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Just left DragonCon (a rant)

Started by HarryRod,

78 posts in this topic

HarryRod

HarryRod

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Just went to my first DragonCon....and promptly left my first DragonCon.

 

All i can say is.....WTF?

 

I know that this isn't a comic convention, but rather a pop culture thing, but still.....wow.

 

Here is how my morning went.

 

left the house at 0700 so that i could arrive downtown around 0800 to buy my tickets and get inside.

We were only buying a day pass as we weren't sure what to expect and didn't want to spring for the whole weekend since football and dinner would be the priorities on SAT and SUN.

 

This is where problem number one came in.

MAJOR disorganization on the part of the people putting this thing together.

 

Little to no directions, signage or anything pointing people in the right direction once you got downtown. We parked on Int. Blvd and kind of stumbled around looking for any sign of the convention. After asking several people who appeared to be part of the convention where we could buy tickets, we were a little frustrated as none of them could give us the correct answer, or better yet put together two coherent words to form a sentence to give us an incorrect answer.

I finally ran into a dealer buddy of mine who told me where to go.

 

It is now 0845 and we have our passes and are off....to where we don't know but we are off anyway!

 

We then proceed to look up the maps on our phones and decide to start at the Hyatt.

The line literally wrapped around a city block to get inside.

I don't mind waiting but damn....

 

Thus began problem number 2 and one that i have with just about any gathering of comic, sci-fi, or fantasy aficionados

What a bunch of freaks

It is as if they took every prototypical stereotype of our hobby, force fed them crystal meth for a week and dumped them into downtown Atlanta.

I don't mind the kids.....kids will be kids and if they want to dress up, have fun and get into it, then so be it. What i do object to are the masses of 40-something man-child, adolescents, the shut-ins who are finally seeing daylight for the first time, and in general all of the flat out wierdos, and believe me there are plenty.

Once again...I know that this isn't a comic-con so i am sure it draws a different crowd, but it was still disconcerting standing there with my 7 year old son while a 300lb mouth breather who looks like a slightly more creepy version of the Simpsons comic store guy perpetually tries to strike up a conversation with him.

Also....to anyone attending one of these things.....TAKE A SHOWER!!!!!

It is Atlanta in August....it is going to be humid and warm.....INVEST IN DEODORANT!!!!

It was 9am on a friday morning and it occured to us that some of these people hadn't seen soap and water since last friday morning.

 

My third and final gripe is placement. I think it might be time to look for a different venue for this little shindig. Instead of spreading it out over 4 different hotels, why not try to arrange for it to be somewhere a little more hospitable and maybe have it all in once place so people aren't having to walk across half of God's green acre to get somewhere.

Not to mention the fact that it might cut down on people being accosted and harassed by aggressive taxi drivers and homeless camped out in the area.

 

We ended up leaving the line to get into the Hilton after waiting for another hour and just chalked this up to something we probably wont repeat and will instead focus on comic cons and hope for a better experience.

 

I know that his will probably come across as very D-bag'ish and snobbish, but that really isn't my intent. I just think that when i am walking down the street past a reporter covering the event and they are openly mocking it and the people there, and when we stopped at Varsity's for lunch and hear a minimum of three different conversations about the "wierdos down the street" and all the "losers invading downtown" it bothers me because i deeply respect our hobby and would love for it to be seen as something that grown and responsible adults are interested in as well as children.

 

Just my two cents.....let the beatings begin.

 

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Dr. Balls

Dr. Balls

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No argument here. I wasted so much money my first (and only) trip to DragonCon. It was a complete disaster for me financially, and I regret ever going despite the fact that I had a great time with friends there.

 

I won't go into details - but I will say that it's way too big, way too spread out, way too packed and was a huge letdown for me. And that was in 2008 - I can't imagine what it's like now.

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aggr1103

aggr1103

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I just think that when i am walking down the street past a reporter covering the event and they are openly mocking it and the people there, and when we stopped at Varsity's for lunch and hear a minimum of three different conversations about the "wierdos down the street" and all the "losers invading downtown" it bothers me because i deeply respect our hobby and would love for it to be seen as something that grown and responsible adults are interested in as well as children.

