UPCOMING PRODUCT
EVERYTHING STAN LEE!
INCENTIVES
THIS JUST IN!
COMIC BOOKS
TRADE PAPERBACKS
HARDCOVERS
3D SCULPTURES
CGC GRADED COMICS
LITHOGRAPHS AND POSTERS
TRADING CARDS
PRODUCT ARCHIVE
DF DAILY SPECIAL
CONTEST
The All-New Comicon.com! from comicon.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BACK FROM HOTLANTA
by Brandon Jerwa (guest photos by Elliott Serrano)

Last week, I shared my Dragon Con diary from 2005. I’m back from Round Two and let me assure you, it only gets crazier this year. Last week’s intro gives you a taste of the main points of Dragon Con. Read on for the cold, hard truth of my 2006 adventures….

“Labor Day is a popular holiday, even if no one really understands exactly what it is they’re celebrating. To some, this three-day weekend means the end of summer and a chance to party down before school starts again; to others, Labor Day weekend is a perfect opportunity to take that last-minute trip out of town.

“To the geeks, dweebs and freaks…Labor Day weekend means Dragon*Con in Atlanta. “

Miss Jessica and I arrived at the Marriott Marquis after a long flight from Seattle. It was later afternoon on Friday and I knew immediately we were in for a treat: there were costumed G.I. Joe fans standing right across from the hotel’s front desk. Furthermore, I recognized them from previous conventions; they’re good folks and hardcore lovers of the Joe-verse. This was going to be a good weekend.

After checking in, we hit the convention floor to establish our presence in the Hall of Comic Book Guys, sitting once again alongside Dan Jolley and Marie Croall. Adam Hughes was just down the lane and Cully Hamner shared a booth with Brian Stelfreeze right next to us. I also finally met face-to-face with a gentleman that I knew via e-mail from his time at Devil’s Due: his name is Elliott Serrano and we fell madly in love over the course of the weekend.

Not like that, you freaks. It was the sweaty mutual appreciation of two comic fans who share the same skewed view of the world. Let’s not start rumors.

We weren’t there long before the show closed down for the day, but it was clear that 2006 was going to be even wilder than 2005. After dinner, we were whisked away to a private party in the upper regions of the hotel. Stelfreeze and Hamner were there, along with Marv Wolfman, Peter David and my homeboy Chris Moreno, just to name a few. That was fine enough company, to be sure…but then Paul Jenkins arrived and things just get blurry from there.

As we enjoyed the benefit of the open bar, Paul drafted Miss Jessica into service as his billiards partner. Together, they faced all challengers and emerged victorious over any duo foolish enough to challenge them. The last round matched them against Chris Moreno’s ex-Marine father (who is a stone-cold HOOT, lemme tell you) and my own considerable skills. Let it suffice to say that the Jenkins / Blackshear record remains intact. It should also be noted that Paul Jenkins knows roughly a thousand jokes; 99% of these little ditties involve some sort of man or beast walking into a bar. Go with what you know, I suppose. Paul Jenkins is now my personal hero.

Hotel bar drinking ensued and before we knew it, we found ourselves facing Saturday morning. The crowds came slowly at first, but the trickle soon turned to a torrent and I was suddenly bombarded by people buying books, bringing books to sign and occasionally mumbling incoherently before collapsing entirely and being dragged away by Imperial Stormtroopers.

Saturday night we attended the invitation-only dinner banquet and then went to our favorite high-up bar position to watch the awesome spectacle. The later hours were a wild time to be sure; we decided to join up with the aforementioned G.I. Joe fans (read as: new friends) at the Hyatt hotel bar, where the true spectacle takes place. We grabbed a table and held the position sternly against all who might oppose the abuse of our livers. While thousands of drunken costumed freaks milled around us, we began to play the “buy-a-round” game until new drinks were coming before the most recent ones had even been touched. This led to a rousing game of “Jedi ring toss,” where we would hurl someone’s errant inflatable ring onto the expensive lightsaber tips of passing costumed Jedi Knights in the lobby below. Elliott required the assistance of Miss Jessica and I to return to the Marriott safely, and then it was lights out.

Sunday – more sales, bigger crowd. Books flying off my table so fast my vision began to blur. Marv Wolfman stopped by for a deliciously geeky chat about the Teen Titans days of yore; I could listen to him talk all day. The highlight was definitely being interviewed by a puppet named Melonpool. You may know Melonpool from his successful online strip, collected editions and video blogs – but if you don’t, check out the hot puppet action here: www.melonpool.com

Afterwards, we all headed up to the private concierge lounge to heckle the closed-circuit broadcast of the Dragon*Con masquerade contest. As we sat there enjoying our mini-pies, éclairs and strong mixed drinks, it was pointed out that the blonde woman sitting five feet from me was Denise Crosby, best known as Lt. Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation. As these words were whispered to me, Denise suddenly put down her fourth Martini and made a declaration: it seems someone had backed out from judging the masquerade and the former Lt. Yar wanted to know if we all thought she should go across the street and offer to be a replacement. We all clapped an enthusiastic “yes” and she asked two of our friends to escort her across the street, martini glass still in hand.

A few minutes later, masquerade hosts George Perez and Peter David announced a “new celebrity judge” was stepping in. As we sat in the lounge waiting to see what sort of hijinks would ensue…we suddenly saw Denise in a camera-filling shot as she turned to the howling audience and defiantly raised both her middle fingers in a tastefully effective gesture of goodwill. I cannot tell you how in love with this woman I was at that moment.

Monday was low-key and the sales floor was slow. We said goodbye to our old friends Dan and Marie and our new best friend Elliott, I bought some toys and trade paperbacks and then made a quick appearance at a “licensed characters” panel before catching the cab to the Atlanta airport for our trip back to Seattle. No cavity searches this time, I’m happy to report…

LOVE BRANDON JERWA HERE: brandonjerwa@gmail.com

Latest News
Updated: 03/28/24 @ 10:45 am

1. STAR TREK CONFIRMS WHEN 'STARFLEET ACADEMY' WILL START FILMING

2. BRANDON SKLENAR JOINS BLUMHOUSE THRILLER 'DROP'

3. 'AMONG US': DAN STEVENS, LIV HEWSON & KIMIKO GLENN JOIN CAST

4. 'THE BRIDE!': JULIANNE HOUGH JOINS MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL FRANKENSTEIN MOVIE

5. CHAOTIC MAGIC & UNFINISHED BUSINESS IN YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 'ORCS!: THE GIFT' #3



DF Interviews
SKOTTIE YOUNG & JORGE CORONA



CNI Podcast
EPISODE 1058 - CNI-PIERCER!

Reviews: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow #1, Empyre #0: Avengers, Empyre #0: Fantastic Four, Snowpiercer season finale, The Old Guard film 


Newsletter Sign-up


Dynamic Forces & The Dynamic Forces logo ® and © Dynamic Forces, Inc.
All other books, titles, characters, character names, slogans, logos and related indicia are ™ and © their respective creators.
Privacy Policy