Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Andrew Aydin, Awesome Con, convention, cosplay, entertainment, joe kelly

Celebrating Awesome Con 2015, Plus Cosplay Photogallery

By Devon Sanders

In three short years, Washington, DC's Awesome Con has grown from a convention focused mainly on cosplay and a very few invited guests to one featuring celebrity guests such as Star Trek's originals, William Shatner and George Takei. The ante was upped as WWE World Champion Seth Rollins and comics and cartoon heavyweights, Man of Action Studios, comprised of Joe Kelly (Deadpool, Ben 10), Steve Seagle (Ultimate Spider-Man, creator of Marvel's Big Hero Six) and Duncan Rouleau (Action Comics, Big Hero Six) were also featured guests.

The great thing about Awesome Con is that while it's grown in size, it still has an intimate feel. I had a chance to tell Joe Kelly just how much his Action Comics #775, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and The American Way" means to me after 14 years after its initial publication. He was incredibly gracious and when I came back the next day asking to have his new Image Comics release Bang Tango signed, he remembered my name.

Andrew Aydin, co-author of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel March was also there and assured attendees he's already 100 pages in to writing March: Book Three and is up for some other fairly high profile comics work.

Experiences like these absolutely keep you as a fan, not just of the characters they work on but of the creators themselves. Thanks to Awesome Con and the access allowed, I'm an even bigger Joe Kelly fan.

While the celebrity guests were impressive, cosplay still remains as one of Awesome Con's biggest draws.

This year, I walked away even more impressed, marveling at the cosplayers' dedication to craft and to the characters they were representing. From what I saw, the show floor was a respectful one where children easily interacted with Disney princesses and adults thanked cosplayers after asking to take their picture.

This year, Awesome Con even saw its first wedding proposal as minutes before I took the picture, Man-At-Arms asked The Sorceress to marry him.

She said, "Yes." If they ever have a little girl and they don't name her "Teela," Awesome Con riots!

Seriously, though, congrats to them!

All in all, Awesome Con was a great experience; a well-run showcase that simply and elegantly celebrates fandom.

And here is a photogallery of the event:

Devon Sanders wants to ride a shark like Aquaman someday. Encourage his folly on Twitter at @devonsanders.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!