 

By hobby do you mean comic collecting, or are you referring more to geek/nerd culture in general? The way I understand it Dragoncon is more of a sci-fi/fantasy pop culture con than a comic con.

 

And I'm a little disheartened by some of your terms used about the people you encountered there. I was called a loser, mouth-breather, wierdo, etc. growing up not because of how I dressed or acted but because I was a part of the hobby you want people to have so much respect for. I wore clean clothes, brushed my teeth, and showered every day, but because I chose to read comics and science fiction I was deemed "wierd." Saying things like that doesn't help push the hobby in the direction you want it to go, it actually sets it back.

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RobbieC

RobbieC

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Thus began problem number 2 and one that i have with just about any gathering of comic, sci-fi, or fantasy aficionados

What a bunch of freaks

 

It is as if they took every prototypical stereotype of our hobby, force fed them crystal meth for a week and dumped them into downtown Atlanta.

 

I don't mind the kids.....kids will be kids and if they want to dress up, have fun and get into it, then so be it. What i do object to are the masses of 40-something man-child, adolescents, the shut-ins who are finally seeing daylight for the first time

 

 

If you are so turned off why don't you become one of the "shut-ins" you have such disdain for? It sounds like you were offended by the mere presence of people who don't look like you.

 

Your comments are offensive and surprising coming from a mature person whose board name is "Harry Rod".

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G.A.tor

G.A.tor

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I went to DragonCon once, in 1993 or so. Once was enough. But I do remember it being the first place I ever saw a Marvel Mystery #1 in person.
I call BS...there is no such comic as marvel mystery #1 :baiting:
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HarryRod

HarryRod

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HarryRod is actually a combo of two parts of my real name.....so.....jam it

 

And i dont get offended by people who dont look like me, but it would be nice to go to a gathering like this and see a representation of people who dont look like they just crawled out from under a rock. Mostly for the fact that my son is starting to show an interest in comics and i dont want him to be turned off of it by the assumption that everyone into it looks like that!

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mschmidt

mschmidt

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HarryRod is actually a combo of two parts of my real name.....so.....jam it

 

And i dont get offended by people who dont look like me, but it would be nice to go to a gathering like this and see a representation of people who dont look like they just crawled out from under a rock. Mostly for the fact that my son is starting to show an interest in comics and i dont want him to be turned off of it by the assumption that everyone into it looks like that!

 

Then don't go to Dragon Con.

 

It seems like you were under the misapprehension that DC is like a Wizard World show or a smaller version of SDCC - it's not, it's a sci-fi/literary/cosplay convention that focuses heavily on costuming, gaming, anime, sci-fi and fantasy. The comic book part is miniscule and feels like an after-thought compared to the rest of the show - which is also why it's not marketed as a comic book convention.

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RobbieC

RobbieC

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And i dont get offended by people who dont look like me, but it would be nice to go to a gathering like this and see a representation of people who dont look like they just crawled out from under a rock. Mostly for the fact that my son is starting to show an interest in comics and i dont want him to be turned off of it by the assumption that everyone into it looks like that!

 

You dream of world in which we all look the same. What a fantastic idea!

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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I went to DragonCon once, in 1993 or so. Once was enough. But I do remember it being the first place I ever saw a Marvel Mystery #1 in person.

 

What the hell is Marvel Mystery #1? :shrug:

 

JJ

 

Perhaps it is actually MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #01? hm

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Guardian Comics

Guardian Comics

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I can't believe you ventured into downtown Atlanta, weren't you afraid of all the...zombies??? Did you at least get a picture of the tank Rick was in??? :wishluck:

 

Did you find any survivors or are you headed to Fort Benning next? :foryou:

 

Hey another Walking Dead thread. :banana:

 

Jim (who's had a couple and thinks he's hilarious right now) Mc CAL lum.

 

 

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