For the first time ever I really do believe that these
kids are going to make this world a better place.
Yes, seriously – that’s my takeaway from my weekend at
MomoCon.
Maybe it was just being surrounded by youthful enthusiasm, but I don’t know that I’ve ever been in as positive and inclusive an environment on such a large scale. Every color, race, gender, nationality, and whatever else was present and interacting in a way that I’ve never witnessed. It’s a little hard for me to say exactly what made this so different, but it was a feeling that pervaded the entire Georgia World Congress Center/Omni hotel location – a sense that everyone was happy to see everyone so… happy.
I – and many Needless Things guests – have spoken at
length about the sense of community and belonging we get from cons. The
satisfaction of knowing you’re surrounded by people who share your passion for
things, whatever those things may be. It doesn’t matter what the fandom is,
just that we’re all fans. At MomoCon, that is all dialed up to “11”.
Perhaps it’s a generational thing, maybe it’s the fact
that this convention is more focused – rather than trying to be everything to
every fan, it highlights what I think of as “the stuff kids are into”. Anime,
video gaming, and cosplay are all very
tightly intertwined amongst their fandoms, to the point where it might
generally be thought of as one fandom. Those things are all simply a part of
growing up for the generation behind mine. For people a decade (and more)
younger than me, those things simply existed
rather than being new facets of pop culture.
Whatever the case, as early as Thursday when I picked my
badge up I could sense something different and special about MomoCon.
Unfortunately for me I had to work Thursday night, but I
knew I didn’t want to waste time on Saturday picking up my badge and my media
pass. As soon as I set foot in Building A of the GWCC (Georgia World Congress
Center) I knew there was something special and different going on. There were
already quite a few cosplayers on site, doing what they do and creating a
magical atmosphere that feels somehow separate from the outside world.
You guys know how I feel about cosplay – it’s not for me,
but I view it as one of the most important aspects of a good con. And MomoCon
had a higher percentage of cosplayers than any con I have attended. While the
bulk of what I saw seemed to be anime, there were still plenty of comic book
and video game characters that I recognized.
One thing I want to emphasize is MomoCon’s
user-friendliness and organization. I was able to get my badge and pass in
under fifteen minutes and this was entirely thanks to how clearly everything
was labeled and how well-informed and good at communicating the staff were.
These elements would be in place throughout the weekend, leading to a con that
was almost entirely frustration-free, an unusual occurrence.
Another advantage of my Thursday visit was that I was
able to get the lay of the land. The GWCC is relatively easy to navigate and
has several features that seem designed specifically to accommodate large
crowds (no wonder for a convention center). Two massive spaces on the lower
floor played host to the dealer/exhibitor room and the gaming area, which I
just now remembered was open 24/7 and I wish I’d gone back late Saturday night.
The two rooms were connected by a small common area so
that access was easy enough, but were still distinctly separate areas.
The dealer/exhibitor room was basically like every other
example of a con marketplace, with a few key differences. For one, there seemed
to be a much better variety of products between sellers. I felt that way on
Saturday and had it confirmed when my wife and son came down on Sunday. That
may sound odd considering the slightly less diverse focuses of MomoCon, but even
though most of the stuff there wasn’t my thing, it was more interesting and
less homogenous wandering around the room. Sure – there were a dozen or so
places selling plush characters, but they all had different styles, sizes, and
focuses. The same went for the toy dealers – very rarely did two of them have
the same selection. This is very different from most cons I go to where you see
the same figures everywhere you go, and most of them are readily available
online or even from local brick and mortar stores.
Side Note: The obvious exception here are
Funko’s Pop toys. Those things are everywhere.
I do not understand the motivation to show up to a con with Pops because the
only thing more common than them is oxygen. I am convinced that someday the
planet of junk from Transformers: The
Movie will exist, but it will be made up entirely of Pops that we had to
shoot into space because we no longer have room for the damned things on Earth.
The exhibitor room also contained Artists’ Alley and a
pop culture vehicle area.
 |
| That thing is just gonna reek of mushrooms now. |
The vehicles were fairly standard for any con, but
personally I always get excited to see the Batmobile or the Ecto-1, no matter
how many times I’ve seen them before. Pictures of the vehicles were free,
pictures in them were $5, which I
think is perfectly reasonable.
Artists’ Alley was made up mostly of creators that
weren’t my cup of tea – not a knock on the con, I’m just not into manga and
anime. It did, however, feature our pals Mike Gordon and Peter Cutler, as well
as what was, for me, the highlight of the con (and possibly my entire damn
year).
Phantomaniacs, I had the privilege of meeting Eric and
Julia Lewald, two of the creators behind the seminal 1990s X-Men animated series. I’ve written and spoken about the role Chris
Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men run had on
me and my love of comic books, but I haven’t mentioned the cartoon it inspired
nearly as often. It was one of the few shows that I kept up with through my
high school years and beyond. Even the mighty Batman: The Animated Series lost me at one point, but I stayed with
my X-Men all the way. For a long time I had some of the seasons on VHS tapes
recorded from broadcast. I got rid of them when the DVDs were released, not
considering the value of the commercials and station IDs and whatnot.
I’m no Dinosaur Dracula, people.
I spoke at length with Julia on Saturday and she simply
couldn’t have been any nicer. I returned on Sunday to purchase their new book,
which you can buy here and help out Needless Things at the same time:
Meeting the Lewalds and having both of them turn out to
be such nice people really made my whole con. I can’t wait to find out more
about the production of one of the most significant comic book cartoons of all
time.
