Atlanta is preparing to be invaded by a motley assortment of Stormtroopers, Direwolves and aliens over Labor Day weekend. It’s the annual DragonCon convention, one of the largest gatherings of geek culture fans in the country. 65,000 people are expected to attend during the convention’s four days, but that’s just the start of the economic and cultural impact that DragonCon has on Atlanta and the southeast.
GPB’s Bradley George and Renay San Miguel talk about what to expect at this year’s convention.

·Where does DragonCon rank when it comes to these pop culture conventions in the country? How does it compare to the other big summer convention, the San Diego ComicCon?

Let’s start with down-to-earth numbers first before we talk about aliens and Star Wars. The Atlanta Convention and Visitors bureau estimates that the 2013 DragonCon impacted the local economy to the tune of $55.6 million dollars. For the same year, San Diego ComicCon made that area’s cash registers ring for $135 million. I’ve attended both conventions, and I can tell you that DragonCon is much more of a fan’s convention, while San Diego ComicCon is more of an industry showcase; that is, it’s a must-attend gathering for all the media companies that have the superhero and science fiction-based movies and TV shows coming out. That’s where you see early footage of these movies and the stars show up to answer questions from the media. The studios know you have to please that rabid fan base first.

At DragonCon, the organizers really play up the interaction between the fans and the guests who are invited to speak or sign autographs. They want as few obstacles as possible between the actors, authors, comic book artists and other guests and their multitudes of fans.

· You mentioned Star Wars, and unless you’ve been stuck in the Dagobah System for the past year, you know that we’re about to enter a new phase of Star Wars movies and media starting with Episode Seven, The Force Awakens in December. What’s on tap for Star Wars fans this DragonCon?

It will start with the parade, which over the years has always been well represented with members of both the Empire and the rebellion. I’ve seen pretty realistic landspeeders roll down Peachtree in the past. Thanks to the teaser footage and trailers, you’re likely to see some Kylo Rens, who is not a Sith Lord but looks to be the major bad guy in the new film. Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca, is scheduled to attend, as is Timothy Zahn, who’s written ten books set in the Star Wars universe. There are fan tracks, which consist of smaller events and panels within DragonCon, and you can bet that the Star Wars fan track will be well attended. It really speaks to the power of what George Lucas created where you have folks my age, who were 17 when the first movie came out, and you have younger crowds who still revere those first three movies – the prequels? Not so much – and who have set the stage for the blockbuster that the Force Awakens will likely be when it comes out December 18th.

· The parade is a highlight, not just for those attending DragonCon but for anybody who wants to be downtown a week from Saturday to see the parade of costumes and dressed-up vehicles. Talk about the cosplaying aspect of DragonCon and how big it’s become during that weekend.

When I worked in Seattle, one of the camera operators at the station I worked at had the best set of Wolverine-style muttonchop sideburns I’ve ever seen. And sure enough, he grew them because every year, he and his wife would save up money to get a hotel room at one of the five DragonCon host hotels, and he would bring out the claws and the spandex and lay on the hair gel, and she would dress up as a favorite Japanese anime character, and all for the chance to march down Atlanta streets, take pictures with kids and pose for pics for fans. You will see some spectacular costumes that speak to a lot of work and money spent to become these characters for four days. Also the parade route this year is almost a mile longer to accommodate the crowds. Now, you can argue that the dress-up factor has taken away from the original intent of these conventions, which was to highlight the sci-fi authors, comic book artists and other creatives who provided the source material for not just those characters’ costumes, but also the movies and TV shows that are now multi-million dollar businesses unto themselves.

My best DragonCon ever was in 2006, when I had a chance to meet my favorite sci-fi author of all time, Harlan Ellison. He signed my dog-eared paperback copy of one of his many short story collections, and I’ll never forget that. I’d encourage convention goers to seek out some of the authors and comic book professionals and chat with them, take their pictures and thank them for their work.

Tags: Sci-Tech Now Georgia, DragonCon