Atlanta ComicCon offers little to fans

Compared to Dragon*Con and MomoCon, Atlanta ComicCon is a miniscule affair. The entire event took up one hallway and a ballroom, with about twelve different vendors and artists. I saw a grand total of two cosplayers, and there were no con games or panels popular at the other conferences.

The main attraction was the Walking Dead table, which featured actor Carl Grimes, also named Carol on the show, and a couple zombies from the cast signing autographs for about $10 to $15. The comic books that the show was based on were also available, but some volumes had already sold out by the time I arrived at about 1:30 p.m. I had not heard of any of the other featured artists, who appeared to be mostly independent artists and writers. After perusing their work, it was sadly easy to see why they had not gained more fame.

If you are seeking to buy, sell or trade rare comics or collectibles, you should keep an eye out for this event next year. The dealers had a large collection of Star Wars memorabilia, ranging from original action figures from the first trilogy, to merchandise from the new Cartoon Network shows.

American super hero comic books were the main focus of the event, and there was a daunting array of silver, bronze and modern Age comics for sale. While I can tell my Blue Lanterns apart from my Blue Beetles, I am by no-means a comic expert, and I felt lost in the endless sea of original issues.

The event had a modest attendance, and the crowd skewed a bit older than what is typical for bigger events. All of the vendors were friendly, some desperately so, urging every passersby to flip through their books and prints. While the five dollar admission fee may not sound like much, it seems a little on the steep side considering you can have a leisurely look at each vendor in about an hour.

There are far worse ways to spend a Feb. Sunday, especially if you are a serious collector. But casual comic fans, convention goers and people watchers will definitely want to wait for the larger, more convenient and completely free MomoCon.

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