Dragon Con Parade 2017

This year was the 16th Annual Dragon Con Parade, the eighth one I've seen, and it was again totally AWESOME!

Dragon Con Parade | Stan Lee | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The Grand Marshall of this year's highly attended parade was Stan Lee, the man behind hundreds of Marvel superheroes. I grew up with Iron Man, the X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and so many more. 

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

It's totally awesome to get to see Stan Lee, AND to see so many cosplayers showing their fandom for superheroes, like Spider-Man.

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There's of course something for everyone! The Dragon Con Parade covers a multitude of genres, including television cartoon personalities, such as SpongeBob SquarePants. The kids love him and many in the audience who are now adults love him, too!

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The Dragon Con Parade isn't just for kids, though. It's for all ages of pop culture fandom! It's true that the convention itself draws primarily young adults/young professionals, but there are still quite a few conventioneers on the other ends of the age spectrum. 

The Parade is a free, open-to-the-public Dragon Con event, so many, many more youngsters come to Downtown Atlanta's Peachtree Street to join in on the fun.

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Some superheroes have been superheroes for generations. Superman first came on the scene in 1938 and Dragon Con has a great many Superman cosplayers, some quite convincing!

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Without fail, we see cosplay upticks just before and immediately following a major motion picture, in this case, the 2017 WONDER WOMAN movie...which is AWESOME!

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The Spartans of the Dragon Con 300 cosplay group are always a big hit. They're inspired by the 2006 film "300", starring Gerard Butler. 

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love clever! 

This cosplayer totally reminded me of the line delivered by Princess Leia when Luke and Han go to rescue her. When Luke broke into her cell, the first thing she said, quite calmly, "Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"

This trooper is totally awesome!

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

My celebrity-spotting hobby (not stalking, that's quite different) began in 2002 when I met Leonard Nimoy at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. That experience changed me. He was incredibly nice, super funny, and humble. For me, he set the tone for what I thought all celebrities would be like...and I'm grateful that many have been.

I didn't get to meet this particular Spock cosplayer, but he's the best I've ever seen! I've cosplayed a Vulcan before, but I wasn't nearly as awesome as this guy is! 

Live long and prosper.

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Atlanta's greatest parade, and I believe the largest, draws thousands of people of every size, shape and color. It's one of the most peaceful gatherings of such a diverse group of people. That's one of the many things that I love about this event.

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I'm amazed every year at just how much goes into the costumes and makeup by the cosplayers. And some of them have equally elaborate costumes for every day of the convention! 

You can say Betelgeuse as many times as you like, but never say Bettlejuice three times in a row or you'll have to deal with this guy! 

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

One of the great things about the Dragon Con Parade is that you can totally enjoy it even if you don't know many of the characters represented in the cosplay. It's easy to admire the time and talent that went into an elaborate costume and makeup. "Applause" for everyone who makes this parade as awesome as it is!

Dragon Con Parade 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Dragon Con is much more than a celebration of pop culture. It's also deeply committed to giving back to the community. Every year it conducts one of the largest blood drives in the city and there's always at least one other fundraising effort...this year it was for Special Olympics Georgia. 

I don't know the fundraising numbers yet, but Dragon Con committed to matching the first $100,000 raised. That's super special in my book!

Keep your eye on the Dragon Con website and its social media channels for when next year's Dragon Con Parade will be and mark your calendars. See you then!

[More parade photos here!]

Cover: Dragon*Con Parade in Only Three Weeks!

The annual Dragon*Con Parade is only three weeks away! The Parade will kick off at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday September 1, 2012...and my experience has been that they always start on time. 

Dragon*Con Parade (2010)

My friends, family, and others who know me, know that I'm a huge sci-fi enthusiast...HUGE! Oddly enough, I'd never attended a sci-fi convention until a couple of years ago. I'd wanted to, it just never worked out that I got to. That changed Labor Day Weekend 2010. 

