The Con of the Dragon is
drawing nigh, and I have yet to post my thoughts on the Report of
Progress!
That’s because the
Report of Progress has not yet made it to my box of mail or,
apparently, the North of Atlanta. Try as I might I can’t seem to
find a comic book shop that has the damn things. So it looks like I’m
going to have to do this the new-fashioned way and use the internet.
By which I mean DragonCon.org.
I usually cover
announcements and things that are new and specific to the Progress
Reports, but they don’t really have that sort of information on the
website. If I can get a copy before this posts, I’ll add it in. If
not, this will mainly be summaries of the Tracks, Performers, Guests,
and maybe a few events that are confirmed.
This post is a way for me
as both a performer and as an attendee to start getting my ducks in a
row and planning for Con. I mean, I’ve been planning for months
now, but this stage of planning is like in Altered
Beast when
the dude turns into the thunder weredragon. It’s serious.
I’ll be looking mostly
at the things that interest me personally, but there will be plenty
of general information, as well. Dragon Con is simply too massive for
me to cover every Guest or detail.
I AM BRANCHING OUT.
For now, pull out your
Dragon Con Progress Report (possibly available at your Local
Comic Book Shop
but not
online as of this writing) and follow along!
In case you’re not
already familiar with it, Dragon Con takes place across five hotels
– Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriot Marquis, Hilton Atlanta,
Sheraton Atlanta, and the Westin Peachtree Plaza - within walking
distance of one another in Downtown Atlanta. Because of this, you
need to plan your schedule beforehand and allow at least thirty
minutes of travel time between events. Also, buy a large water bottle
and keep it with you at all times. Most hotels have water coolers
scattered about, so you can stay filled up all day and night.
Phantom
Tip: If you’re not peeing once an hour you’re getting dehydrated!
In order to plan your
schedule, download the Dragon Con app from iTunes or the Play Store.
You’re still going to want to have a hard copy of the trusty Pocket
Program, but the app will make your life a whole lot easier, as it
contains everything you need to know about Dragon Con and updates
constantly throughout the weekend. You’ll even receive alerts if an
event you have placed in your personal schedule is changed.
If you’re staying in a
host hotel, be sure to find out what channel is carrying Dragon Con
TV. This is the network run by a bunch of crazy Dragon Con
volunteers. It provides original content, music videos, comedy
sketches, short films, and also broadcasts many of the guest panels.
It’s the best television channel I’ve ever seen and I look
forward to seeing it every year. I just leave my TV tuned to it and
on all weekend.
Tracks
“Track” is the term
used in reference to all of the events involved in a particular genre
or field of interest. For example, the Trek Track encompasses all
things Star Trek. There are panels featuring celebrity guests, genre
experts, and fans. There are also parties and events such as the Miss
Star Trek Universe Pageant, which involves costuming as various
species from the Star Trek universe. So to make things easy, you
simply find the Track that represents your area (or areas) of
interest and look for that schedule. Typically most or all of the
events for one Track will take place in the same hotel and even the
same general group of rooms. It all depends on the size of the Track.
Here are all of the
Tracks, with notes for the ones that may not be totally
self-explanatory:
Alternate History
– Exploring themes of time travel, old world culture, Steampunk,
and historical “what-ifs?”
American Sci-Fi and
Fantasy Media
– Modern and current genre programs and movies.
American Sci-Fi
Classics
– Celebrating science fiction movies and TV of the past. This is my
Dragon Con family.
Animation
Anime-Manga
Apocalypse Rising
– Media dealing with the many different ways that civilization
could end, as well as what happens afterward.
Armory
– Spotlighting the instruments of war and combat from history and
pop culture.
BritTrack –
This one focuses on the many genre and entertainment contributions of
Great Britain.
Costuming
Electronic
Frontiers Forums
– Internet, law, technology and their impact on society.
Fantasy Literature
Filk Singing
– Folk music about genre topics.
Film Track
– A track focused on filmmaking featuring screenings and panels.
Horror Track –
I’ll be working here for the first time this year!
Kaleidoscope
– Entertainment for kids and young teens.
LAN Gaming
– Computers, consoles, and tournaments.
Main Programming
– All of the biggest stuff happens here – contests, performances,
the Parade; the stuff that encompasses the whole Con.