The gaming room was loud, dark, and full of excitement –
it almost looked like something out of a movie set in a dystopian future.
I mean that in the nicest way possible.
The left side of the room was dedicated to real-world
games – Magic, Pokémon, all manner of board and tabletop games. There was some
kind of team-based game that involved arranging huge tiles within a square on
the floor. It looked interesting to me because I love puzzle games, but there
were games in progress every time I walked by.
That left side was well-lit and bright, with areas
labeled and dedicated to specific games.
The right side was loud, dark, and lit only be the glare
of neon, monitors, and arcade cabinets.
It seemed to me that every kind of digital gaming that
has ever existed was represented here in some form. From old school arcade
games to consoles to cutting edge gaming PCs, there was a bewildering (for me)
assortment of video games available. As impressed as I was with the variety
available, I have to admit that I do not go to conventions to play video games.
There’s just too much other stuff to do that I can’t do anywhere else. Heck, I’d
rather just wander around the con areas and people watch than sit down and play
Contra. But for those that do enjoy
gaming at cons, MomoCon is for sure going to make you happy. Very happy.
I didn’t want to commit my entire weekend to this con
without knowing how much I’d enjoy it, so I was just there from Saturday
afternoon through Sunday, with an intermission to drive home and gab the family
Sunday morning. Because of that I only caught one panel – a conversation with
the team behind Arby’s social media. That may seem like a bizarre panel for a
pop culture convention, but it was a good one that provided a fascinating look
at the subject matter, and the savviness of the kids in attendance.
The panelists were all from the firm that handles Arby’s
current social media campaign – one centered around pop culture awareness and
some truly deep cut references. Apparently they have quite the following and
the respect and admiration of even the most jaded pop culture critics. I loved
hearing the team talk about the creation process and how their ideas came
about. What was even more interesting, though, was the level at which the young
people – teens and slightly older – grasped marketing and commerce. When the
panelists started the obligatory Q&A session, a massive line of these kids
formed and each question was astute and relevant.
Well, most of them were. This was still a con, so there were
a couple of “Remember when _________? That was awesome.”
I attended the panel – and spent part of the day with –
my pal Dana Swanson (so for those of you who might have been moved by Episode
210 of the podcast, everything is, indeed, cool). Afterward I met some nice
people she works with on a podcast you should definitely check out – Dark Ages.
 |
| Howard, Dana, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, severed hand |
We spent a few hours wandering around the aforementioned
gaming and exhibitor halls, then stumbled into one of the most magical rooms I
have ever experienced at a con – the MomoCon karaoke room. It was like the
general youthful enthusiasm from the rest of the con, but in concentrated form.
A host in Wakandan finery was doing a great job providing energy, but the crowd
in attendance hardly needed it. As we walked in, basically every person in the
room headed up to the stage to dance and perform Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”, without a
shred of self-consciousness or irony.
The next act was a duo that took on “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King and absolutely killed it.
The guy performing Pumba’s part was phenomenal.
I think Dana and I had entered the room with intentions
of making up for the karaoke opportunity we missed at Days of the Dead, but
after seeing those kids kick so much ass neither of us probably felt like that
was the best place for our first live duet.
Eventually Dana left for the conveniently located Marta
station – take Marta, it’s smarta! – and I went and had dinner at Dantanna’s
with another old pal, Mike Gordon. You should all wish you were there for that
epic conversation, but the next best thing will be this Friday’s Needless
Things Podcast where Mike will join me to discuss MomoCon!
Dantanna’s has an absolutely terrible name but pretty
good food. If you’re in the area and want something nicer than the food court
experience, I recommend it.
Thanks to Mike being such a naturally fascinating conversationalist,
I totally missed the one event that was on my “Must-Do List” – Bit Brigade
performing selections from Legend of
Zelda. There was still plenty to do, though and I hadn’t even put a mask on
yet.
Side Note: I do still put a mask on when it’s
appropriate.
I wandered around as Phantom Troublemaker for a while and
had the oddest experience – in the midst of all of these incredible costumes
that people had spent countless hours and dollars on, I kept getting approached
for pictures and compliments. I can’t even begin to fathom why, and if not for
the almost palpable sincerity of MomoCon I would’ve thought everyone was
somehow making fun of me. And it’s not like they could tell what an old, old
man I was under the mask.
At one point a group of kids even surrounded me chanting
about how much sauce I had. I don’t know what that was all about, but I could
tell they meant it.
One of my favorite spots at MomoCon was the courtyard
between the GWCC and the Omni. It was constantly populated and a hub of
activity. From well-choreographed dance routines to sing-alongs to sword
battles to people doing the Macarena, every time I walked through that area
there was something exciting going on and entertaining people to look at.
 |
| Aggretsuko, with whom I identify greatly |
It was here that I decided it was time to turn in and
save myself for the next day. None of my usual con companions were there and
honestly the day of new experiences had worn me out.
MomoCon is wonderful. While I wouldn’t go so far as to
say it has something to offer for everyone, I would certainly say that there’s
plenty for most fans of pop culture. And even if anime or video games aren’t really
your thing, you could find yourself a day’s worth of entertainment. And you’ll
certainly be rewarded by an atmosphere like none you’ve ever felt.
You can find even more pictures from MomoCon 2018 on the Needless Things Facebook Page!
Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast
Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this
week’s episode! Let us know what you think!
You can follow
Dave as Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest on pop culture!
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