Dragon*Con 2010 and the Dragon*Con Parade 2010 were life-changing. Nah...no epiphanies that changed the way I live or anything like that, but I'd discovered a new level of fun, celebrity spotting (which I love!), and that there are a lot more fellow sci-fi enthusiasts in Atlanta than I ever though.

To give you an idea of the scope of a Dragon*Con Parade, last year's Parade (2011) was comprised of 3,100 participants who overtook a huge strip of Peachtree Street...that's people "in" the Parade, not the thousands of cheering, camera-clicking, video-recording spectators.

The celebrity-spotting I noted a moment ago was not an exaggeration. In addition to the the one and only Stan Lee, here are a few of the HUNDREDS of celebrities that I'm looking forward to seeing:

• Stan Lee
• John Barrowman
• Nichelle Nichols
• Jamie Bamber
• Katee Sackhoff
• Ian Somerhalder
• Jonathan Frakes
• LeVar Burton
• Michael Dorn
• Dean Cain
• Adam Baldwin
• Sean Maher
• Garrett Wang
• Connor Trinneer

Whether you attend one or all four days of Dragon*Con on Labor Day Weekend or the Parade (which is free) that Saturday, you're guaranteed to have an experience that's rather unique in Atlanta.

Enjoy the above pre-sized Facebook Cover Photo and then head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page. Like and share the Page while you're there!

ZAP! POW! BAM!: It's Super!

Superman

Originating at The Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust Museum in 2004, "ZAP! POW! BAM! The Golden Age of Comic Books" has triumphantly returned to Atlanta from travels around the world…ready for more, well-deserved, superhero worship.

The exhibit, I'm told, was the mastermind of the museum's Executive Director, Jane D. Leavey and some of her colleagues. On the grand opening of the exhibit's second run at The Breman, Jane welcomed visitors to the guest speaker presentation with the assistance of two Batmen (cape-wearing youngsters) who quite effectively entertained the audience without uttering a word.

The Opening Gala

Superhero Cinema

Even in competition with the most beautiful day in Atlanta in many weeks, the opening gala was well attended. Visitors (members and guests) were scurrying around between the lobby, gift shop, permanent exhibits, the ZAP! POW! BAM! exhibit, and the auditorium where a speaker program was about to begin when I arrived.

The opening gala included the speaker program, refreshments following the program, the exhibit itself (and all of its elements), and social time with fellow museum visitors.

I arrived with only a few minutes before the 2:00 start time of the Mueller presentation, but I couldn't resist the urge to pop into the exhibit for a quick preview…I felt like such a kid. Satisfied, momentarily, with the tip of the iceberg, I waited to meander the exhibition in its entirety until after the speaker presentation.

Comic Book Art Display

I entered the auditorium and found a seat near the front close to the podium. As on previous occasions of visits to The Breman, other visitors introduced themselves and cordially engaged me in conversation. Every time I go, I'm made to feel like I've run into old friends.

The guest speaker was Emory University's professor of film studies, an illustrator, and an animation expert, Eddy Von Mueller…a scholarly, distinguished, yet rather hip gentleman.

Following an impressive introduction that included an even more impressive litany of the speakers accomplishments, Mr. Mueller took to the podium and proceeded to mesmerize the audience with his learned insights of how so many of the superheroes we admire, from yesteryear through today, were created by Jewish citizens—who constructed "secret identities" (a recurring theme in the presentation) for themselves, for the sake of their career success, as they did for their superhero creations.

Comic Book Artist Profile

I will attempt to succinctly share the gist of what he revealed.

Mueller gave an eloquent and humorous dissertation on the historic rise of comic book fanfare, their role in society in the early years, and how that role—their stature in society—parleyed into a group of not-exactly-accepted American citizens, Jews, created an industry that would become a global sensation.

Superman (the second most recognized American in the world) was first introduced in 1938, on the brink of World War II. Anti-Semitism was rampant, so many Jews who immigrated to the United States, and many who were born here, changed their names so that they could get work to provide for their families.

