AwesomeCon 2021: Land of the Creatives
Joseph Watkins: Da Watcher
Attending a comic con is always life altering and reality shifting. As you enter these massive events, you’re swept up in the nostalgia of your favorite heroes and villains from comic books, movies, manga and anime. When it comes to Comic Cons for a creator, they’re a dream come true as the only limits to their work and profits is their imagination.
At AwesomeCon 2021, the staff at Leftfield Media continue to break new ground in the creative and con space by supplying patrons with one-of-a-kind experiences and events.
To me, AwesomeCon has become one of those cons that is near and dear to my heart, so when I was offered the chance to attend, post Covid, I had to go, but seriously…. nothing prepared me for this experience. I unquestionably had a blast as I saw familiar friends, met new creatives, explored a panel or two and damn near died when I saw Captain America pull off from the after party.
Yes, Captain America.
The Journey…
I wanted to explore this extensive ecosystem, however, with just one day, I decided to highlight the creativity that makes the con experience so worthwhile. Respectfully, this article is for them, the creatives; Those, who took the risks, post covid, to sell their wares and promote their brands, with masks on faces and creativity in their hearts.
But first, I have to talk about the safety protocols.
Masks Up.
As patrons walked into the immense labyrinth, we were ushered by security to get our bags checked and as we were spaced 6-8 ft. apart in the process, along the passageway calls of ‘masks on’ was verbalized throughout the hall. Health and safety was mandatory, and as mask wearing was key to attend this event, I felt my anxiety diminish as people conformed to the rules and proceeded to enjoy the con experience with their friends and family.
The App
Usually, when you enter a convention of this magnitude, you need a guide to help you navigate the process. In the past, one would receive a booklet, a magazine of some kind that offers directions for the event. But, due to covid and cutting down too many trees, I downloaded the app to guide me along the way.
Presented by Kindle Vella, the AwesomeCon app provided patrons an easy way to not only book their favorite events, but receive notifications for when they were coming up. I must give the tech creatives credit as they provided us with a clean digital experience to reserve, book, and map out what a typical con day was going to look like for patrons. The only issue, I would say that might need improvement with the app is a directional system, that could lead you to your destination, like Google directions. In going to a panel, I got lost and needed help by security and staff.
Studio De Sade
I first noticed the artwork of the Millennium Falcon. Detailed in design, ancient in appearance, the drawings of Studio De Sade attracted me to their booth as I couldn’t stop looking at the various starships from various sci-fi television shows. Ranging from Star Wars to Star Trek to Doctor Who, each print showcased their speed with the background acting as both a destination and a place of origin. Amazingly detailed, the Punch It Print (at a Petit 6” x 10”) was going for $22.50 with the “Texas Sized” print going for an astounding $300. In my opinion, this print is a must have for any sci-fi fan.
One print that I’m working on purchasing is the Turn Your Face To The Sun. What really drew me to the piece were the eyes. They’re beautiful and in some small way, I could sense some pain and victories behind them and as she gazes into the sun, it looks like she knows that everything is going to be okay.
Lisa Villela
Lisa Villela
In artist alley, among the rows and rows of illustrations, 1st edition graphic novels, and majestic collectibles, I ran across a print of Loki, the famed God of Mischief by the phenomenal Lisa Villela. With Loki, currently, corrupting all of time with his variant, Slyvie, the creation of the multiverse (Kang the Conqueror) has led to some interesting changes within the MCU. However, when I saw this print of Loki looking in the mirror, the emotion behind it caught my attention. To me, it resembled a scene in which he looked in the mirror, reflected on how he couldn’t stop his variant, Slyvie, from creating the multiverse and he also realized that he could never escape who he is, a mischievous god whose sole purpose is to destroy and cause havoc (that’s how I saw it anyway).
Loki Print by Lisa Villela
Lisa’s artwork is amazing and I’m glad I was able to see this print in all its exuberance. Hopefully, Loki gets it together in season 2.
Watercolors
Geoff Pascual
When I was a kid, I tried painting with watercolors, but I sucked at it. Like, I was really, really, REALLY, bad at it. For me, I was taught to just drop some water in the paint, stir the brush, and with my multi-colored combination, apply my paintwork on some form of construction paper, canvas, or lined-white paper and ‘voila’, art that was either recognized my by teacher, my parents, or the trash can.
My have the times changed.
Looking in front of me is the work of Geoff Pascual, the watercolor genius of AwesomeCon 2021. His artwork, each taking 2 months to create, is a literal journey into his manga and anime influences. Each print signifies his love for the genre and as he was servicing the crowd, I managed to get a chance to speak with him about his work and his inspirations:
Joseph W.: Which one [prints] would you consider is your heart and soul?
Geoff Pascual (GP): Well, pretty much anything from Samurai Champloo, so I have a few paintings here from it. It’s one of favorite anime and one that I grew up watching. So, it’s pretty authentic to what I paint.