Military SciFi
Media
– This is a new Track for 2016 – your guess is as good as mine.
It seems like it might have replaced the Stargate: Multiverse Track,
which is no longer listed.
Paranormal
Podcasting and
Media
Puppetry
–
Every year the Puppetry Track manages to grow and encompass more
facets of the entertainment world. Puppetry is everywhere, and these
folks are going to share that magic with Dragon Con.
Robotics and Maker
Fan Track
Science
Science Fiction
Literature
Silk Road: Asian
Cinema and Culture
Skeptics –
A Track for critical thinkers and lovers of science
Space
Star Wars Track –
Business sure has picked up for these folks lately, huh?
Table Top Gaming–
Either this one is new or my list last year was faulty.
Tolkien’s
Middle-Earth
Trek Track
Urban Fantasy –
I’m not sure how to describe this one, but some of the television
shows it covers include Lost Girl, Being Human, Bitten, Supernatural,
and my wife’s favorite – The Vampire Diaries.
Video Gaming
Whedonverse
– About all of the works of the Nerd King, Joss Whedon
Writers’ Track
– Where writers help writers
X Track
– It seems like this track focuses on cryptozoology and the
paranormal as they relate to conspiracy theory. Sort of. I believe it
takes its name from The
X-Files,
so that should clue you in.
Young Adult
Literature
That’s thirty-seven
Tracks covering every major aspect of genre entertainment and some
straightforward real-world subjects as well – Electronic Frontiers,
Science, Space, and more. Every year Dragon Con looks at its Tracks
and figures out where there is a need or not so much of a need
anymore. The people in charge are very good at adjusting Dragon Con
to its attendees’ interests year after year.
Today I can’t really do
my Progress Report write-up, but I’ll poke around the Dragon Con
website and see what kind of interesting information I can dig up.
For the full Progress
Report, check DragonCon.org
or your Local Comic Book Shop. But call first, because none of mine
have them.
Announcements
Just a few things worth
noting. Some are new, some are not.
You can read all of
Dragon Con’s policies here.
I felt that these paragraphs were particularly important:
“If
you feel you have been harassed please find the nearest Dragon Con
volunteer. This year, all 2000 Dragon Con volunteers will be easily
recognized by their bright tie dye lanyards. They will direct you to
the security operation in the Marriott. If, at any time, you feel
that your personal safety or the safety of others is in jeopardy,
please contact the Atlanta Police Department in an emergency via 911.
The Atlanta Police Department non-emergency phone number for Zone 5
is 404-658-7830.
You
may also go directly to the security operation – room L405-L406 in
the Marriott, on the Marquis level – to report an incident. We
have set up a private screening area, staffed by an Atlanta Police
Department officer to counsel individuals who feel they have been
harassed. We will work closely with the APD to determine the best
course of action.”
*If you already purchased
your passes to Dragon Con, bring that postcard with the barcode on it
that they sent you in the mail. It will make your badge pickup much
faster. And if you didn’t receive it or lost it, let them know now.
They can send you another one. I know this because last year I
thought I hadn’t received one and I asked for another and they sent
it and then after Con I found the first one.
*You will need your badge
to get into the host hotels. Not just into panels and stuff – into
the hotels.
This policy started in earnest in 2013 and I approve one hundred
percent. I invest a lot of time and money in Dragon Con and I don’t
need any freeloading jackasses bringing down the tone.
*The Comics & Pop Art
hall is being moved to the 3rd Floor of America’s Mart Building 2.
Comics & Pop Art Programming will now be located one floor above
on the 4th Floor! Refer to the maps in your Pocket Program or DC app.
*Remember - the Blood
Drive is now in the Hilton Galleria.
Guests
This is simply my own
personal list of Guests that I am super excited about; my highlights,
if you will. Just because someone isn’t mentioned here doesn’t
mean I’m not stoked they’re at Con. I just can’t write about
everyone.
This list is nowhere near compete. I’m using the website, which is
the most current resource for Guest Announcements. Chances are even
more will be announced between now and Con.
Featured
Guests
Arthur Adams
– One of my comic book heroes. He touched all of the X-books that I
loved back in the day and raised the bar for my expectations for
sequential art.