Those who created comic book superheroes did as well and their comic book superheroes also took on "secret identities." This trend continued for many, many years and the sensation of comic book lore grew exponentially.

Comic Book Artifacts

Finally, in 1976, the first superhero to come out of the proverbial closet and profess his Jewish faith was Thing, a member of The Fantastic Four.

Mueller also told us that a first edition of the 1938 Superman comic book, which originally cost 10 cents, sold at auction for $1,500,000. Now that's a serious collector!

On a side note, I had the exciting opportunity to see Christopher Reeve (the best-known Superman) when he was the Master of Ceremonies at the 1996 Paralympic Games here in Atlanta. And I got to actually meet Brandon Routh (the most recent movie Superman) at Dragon*Con 2010 here in Atlanta.

Comic Artist Studio

The final, and probably most important, point that Mueller made was that reading is extremely important to our society. Pointedly not giving investment advice, he made it known that he feels grievous when he hears of a comic book, or any book for that matter, that sits undisturbed, unread, never telling the story inside it dying to get out.

Read, people! Just saying.

Following the speaker presentation, visitors were treated to a virtual buffet of savory and sweet morsels and beverages. Many enjoyed the bounty of the grocery and bakery and the socializing, while others, including myself, couldn't wait any longer to get to the exhibit.

The Exhibit

For the record, the full name of the exhibition is "ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950." And there's more in the exhibit than I have space and time to write about…but I'm certain it's an exhibit you'll be ecstatic to see in person.

Comic Book Artifacts

The excitement on the faces of visitors walking into the exhibit was that of pure enthusiastic anticipation…and the expressions continued throughout the exhibit as author profiles, never-before-seen artifacts, and comic-making stations were discovered.

That same look was on the faces of silver-haired couples, toddlers, teens, and adults you would never had suspected would be so enthralled with an exhibition about a topic so far removed from Corporate America.

Welcoming visitors to the exhibit, in the galleries lobby, is a newsstand with stacks of newspapers bearing headlines of superhero activity such as "Hero Steps from Shadows, Delivers Criminal to Police."

When you walk into the ZAP! POW! BAM! gallery, the first thing you see is a life-size Superman, bursting through a brick wall…obviously to save the day.

If the first wall poster you read is titled "epilogue," turn around because you’re going the wrong way. Walk to the right of Superman and look for "prologue"…then you'll be on the path of righteousness, like any good superhero.

Graphic Novel Kiosk

Throughout the gallery are reading kiosks with graphic novels, low enough for kids to stand and read and still high enough to read comfortably for those of us who left our adolescence in another decade.

Along the length of the first long wall of the gallery are displays of original comic book art, both covers and pages that depict the processes of creation and design. I've never seen comic art this rare or this big! Some of the artwork pieces are considerable larger than your standard comic book size…very cool, I think.

The Comic Studio

The kids are going to love the Comic Studio. With quite a few stations and instructive materials, kids can recreate a favorite superhero or create their own…all the creative materials are provided, as well as inspiration.

Immediately opposite the Comic Studio is a recreation of an actual comic artist studio, with a few impressive artifacts from well-known comic artists, including a typewriter used to create a popular comic book series.

There also are numerous museum cases throughout the gallery with rare comic book related artifacts, including pins, tin cars, cutouts, games, puzzles, and so much more.

The kids are going to love the Superhero costumes! Just for the youngsters, there's a wall of superhero costumes that they can wear for a photo opportunity, but please be sure to return the costumes to the "secret costume hooks" so other visitors may enjoy them as well.

Batmobile

Around every corner is a surprise…not unlike the turning of a page of a comic book. One of the…dare I say it…"most adorable" artifacts in the gallery is a miniature Batmobile…and visitors can sit in it (another excellent photo opportunity!).  Sorry grownups, but this sweet ride is restricted to visitors seven years old and younger, but you get to be the one who shares a really cool photo on your Facebook account!