JW: What made you decide to get into watercolors?
GP: I just tried it to be honest. It was kind of like an experiment for me. I enjoyed it, it was also very difficult, but I kept coming back. I’ve been doing watercolors for 9 years now.
With his dedication and passion, he’s created some great work that just amazes. One print that I immediately fell in love with was the ‘Masked World’. Laced with masks from various anime such as Naruto, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and a host of many others. Priced at $50, that’s a pretty good price for 2 months of hard work, passion and dedication.
VickiBeWicked
VickiBeWicked
There are a few vendors that leave a long lasting impression on you every now and then, and at AwesomeCon 2021, I saw it at the booth of fellow creative, VickiBeWicked. Digital Artist, Painter, Illustrator and Graphic Designer, Vicki’s booth had a plethora of designs, all custom made by her. Encompassing her work was this creative balance between horror and cuteness, evil and majestic. Laced with dark smiles and beautiful skulls, I had to know more about her and her work:
JW: So, Vicki Be…Wicked, could you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Vicki B: I’m from North Carolina, I’ve been an artist all my life. I enjoy oil painting as well as digital painting and my work is inspired by horror and creepy cute things.
JW: Nice, I couldn’t help but notice these resin skulls. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Vicki B: Yeah, I started doing resin about a year ago. With the resin, I just love the colors, and glitter, and just being able to make something sparkle and be really bright and colorful, and they’re just really small. I love, really small sculptures and small art.
JW: Great, what are your artistic influences?
Vicki Be: My artistic influences……That’s a hard one, I definitely look up to a few of the artists that I follow online, I’m influenced by video games, comic books, anime, and particularly horror movies, anything horror related…..
JW: Okay, one last question; favorite video game?
Vicki B: Perfect Dark, N64.
JW: Thank You.
Vicki’s work is both, scary and phenomenal. I was so captivated by it, I bought a sticker and one of the resin skulls for my own personal collection.
AwesomeCon’s array of diverse and eclectic vendors showed me what, nationally, the world is doing with their creativity. As I walked around the con floors, I started to think and say to myself, ‘Does this con focus on creativity, both nationally and internationally?’ My thoughts on the matter soon came to an exciting conclusion when I met, probably, the first Afghan writer in the graphic novel/comic book spectrum.
Ghezal Omar: 357 Magnum Opus
Ghezal Omar’s first published graphic novel, .357 Magnum Opus is a testament to how fierce a graphic novel can be. Inspired from Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie films, Ghezal’s approach to creating an iconic work of art that encompasses dark humor, stylized violence, pop culture and intricate storytelling hits the bullseye as each page is detailed in rich illustrations, with a storyline that has you wondering, ‘what are they going to do next?’. I had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Omar and discuss how she was able to create a such an epic masterpiece:
JW: Can you tell me more about .357 Magnum Opus?
Ghezal Omar (GO): This is my first published graphic novel. It’s about a couple of bounty hunters from Las Vegas and they’ve been tasked to get a fellow in L.A. (Los Angeles) and they get the wrong person. So, it’s kind of like Pulp Fiction meets a Fast and Furious story. It’s an action thriller, its 160 pages, the artist is Mingchen Shen and he’s a really talented artist. It’s in Black and White and it’s a great read.
From the binding to the artwork, it’s an impressive piece of work and I needed to know if there would be another volume:
JW: Is this a Volume 1, is this the whole thing, is this a prequel or sequel?
GO: So this is going to have a prequel and sequel to it, and the main character, Sexx Pistol, she’s the female protagonist; she’s a badass and in the prequel, you get to find out her story, how she became who she is and in the sequel, it’s a follow-up to this story, because it just doesn’t end there….I’m working on those at the moment.
After reading this, I sure hope the sequel is just as serious as this installment. Pistol, literally holds her own in almost every single page as she goes HAM on love, friendships and doubles down on the violence. This story is definitely a movie that needs to happen. Amazon or Netflix, let’s do it!!!
Final Thoughts
Walking through the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, I started to look around and see how the cosplay, pop culture, panels, and merch was slowly starting to return to a state of normalcy. With patrons looking at the creators with more enthusiasm, I managed to see multiple booths sell out of some of their signature products and with masks becoming more than just outfits for cosplay and costumes, they, somehow, became the most important safety item for any indoor and sometimes outdoor environment; and as I walked around with that famous safety harness attached to my face, the fear that I would contract COVID-19 still again, subsided.
Comic-Cons and big events similar to this, it appears, have a long way to go before we can get to a fully unmasked event, but Awesome Con 2021 didn’t disappoint as they provided us with their spacious arrangement of booths, panels, and ensured that everyone who decided to sell, and attend, would be safe.
Thanks again for an enjoyable experience.