Scott Adsit
– Adsit is both a Dragon Con and a personal favorite. I have a pipe
dream that I can convince him to be a Celebrity Guest on The Dirty
Dirty Con Con Game Game Show Show.
David Anders
– Your favorite villain from iZombie!
Gillian Anderson
– I have had a crush on Gillian Anderson since The
X-Files
first debuted. I know that’s nothing original and I’m not the
only one, but it’s exciting to know she’ll be at Con. I don’t
know whether that means I should or shouldn’t bring my Scully/Guy
Mann slash fic.
Jim Butcher
– Someday I’ll go back and get caught up. I was deep into the
Dresden Files
and had just started the Codex
Alera
when our house got flooded in 2009. Unfortunately most of my Butcher
books were in a stack on the floor, waiting to be read or shelved. I
haven’t replaced them as of yet, but I absolutely loved both
series.
Dave Chapman
– One of the puppeteers behind BB-8 from Star
Wars: The Force Awakens,
but his career goes much further back than that. Chapman is a huge
get for the Puppetry Track and
the Star Wars Track.
Amanda Conner
– One of the best artists working in sequential storytelling today.
She and her husband, Jimmy, are ridiculously talented people.
Charlie Cox
– Matt Murdock will be at Dragon Con! I loved the way Cox played
Murdock and I can’t wait to see not only what he does next in
Defenders,
but what other roles he might show up in.
Brett Dalton
– I’m no longer press at Dragon Con because I just have too much
other stuff going on, but Dalton would be on my short list of
interview requests. His performance as Grant Ward and Hive was
excellent and, I think underrated. I don’t see people raving
online about how he portrayed what were essentially three entirely
different characters; possibly four if you count bland Grant at the
very beginning of the show.
Peter David
– A Dragon Con regular and one of my all-time favorite comic book
writers.
Eliza Dushku
– From Buffy
to Dollhouse
to Wrong
Turn, I
have liked he in everything I’ve seen her in. and I still have a
Faith figure from a couple of years ago that I missed getting signed.
Larry Elmore
– I was big into Dungeons and Dragons novels and art when I was in
high school. Larry Elmore was THE
name as far as I was concerned. Nobody does fantasy like he does.
Karen Gillan
– I met her very, very
briefly at Wizard World a few years ago. At the time I was a fan
because of Amy Pond and had not yet seen her fantastic performances
as Nebula in Guardians
of the Galaxy
or as Kaylie in Oculus.
I think she’s great.
Jack Gleeson
– Yeah, Ramsay Bolton is more recent, but I don’t think anyone on
Game of
Thrones
was more truly deranged and despicable than Joffrey Lannister. And
this guy played him incredibly well. I have a huge amount of respect
for Gleeson.
Chris Gore
– Chris Gore! Who doesn’t love Chris Gore? I met him a few Dragon
Cons ago, but he was incoherent. I hope to someday have an actual
conversation with him.
Burn Gorman
– He’s one of those guys. One of those character actors that you
can’t take your eyes off of and that when he shows up you go, “Ooh
– it’s him!”
Erin Gray
– She’s at Dragon Con almost every year. I always see her and she
always looks great.
I have never spoken to her because she was the first TV lady to give
me Sexy Time Thoughts and that stays with you forever.
It’s intense, man.
Larry Hama
– As of right now I am scheduled to be on a panel with Larry Hama
and I do believe I might faint. He is the father of GI Joe. He is the
creator of one of the mythologies that shaped my fandom.
Doc Hammer
– One of the creators of the
Venture Bros.,
the finest show to ever grace our televisions. He scares the crap out
of me, but has almost always been very nice to me when I have met
him. Last year he left an elevator because me and Rad Ranger were
getting on, but I think it was Rad Ranger’s fault. Me and Doc are
cool.
Brian Henson
– The caretaker of the Henson legacy. It is HUGE that he is going
to be at Dragon Con.
Brian Herring
– The other half of the BB-8 team, with an equally impressive
résumé.
Sam J. Jones
– FLASH. GORDON.
Rose McIver
– She’s Liv Moore on iZombie
and is incredible. She has to essentially portray entirely different
characters at different times on the show. And also be funny.