Immediately across from the Batmobile is the Superhero Cinema, where superheroes come alive on the "big" screen. Several shows are playing so stay as long as you like, but no so long that you miss the rest of the exhibit before you have to run off to save the world.

Along the inner wall of the corridor outlining the gallery are sections highlighting the works of specific comic book character creators.

One of my personal favorites is Stan Lee, who you learn was born Stanley Martin Lieber, but succeeded despite feeling he too had to hide his identity—his cultural heritage—to be successful. Stan was a huge draw at last year's Dragon*Con in Atlanta and I loved his TV show "Who Wants to be a Superhero?"

Kryptonite

While the exhibition seems like it's all fun and games, there is a "danger zone"…beware the Kryptonite, especially if you're from Krypton (Do you dare get too close?). If you're not sure what Kryptonite is, just keep an eye out for the glowing-green box.

Bidding visitors farewell is a superhero changing room—also known as a phone booth, complete with superhero costume.

Giving credit where credit is due, the ZAP! POW! BAM! exhibition is sponsored by Cartoon Network…how apropos, right?

When ZAP! POW! BAM! closes at The Breman after a second run (on Sunday, April 24, 2011), it will continue its worldly travels. Next stop: Scottsdale, Arizona.

Kids, of all ages, who are inspired by the exhibit enough to want to read a comic or two can fly, flash or teleport to Oxford Comics in Buckhead or any of the other numerous comic book stores in Atlanta. The also can look forward to Free Comic Book Day on May 7, 2011.

Upcoming Programs

Comic Book Race Cars

Part of the ZAP! POW! BAM! exhibition is the ZAP! POW! BAM! Film Series. The series kicks off on Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. with The New Adventures of Wonder Woman starring Linda Carter, who I saw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. not too long ago…she's amazing! And she demonstrated for the audience a Wonder Woman spin!

Wrapping up the film series will be Snow in August with guest speaker Rabbi Phil Kranz. Snow in August will be shown on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.

The Bearing Witness Series program features a Holocaust survivor or a child of a Holocaust survivor in a speaker program on the first Sunday of each month. The next speaker, Henry Brinbrey of Germany, will present his story this Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.

The Return

Having been as many times as I have, will I return to The Breman? Actually, on the visit before this one, I purchased a membership. The experience so far has been very enriching, emotional at times, and worth every second I've spent there. I will be back for more of the Bearing Witness programs and definitely to see the Wonder Woman film feature...I mean, who doesn't enjoy Wonder Woman?

Touring ZAP! POW! BAM!

Date toured: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Hours: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.; Closed on Saturdays and most Jewish and Federal holidays.
Location: 1440 Spring Street (at 18^th Street) (directions and map)
Cost: Adults $12, Seniors $8, Students $6, Children (3-6) $4, Children (under 3) free
Parking: Free onsite parking
Website: http://www.thebreman.org/

Superhero Headlines

Dragon*Con: An Out-of-This-World Convention

Dragon*Con Superheroes

For four days, over Labor Day Weekend, downtown Atlanta became home to thousands of television, movie and video game characters, superheroes and creatures found only in the fantasy world, as well as dozens of musicians and Hollywood and television celebrities. The occasion? Dragon*Con. Dragon*Con is the world’s largest annual science fiction/fantasy convention, drawing approximately 50,000 people this year.

As I heard it many moons ago, Atlanta received its "international city" status primarily through its convention business. Dragon*Con contributes to that economic force, but it's by no means your typical convention. Neither is it the sci-fi/fantasy convention of yesteryear.

Queen of the Damned

Dragon*Con attracts people from all walks of life who are interested in science fiction, comic books, cinema and the fantasy realm. It also draws artists, writers and big-name celebrities. Hundreds of the attendees donned costumes depicting their favorite characters. Few of the costumes were off-the-rack…a lot of creativity went into portraying an incredibly wide range of characters and were highly impressive.

