Atlanta, Georgia, August 31-September 3, 2018

Anthony Aycock reports from this year’s Dragoncon…

In 1986, a little Atlanta-based group of gamers and sci-fi fans put on a convention. Not a Star Trek convention, or a Star Wars convention, or a comic convention. It was a multi-genre affair, with a little something for everyone.

Around 1,400 people showed up for what would grow to be Dragoncon, one of the world’s largest geek conventions. From the outset, the guests were top-tier: sci-fi/fantasy writers Robert Asprin, Lynn Abbey, and Michael Moorcock, plus the band Blue Öyster Cult. Attendance at the show grew every year, doubling in some years. By 1995, it was at 14,000. It topped 40,000 in 2010, and in 2015, over 65,000 were expected. This year, 2018, the crowd exceeded 80,000.

Dragoncon is not like any other convention. For starters, it is mostly fan-led. Other signature conventions – New York Comic Con, C2E2, Chicago Wizard World – are owned by media corporations. Over 2,300 volunteers run Dragoncon, handling everything from media relations to facilities management to booking celebrities. Those volunteers don’t change much year to year, and with many guests also making the trip annually – Peter David has gone pretty much since the beginning – the weekend (always Labor Day) has the feeling of a family reunion.

Another difference is the venue. Dragoncon, like any small con, started in a hotel. Unlike the large cons, it has stayed in one. Well, in five, all downtown: the Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton, and Westin. Vendor booths are located in a sixth building, the AmericasMart. Artist alley moved there in 2017. Over 3,000 hours of programming are spread among those hotels, divided into fortysomething tracks. These tracks are always changing, always growing, according to Dan Carroll, Dragoncon’s director of media. Alongside staples such as comics, fantasy literature, and Star Wars appear new ones like podcasting, puppetry, and filking.

One of my favourite things about Dragoncon is meeting sci-fi and fantasy authors. Last year, I met Jerry Pournelle in what turned out to be his final public appearance. The year before, it was Christopher Paolini. This year, I went to a standing-room-only panel of Star Wars authors that included Kevin Anderson, Christie Golden, E. K. Johnston, Michael Stackpole, and Timothy Zahn. The group talked about the process of writing established characters – getting into their heads, making their voices right, using the source material, and nailing the dialogue. They also discussed how thrilling – and scary – it is to create original characters for the Star Wars universe. Anderson gave some historical perspective, saying that, in the early days, media tie-in books were “bottom of the barrel crap. You wrote those if you couldn’t get a job writing porn.” Now, of course, the quality of such books is higher, despite the Expanded Universe no longer being canon, which still upsets fans. Zahn, for one, was unruffled by the decision. He compares EU novels to King Arthur and Robin Hood: they are “good stories, campfire stories.” Are the stories “true”? Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. They exist. They entertain. Who needs them to be canon?

Later on, as I strolled through artist alley, I happened upon Jim Beard, author of a number of books on pop culture. My favorite title: Gotham City 14 Miles, a anthology of essays on the 1960s Batman TV series.

I got a chance to ask Beard about his work.

How did the Gotham City book get started?

It started because, for me, there just weren’t enough books about that TV series. There needed to be more. I had an idea that I wanted to do a book about it, but it wasn’t until I met the two gentlemen who run Sequart Books that I realized they would be the perfect publisher for such a book. I met them at the New York Comic Con in 2009, and I pitched the idea to them.

And they liked it?

They had not done anything that wasn’t strictly about comic books, but they were intrigued by the idea, and they said go ahead. I started putting together writers who really were into the show and who really wanted to dig into every aspect of the show. And that’s how it came together. They were all very excited to do it, and we all had a passion for it, and the book came together. I’m so proud of it.

What’s been the reception for the book?

It’s been so well received. Now we have all these licensed things in the last couple of years from the TV show, but in 2010, we didn’t have much. People were kinda hungry for stuff about the show, and I think it hit at just the right time for it.

Tell me about some of your other books.

I have both licensed fiction that I’ve done and my own original stuff. I have a book about my own ghost hunter, one about a sixties rock band, the airship mystery of 1897. Then I have things like a Planet of the Apes anthology. I have an X-Files anthology and an original Spider-Man novel. So I’ve done a lot of different things. I’m really enjoying coming up with concepts and taking my pulp style of writing to newer things.

Are you considering going to Dragoncon? If so, I offer this advice:

Book early. Convention badges are plentiful, but the hotels fill up fast.

Use the MARTA. MARTA is Atlanta’s subway system, and it’s the best way to get around, especially if you end up in a hotel miles away, which is likely. A three-day pass with unlimited rides is only $16, and most of the train stations have free parking.

Prepare to wait. You will wait for autographs. You will wait for panels. You will wait for the Heroes & Villains ball or the DragonCon Burlesque or panels with the biggest celebrities. Heck, you will wait for an elevator or a restroom. Get used to it.

Take care of yourself. Stay hydrated, have snacks on hand, take rest breaks–all that human stuff. Dragoncon can take a lot out of you. Don’t let it drain you dry.

Pay in cash. Some vendors, due to 80,000 people stressing cell phone networks, will have trouble processing credit cards. Pay in cash. It avoids this problem. If you buy a one-day badge on-site, pay in cash. The cash line is much shorter and faster than the one for credit cards.

Account for the parade. A highlight of the weekend is the Saturday parade, which starts at 10:00am and stretches through downtown. Thousands of people show up to watch, making it the second largest parade in the state of Georgia. Along the parade route, every inch of sidewalk bears a geeky gawker. It’s like a Marvel mosh pit, so plan accordingly.

Stuff happens. Imagine the weeks of work that goes into creating the schedule for a four-day, 80,000-person convention. And still there are reassignments, cancellations, and other changes. The smartphone app is good, but it does have gaps. If you find yourself in the wrong room or your favourite guest is a no-show, don’t have a meltdown. In most cases, it isn’t the staffers’ fault.

Verdict: 10/10