Awesome Con: A Comic-Con That Welcomes All
Awesome Con returns with many showcases and spectacles of geek culture, including the signature queer-focused Pride Alley
Since its launch roughly seven years ago, Pride Alley has become a distinctive feature of Awesome Con. It occupies an entire section of the annual D.C. comic-con’s showroom floor, and is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating LGBTQ artists and creators.
“We give it space, we give it a name,” says Lauren Dabb, the longtime director of Awesome Con. “There’s a web page dedicated to it so that people who want to know where they can find [queer content] only have to look: ‘These are the amazing things you can come and do and see. And we welcome you.’ And, we definitely put intention behind that. I would say that’s not something you see at [other] comic-cons.”
“The best part about Pride Alley,” Dabb continues, “is that it just continues to get bigger and bigger.”
At the 2024 Awesome Con, set to fill the Washington Convention Center this weekend from March 8-10, there will be more artists than ever in Pride Alley, which is co-presented by Geeks OUT and Metro Weekly.
There will also be “an entire panel room” where LGBTQ celebrities and other notables will be in conversation with one another as well as with fans. The Pride Alley panel lineup this year includes a discussion with creators Tana Ford and Josh Trujillo about “Finding My Queer Voice” in the publishing scene, a “Cosplay is a Drag (Queen)” session with local drag acts Logan Stone and D’Manda Martini, and a discussion with chef and author Jarrett Melendez (Chef’s Kiss, The Comic Kitchen) and graphic artist Sarah Myer (Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story) about “Celebrating Queer & Diverse Middle Grade/YA Stories.”
Also scheduled at the event are officials with the Capital Pride Alliance, SMYAL, the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, and the Mayor’s Office on LGBTQ+ Affairs. “It’s just really cool how big it’s getting, how much is being celebrated, and how big of a space we have for the LGBTQ community here,” Dabb says.
Pride Alley has become a signature of Awesome Con on par with “the wildly popular” Science Fair, known by its tell-tale tagline, “Where science meets science fiction.” Among other things, each year’s Science Fair presents a wealth of displays, discussions, and demonstrations from scientists and researchers affiliated with renowned, D.C.-area-based entities including NASA and the National Science Foundation.
This year also sees the debut of a new feature intended to become another annual Awesome Con signature: Anime Yokocho, a special section focused on “all things anime,” including live art installations, meet-and-greets with anime voice actors, and anime-themed merch.
Awesome Con also offers the type of showcases and spectacles one would expect at any comic con, especially one billing itself as a “celebration of geek culture” — from some of the hottest authors and titles in comic books and related genres of publishing; to the best of cosplay, including a cosplay catwalk for fans to “show off their best red carpet looks” as well as the annual Cosplay Competition; to a litany of opportunities to play trivia and video games and karaoke.
Every year a handful of popular and iconic media franchises are given the “reunion” spotlight, with key actors from the series brought back together for exclusive panel discussions. This year’s reunion lineup includes a handful of cast members from AMC’s acclaimed series Breaking Bad; Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, stars of the CW series Smallville; Walter Jones and Billy Yost from Power Rangers; plus the three leads from the 2001 cult-popular film Josie and the Pussycats: Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson. Dawson will also appear separately with Hayden Christensen, one of her co-stars from the Disney+ series Star Wars: Ahsoka.
Other notable celebrity guests set to appear at the 2024 Awesome Con are two stars from the Marvel Cinematic Universe — Charlie Cox (Daredevil) and Native American actor Alaqua Cox (Echo) — Orlando Jones (American Gods) and Tony Todd (Candyman).
This year’s Awesome Con is earlier than those from the recent past, effectively becoming a spring rather than a summer show. “We work with Events DC to get as close to our normal-ish date pattern, which is really April to June,” Dabb says. “But this year it just happened to be that the weekend they had available for us with the space we need” — meaning the entire convention center — was in March.
Irrespective of when it falls on the calendar, Dabb says, “Our goal is always, we want people to leave saying, ‘That was the best day of my life.’ We really strive to [make sure that] every community feels welcome at our shows, and we want to make sure that we have something for everyone.”
Dabb has a pinch-me moment every year once the proceedings get underway. “It’s just amazing to stand back and see everything that we bring to the show, see it all come together and see all these people having the time of their lives.”
Awesome Con is at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y. Lew Pl. NW, in Washington, D.C. Show dates Friday, March 8, from 1 to 8 p.m., Saturday, March 9, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Single-day badges run from $48 to $60, with 3-day badges costing $95. Premium badges are also available. For more information on badge options and a full lineup of events and panels throughout the weekend, visit www.awesome-con.com.
To learn more about Pride Alley, visit www.awesome-con.com/pride-alley.
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