However, the convention is not all about the costumes and rubbing elbows with celebrities. The organizers also ensure that ample opportunity is provided to give back to the community by holding one of the largest blood drives in the city. Was it odd that "vampires" were advertising the annual blood drive? Not at Dragon*Con. Undoubtedly they increased the record-setting number of pints collected, without availing themselves to the tempting conventioneers contributions.

Star Trek World Record Attempt

Increasing the fun-factor, the convention organizers coordinated three world record attempts:

• most superhero costumes in a single place;
• most Star Trek costumes in a single place; and
• largest steam punk photograph.

I participated in the Guinness Book of World Records attempt for Star Trek costumes, having donned a Starfleet Vulcan uniform (and the pointy ears). The final count was 571, beating the record of 543 currently held by conventioneers in Las Vegas. The tallied and recorded data is being sent to Guinness for verification.

Dragon*Con Parade

There were events outside the convention specially organized for Dragon*Con conventioneers, including:

• a special viewing of the Salvador Dali exhibit at the High Museum of Art;
• an evening at the Georgia Aquarium; and
• the annual Dragon*Con Parade, held on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta.

The Dragon*Con Parade is a favorite for kids of all ages. The procession takes place on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta and includes costumes representing the full gamut of genres at Dragon*Con, floats and celebrities. The most notable celebrities participating in the Parade this year were Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) and Kevin Sorbo (Amdrameda/Hercules).

Me with Marina Sirtis

At this year’s Dragon*Con, Summer Glau (Serenity/The Sarah Connor Chronicles) was the most popular attending celebrity, noted by the never-ending line of Glau enthusiasts wanting an autograph and a moment to chat with her about their love of her work.

The Walk of Fame was one of my favorite convention destinations. It's where attendees can see dozens of celebrities and get their autographs (often for a nominal fee). A few of the big names were Ben Browder (Farscape/Stargate), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), LeVar Burton (Roots/Star Trek: The Next Generation), Edward James Olmas (Battlestar Galactica), Morena Baccarin (Firefly/V), Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), Daniel Cudmore (X-Men/Twilight), and the superstar of comic book creation, Mr. Stan Lee.

There were 39 specific tracks that conventioneers could follow, some of which included Animation, Anime/Manga, British Sci-Fi Media, Costuming, Gaming Programing, Live Performances, Robotics, Science, Star Wars and Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Personally, I'm a Star Trek fan, so I followed, very excitedly, many of the programs on the Star Trek track, of which Garrett Wang (Star Trek: Voyager) was the track Chairperson and speaker or moderator at numerous Trek events and programs. To portray such a seemingly innocent character on Voyager (Ensign Harry Kim), Wang is in real life quite the hilarious guy, and he does an excellent impression of George Takei.

Jedi Knight

One of my favorite Dragon*Con events was the first annual "Miss Star Trek Universe" pageant. With Master of Ceremonies Garrett Wang, and Star Trek celebrities on the judges panel, the program was off to a great start. There were 12 contestants representing the Borg, Klingons, Orions, the Trill, Betazoids, Bajorans and of course Terrans, all from the realm of Star Trek. The winner of the pageant, crowned by last year's reigning winner of the Klingon contest, had travelled to participate all the way from Mexico.

Kids are sci-fi/fantasy fans too and many were in attendance, more so for events earlier in the day and especially the Dragon*Con Parade. Most of the evening events, especially at the host hotels, are tailored more for adults although the convention works with an outside vendor to provide childcare services at the convention.

Will I attend next year’s Dragon*Con for their 25th Anniversary? The real question is, "What costume(s) will I be wearing?"

Visiting Dragon*Con

Date toured: Friday-Monday, September 3-6, 2010; Next year, September 2-5, 2011
Hours: Continuous. Scheduled events begin at 10 a.m. and continue until after 3 a.m.
Location: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton & Towers, Atlanta Sheraton, and Westin Peachtree Plaza in downtown Atlanta
Parking: multiple downtown public parking garages and hotel garages, rates vary
MARTA: any station near the host hotels
Website: http://www.dragoncon.org/