Jimmy Palmiotti
– A fantastic comic book writer. When he and his wife, Amanda, team
up, greatness inevitably ensues.
Sean Pertwee
– This gentleman is my destination Guest this year. I was actually
a fan of his prior to loving his father as the Doctor, though Jon
Pertwee was the first Doctor I ever saw. Event
Horizon
and later Dog
Soldiers
were the films that brought him to my attention, but his strong
performances in many genre projects since then have made me a huge
fan. He’s fantastic as Alfred on Gotham
and was great as Holmes’ old partner on Elementary.
I’m picking up an Alfred figure from Diamond Select Toys for him to
sign.
Katee Sackhoff
– Jen from Halloween:
Resurrection!
It’s a shame she never did anything else. She’s pretty great.
William Shatner
– Walking, talking delight. I love this man.
William Stout
– I have had the pleasure of sitting on three
panels
with Mr. Stout and he is truly awesome. He is kind and funny and has
TONS of amazing Hollywood stories. Please track him down and check
out his work.
Babs Tarr
– The artist responsible for the recent Batgirl of Burnside. She’s
great.
Robin Lord Taylor
– Possibly the most intriguing villain on TV right now. His
performance as Oswald Cobblepot is not what any of us were expecting,
but has become the centerpiece of a show that was ostensibly about
young Batman and James Gordon.
Karl Urban
– He’s been great as Bones and other characters, but to me he’s
always going to be Joe Dredd.
Carlos Valdes
– If he’s half as entertaining as his character from The
Flash,
Cisco Ramon, his panels are going to be can’t-miss.
Timothy Zahn
– Created my favorite Star Wars stories.
Performers
Crüxshadows
– A staple of Dragon Con, I think there’d be a riot if they
didn’t show up. Their shows are truly a spectacle to behold and are
a cornerstone of the proper Con experience.
Here Come the
Mummies
– They’re back! I didn’t get to see them last year due to a
scheduling conflict, maybe this year it will work out.
I:Scintilla
– I’m almost positive I’ve seen them at Con, but once it gets
past eleven or midnight my memory gets a little fuzzy for some
reason.
Shooter Jennings
– This year’s WTF guest. I definitely want to see him, but I bet
he’ll be playing opposite The
Dirty Dirty Con Con Game Game Show Show.
Kirby Krackle
– Nerd rock legends. On my list.
Nerf Herder
– And then there’s these guys, who actually predated any sort of
nerd rock scene. To me they’re just a pop punk band. And a very
good one. That happened to play the theme song for one of my favorite
shows, Buffy
the Vampire Slayer.
Qiet
– I don’t know how to describe this, but I want to see it. Here’s
the bio on Dragon Con’s site:
“A balance of
high-energy chaos and perfect order, Qiet's visceral performances
will keep you dancing long after the concert's over. Combining the
elegant excesses of 1920's jazz with the unpredictably of pure punk
rock, what results is not just a show; it is an experience.”
DJ Spider
– The greatest Con DJ of all time. As soon as wrestling is over
Thursday night and I’ve observed midnight, I’m heading to
wherever she’s working.
Aurelio Voltaire
– It’s ridiculous, but I still haven’t seen him perform.
I feel like Dragon Con
has a solid lineup this year. Unfortunately I’m probably going to
miss most of these, but that’s the price I pay to entertain!
Events
Obviously you can’t
just base an event of this magnitude on guests. They’re important
and all, but there has to be stuff going on. Dragon Con has more
stuff going on than you would be able to do in a month, let alone in
five days. Here’s just a little sample of the scheduled events
(once again – the stuff I care about):
15th
Annual Dragon Con Parade
– If you’ve never seen the parade, you must
see the parade.
There’s just nothing else like it. No Hollywood movie can compare
to the spectacle of hundreds of costumed
nerds/dorks/geeks/superheroes/knights/wizards/ zombies/paranormal
investigators/Hobbits/spacemen/etc. marching through downtown
Atlanta. It’s breathtaking.
Dragon Con
Burlesque: A Glamour Geek Revue
– I always mean to go to this and there’s always a conflict.
National Puppet
Slam
– Once again, Dragon Con is teaming up with the Center for Puppetry
Arts to bring the National Puppet Slam to Atlanta!
