Ath-Con Recap
If you know me, you know I am a total and complete nerd. You know I love Wednesdays because it means new comic releases. You know that as a child I gravitated toward more bookish characters like Matilda, Velma, and Princess Belle (That library!). You know I wish I was Will Wheaton and Chris Hardwick’s third best friend. You know I’ve dressed as both Han AND Leia for Halloween…
Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend Ath-con and live out some of my wildest nerd dreams. (But seriously guys, Bobba Fett is Alive and I MET HIM).
The con was hosted this year at the Graduate Hotel. I LOVED this venue. The hotel is beautiful, as well as the legendary Foundary, where many of the larger panels took lace. Goldilocks would have found it just right, small enough you weren’t running from one place to the next, large enough you were in your own secluded world of geekery.
The weekend was filled with panels, contests, gaming and dancing. A couple of panels I sat in were very informational, giving a “history of” look at particular topics, in my case women in sci-fi and women and comics. These were a great way to get background on geek history from people passionate about the given topic.
Each day brought a cosplay contest with a new cast of characters, some homemade and some thrifted, some house hold names and some created by the cosplayer.
I tried my own hand at some cosplay of my own. The technical term here is, Everyday Cosplay, when the cosplayer dresses in costume using their own clothes. I came up with the idea for this look (I’m calling it Cantina Band Aid) by combining two of my favorite movies, “Star Wars” and “Almost Famous.” Basically, it’s how I imagine Penny Lane would dress if she followed the Mos Eisley Cantina Band.
The vendor hall and artist pavilion created a wonderland of toys, books, and other handmade goods. I found some treats for myself, my favorite of which is my Wonder Woman glass handmade by Greenvine Glassworks. 
Tucked away was the gaming room, where you could play video games and board games literally as long as you wanted (Ath-Con is the first con in Georgia to have a twenty-four hour gaming room!).
The Foundry is one of the greatest venues in Athens, a fact the con did not fail to take advantage of. After dark, the panel hall turned dance hall hosted live music, DJ’s, and burlesque performers. After spending the day at the con everyone was ready to have a drink and cut the rug. Believe me, nothing warms the heart like watching con-goers pair off to “Hooked on a Feeling” in a post “Guardians of the Galaxy” world.
The guests at Ath-Con were not to be missed. From “Walking Dead” Walkers to a Kilted Creature playing bagpipes, you never knew who you’d run into.
Many of the guests has their own panels. Two of my favorites were the 501st and Rebel Legion Slave Leias. These non-profits create their own screen accurate “Star Wars” costumes which they wear to cons and charity events. I’d had the pleasure of seeing them before in parades at Disney World’s Star Wars Weekends, but it was so much fun to hear members talk about their experiences with the group.
The 501st guys talked about times they’d worked with the Make a Wish Foundation and getting to go onstage during a symphony performance of the “Imperial March” at Hodgson Hall. We got to see first hand what they love about being members when a boy dressed as Thor entered the panel hall, exclaimed “Stormtrooper!” and ran right up to him.
In the Slave Leia panel, the subject of controversy surrounding the costume and its image was brought up. Cosplayer Princess Nova put into perspective just how much the look can mean on a personal level. She first saw “Return of the Jedi” as a child and knew one day she would wear that gold bikini. For most of her life she was overweight, but after losing close to 200 pounds, she began cosplaying as Slave Leia. For her the costume signified her own personal journey and the strength she found within it.
Dakota and friends were blasting us back to an era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth with their Jurassic Park-esque interactive display. It was so much fun to watch both kids and adults interact with these creatures. I even got to ride one!
I had two new comic book discoveries while at the con. The first was JR Mount, author of Fried Pickle Noir. These funny veggie tales will have you rolling with laughter.
The second was Kyle Puttkamer, author of Herocats and owner of Galactic Quest comics. I got to see his panel, at which most of the audience was under the age of twelve. I love seeing kids in an environment that is usually made up of adults (book signings, concerts, dressy dinners, etc). These kids were ENGAGED. They listened intently, asked questions and were inspired to read and find out the fate of the Herocats.
Overall, my favorite part of Ath-Con was the smaller size and more intimate feel. Over the course of three days, new faces became familiar and everyone knew each other. Saturday night, I was sitting at the bar in the Foundry listening to DJ Stormtrooper when a man came over and introduced himself as the vice president of the con. We spoke for a few minutes and he was genuinely interested in whether or not I was having a good time. That hospitality is often lost at larger cons, and I was so happy to see it alive and well at Ath-Con.
