Recap and Review of the new Atlanta Comic Con @theatlantacomiccon #convention #geeks #nerds #press

I was invited to attend the new Atlanta Comic Con as press in exchange for my pre-post and posting a review at the end.

I have to admit, I was rather disappointed by the turn out of attendees, especially on Friday.  I knew it would be low (workday and all that), but it was still smaller than expected.  It didn't start until noon, so we picked up our passes and got lunch before diving in.  Our only real confusion Friday was thinking that the convention was in building A (like Momocon), when it was actually in building C.  I mostly wandered to see what was going on where.  There were free 80's type arcade games to play on as well as a room set up to play various XBox games.  I did go to a family friendly freestyle D&D panel, which was interesting (and funny) to watch.

Optimus Prime

Saturday was considerably more interesting.  A lot more people came out for the convention, so there was a lot more going on.  I started my day out by going to the panel featuring Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings and more recently in Stranger Things).   I stayed in the panel area and sat in on Linda Larkin and Paige O'Hara (voice of Jasmine and Belle respectively).

cosplay

I followed that up by going and visiting with the men from Helluva Productions.   They showed a short film of what they HAD and followed it up with some examples of work from a new animator.   Barring any production or other issues happening between now and then, look for a potentially good new animation out in October (may not be appropriate for younger audiences).

goodies

I watched the girls for a while and checked out some of the games in the 1UP game room.  We also took our time going through the exhibitors hall.  I picked up 3 themed mystery boxes while there (the main one being Harry Potter themed) and a hand crafted phoenix figure from HP.  I finished my day up on an HP note with the Matthew Lewis (Neville from Harry Potter) panel.

guests!

Sunday we discovered that there was an Atlanta United game.  It made getting in/out of the convention center challenging to say the least.  Otherwise, I attended Renee O'Connor's panel as well as Cary Elwes'.
My son and I attended the Sadie the Science Lady presentation and then finished our con out by watching another freestyle D and D panel, this one aimed at the 18+ group.  Considerably more humorous, but definitely not for the younger set.

Science Rap

There was definitely a good selection of guests in attendance (certainly aided by the fact that Stranger Things is filming in Gwinnett).  They had an app that you could use to keep track of the schedule.  My request on this one would be that you be able to pick the panels you're interested in and make your own calendar to track them (similar to the one used by Momocon).  For the bigger panels, they used 3 rooms together with a lot of chairs.  If the crowd had actually filled the room, the people on the sides would NEVER have seen the panelist.  There were no monitors for them to watch.  Also, the acoustics in the room weren't very good either.  There was a definite echo at times and the speaker would occasionally get lost in clarity.

My daughter would love to see a "quiet space" for those that get overwhelmed or just need a time out for a while.  She and her best friend were also concerned by the price.  It wasn't cheap for a 3 day admission, even getting them online early.  Talking with another attendee, she was concerned that there hadn't been enough advance notice for the cosplayers to really come out in force.  Apparently another con was this weekend and most had travelled for that one.  Hopefully if this one happens again next year, there will be plenty of notice so they can attend.

A kudos to the Gamers on the Edge group that sponsored the 1UP video game room.  The girls really appreciated being able to play games aimed at multiple players and fewer single person games.  I liked the fact that they were supporting the Children's Miracle Network with both a raffle and an item sale.  We entered the raffle (didn't win) and I got a beanie.  Though I suspect the beanie will be taken over by one of the children at some point.

 If it does happen again next year and a larger number attend, they'll need more panels.  My son would suggest fan-run panels or something similar.  He appreciated the scheduling tasks, but isn't one to appreciate sitting an hour in between panels he finds interesting.  The panels he DID attend, though, he definitely enjoyed.

All of us agree, for a first year con, well done!

Atlanta Comic Con! #fangirl #HarryPotter #MatthewLewis #LordoftheRings #SeanAstin #Disney

So I'm off to the World Congress Center to check out the new Atlanta Comic Con.  Follow me on instagram to see more up to date photos and impressions during the weekend.  I'll post an update next week on all that I've seen.  In the mean time, I'm off to fan girl over some of the guests and check out some of the panels.

Atlanta Sci-Fi and Fantasy Expo @scifiatlanta

I heard about the Atlanta Sci-Fi and Fantasy Expo online as well.  I took my daughter and one of her friends on Saturday afternoon to check it out.  We didn't attend any panels, though we did look around to see where they were being held.  We did the main thing and checked out the vendor and artist area.  It was set in the middle of the mall with a LOT of vendors.  Quite a few authors, artists and gaming companies were in attendance as well.  I was suitably impressed.  For a relatively new con, it had a good selection of vendors and panels offered.

Our haul from the show.  The requisite candy/treats, a stuffed Dopey head, small Hello Kitty (we had been at the cafe earlier in the day after all), a book (signed by the author) and some rings.

Since this one is so close to home, I'll likely keep an eye on it. It may become one we try to attend regularly. I also liked the cost of admission (free).

Review: Mindspace Investigations Novels @AHughesWriter

Another one of the authors I met and talked with at the +Decatur Book Festival .  A Georgia native, Alex Hughes isn't necessarily new on the scene, though she "only" has 3 books at Amazon.  I read Sharp and Clean, novels in the Mindspace Investigations series.  There is a novella called Payoff that I have yet to get to.  The next in the series is due out in the first half of next year.

I don't always like to do a synopsis, you can read that from the author without my twists on it.   I will state that it is based in Atlanta, in the way distant future.  If you're a resident, you'll easily recognize many of the landmarks she goes through during the stories.  The primary character is very flawed and telepathic.  If you like the tortured male lead character, he'll fit right in. 

Clean gives you a basic history and starts the series.  You learn fairly quickly that the lead character needs help, a lot of it.  He is working as a contractor with the local police department.  Story one takes you through solving a difficult and harrowing case.  Story two picks up where the first one left off and leaves you waiting for the third.  You will leave the series anticipating what's to come, but not knowing how it will happen.

I finished both books within 3 days. (A rather rare occasion that I had the time.)  So, now I sit and wait for the release of the next book.  If you're into sci fi/crime type books, definitely a good read.  I look forward to seeing where Ms. Hughes goes from here.