Party in Your Pajamas at Awesome Con!

A few months ago, I went to my first comic con, and I was hooked. So naturally, like the geek I am, I got tickets to Awesome Con, which sounded ... well, awesome. Held yearly in Washington DC, Awesome Con boasts more than 70,000 fans who celebrate geek culture, along with side areas like Awesome Con Junior, Pride Alley, and Future Con (this is where I wanted to go, where "science and science fiction meet"). My brother and I were all set to go, ready to stay at our sister's house in Maryland, and looking forward to the opportunity to bond and geek out together. We even picked out our cosplay outfits: Seinfeld and Newman!

And then ... coronavirus. Awesome Con was postponed. No trip to DC. No Future Con. NO SEINFELD!

But even though Awesome Con is postponed until December (count me in!), they made the decision to continue with the con this past weekend -- ONLINE! Now this was a unique prospect! "Party in your pajamas" indeed! What a great way for people all over (not just in the DC metro area) to enjoy the comic con. During these strange times, what an equally strange – and awesome – way to connect people in a geeky community. It gave us a chance to forget the stresses of living in a world where a virus has taken the lives of so many. It was an opportunity to bond with other geeks and feel like we are part of a community, despite the limits of social distancing. And it was a moment of escape back to normalcy in this topsy-turvy world. (Yes, that was a Hunchback of Notre Dame reference.) So let's look at this party we throw here in town once a year! (See what I did there?)

The pet cosplay was hands down the cutest and best use of the unique at-home comic con format.
Can we make this a regular part of every comic con?

I won't be able to bring my kids to Awesome Con in December because 💸.
But I could bring them to Awesome Con Online!
The best part was the three movie watchalongs: Tangled, TMNT, and my personal favorite Into the Spider-Verse!

Q&A sessions were held with Zachary Levi, Ross Marquand, and Mikal Mosley.
Zachary Levi is always a treat. He is down to earth, personal, funny, and just a great geek.

There were a ton of wonderful events, tutorials, segments, and forums throughout the weekend.
I especially enjoyed how to make face masks, the trivia games, and the drawing demo.
But the most apropos segment was how to play D&D (and other tabletop RPGs) online.
This was a growing trend, even before #stayathome. And it's needed now more than ever.

And of course there was this! 🕺💃

Overall, Awesome Con Online was a success. There was a ton of work that went into it. It wasn't the live comic con we were all hoping for, but as far as at home entertainment goes, this event really was mad and crazy, upsy-daisy! So kudos to Awesome Con for pulling out all the stops, making the best of a tough situation, and bringing joy and distraction to a world in crisis.

Ugly folk, forget your shyness

You could soon be called Your Highness!

Put your foulest features on display

Be the king of Topsy Turvy Day!