The Late Night
Puppet Slam
– This is the greatest and best thing at Dragon Con that isn’t
wrestling or a game show hosted by me. I cannot possibly express to
you how strongly I feel you should attend. They should build a Bob
and Carl amphitheater behind the Hyatt just so that everybody at
Dragon Con can attend the Puppet Slam.
And finally…
DC FRAKKIN’ W!
– This year, for the first time ever, DCW kicks off Dragon Con! The
Powers That Be wanted a strong opener for the first year of official
Thursday night programming, and there’s no better way to start a
party than with me and Dragon Con Wrestling! (I’m the announcer)
DCW features wrestlers
from all over the world putting on the most fun and exciting matches
every single year. There is no other wrestling show I would rather
see live. There simply aren’t words for how hard these guys work
and how electric the audience gets in the Hyatt Centennial Ballroom.
This
is the very best thing at Dragon Con (that isn’t a game show hosted
by me and Miss Lady Flex that happens at 10 PM Saturday night in the
Hyatt Regency V ballroom).
Miscellany
Art Show and Print
Shop
– The Art Show has a huge assortment of various types of handmade
media. It’s really, really cool and I recommend you take the time
to walk through. According to the website it’s still in the Grand
Hall West of the Hyatt, but it also says that it’s still next to
the Pop Art and Comics. Which is incorrect. I guess we’ll find out
in a few weeks!
Blood Drive
– LifeSouth conducts an annual blood drive at Con where you can
give blood and get a free t-shirt. This year it is located in the
Hilton.
Celebrity Photos
– This is kind of tricky. Some guests do photo ops, some don’t.
Some guests charge for photos, some don’t. Some just do them at
their table in the guest hall, some go through a complicated process
that involves a third-party photographer. Sometimes there’s no
indication of where the guest stands on any of this, so don’t be
afraid to ask. Chances are if it’s a bigger name guest they are
going through the photographer. So here’s the site where you can
pre-pay for that (which I’ll admit is convenient):
Charity Auction
– This year’s auctions are to benefit the ACSS
– Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency.
In addition to all of
that, Dragon Con has contests, pageants, and workshops on writing,
dancing, self-defense and more.
Finally – though this
is far from a comprehensive listing – there is the gaming.
I don’t do gaming, but
it is at Dragon Con and it is huge and fucking
intense.
Me and the rest of the Hooligans make a point of walking through the
gaming rooms every year and I can’t even comprehend what’s going
on in there. There’s this whole other society that doesn’t give
one tiny little fuck about the rest of Dragon Con. It’s like when
the Fraggles went to the Doozer part of the Rock, except we don’t
eat the Monster Manuals.
That’s it, folks. I
strongly encourage you to visit DragonCon.org,
download the app, and go listen to all of the Earth
Station One Dragon Con Reports
for the best information available.
The Needless Things gang
will start our official coverage of Dragon Con on August 22nd
This coverage will continue daily until probably two weeks after Con,
though it’s entirely possible the week directly following Con will
be sparse. My schedule is pretty tricky around then and I may not
have a whole lot of time to write. I’m looking at options.
And of course, the
Needless Things Podcast will start the Dragon Connery with this
Friday’s episode, when I talk to the Ambassador of Joy, Joshua
Holden!
Be sure to join the
Needless
Things Podcast Facebook Group
to get in on the fun and to find out when this year’s Needless
Things Meet-Up will occur!
You mention the app... Just wondering if you've heard when the update will be available? (Will it be an update or will there be a new, 2016 app to download?)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
It seems to be an all-new app, but the improvements are worth the overhaul. It's available now from the Google Play store and probably from iTunes, but there's still a lot of updating to be done. No schedule yet, but you can fill I'm your profile, add a pic, and find friends.
DeleteMy 2015 app upgraded to 2016 the other day. It seems that how it does this is different based on device. Mine kicked over as soon as it updated. Someone else had to use the "Exit to Show List" option and then enter the 2016 app updates by choosing the 2016 option there. It's not complete though. They haven't finalized everything, so some info isn't there yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks for clearing that up. I got a new phone, so I didn't have the 2015 app and wasn't sure.
DeleteYes the 2016 App is operational. Tis just basic framework at the mo, but it is there for updates as they come.
Delete