about nerd culture in general, or just don’t know about it at all. It will be a great experience for them and help expand their knowledge about anime and nerd communities.
Maestro Joyner is a junior at Friendship Collegiate High School.