Awesome Con 2014 Coverage
An Interview with Co-Founder Ben Penrod
1) So can you tell us just a little bit of background about yourself? How did you get into comics?
I have been reading comics since I was 13 years old. I started selling comics on Ebay in 1999 or 2000, just selling parts of my collection over the years to buy more comics. I started selling comics full time in 2008, and in 2011 we ran the first Annapolis Comic-Con. I’ve traveled all over the country visiting dozens of comic conventions, it’s been really great, and this is something I truly love and we’ve had a lot of success.
2) Then it seems like a big leap to events. I know you’ve done stuff in Annapolis and Southern Maryland but how did you get all the way to creating DC’s Awesome Con?
We ran the two-day Annapolis Comic-Con in 2012 as a test-run for a larger show in Washington, DC. It was a really great event and everyone had a good time, but for us it was more of a test to make sure we knew what we were doing and that we could run a bigger event without taking the huge financial risk of running something in Washington, DC. That’s also why the 2013 Awesome Con was much smaller than the 2014 event. By now we’re fairly confident that we can run something this size and we’re ready to see it happen.
3) How do you find volunteers and staff? What type of people do you look for?
We posted an application for volunteers a few months ago on our website. It’s closed now, but that’s mainly where we found our volunteers. We want people who are fans like everyone else at Awesome Con, but they want to be more involved with producing the show. For staff, we look for people who have experience in the areas that we are hiring them in, and also enjoy fan conventions.
4) What about DC Awesome Con is different from other conventions out there?
Awesome Con is a lot like the other conventions that are in most major cities in the US, but I think we stand out in a few areas. Our programming is far more extensive than most comic-cons or pop culture cons. We spent a lot of time working on it to make sure that there’s something for everyone. We are also completely run by fans, but as our full-time job. We bring the attention and care and knowledge to the con that you’d get at any fan-run con, but we are also professionals who can put on a top-notch event. If we were hired to run a trade show in a completely unrelated industry, we could do that. It wouldn’t be as fun, of course! Billie Piper is making her second appearance EVER in the United States at Awesome Con. The reason she hasn’t been at more conventions is because nobody has asked her. She’s not a household name in the US, and most convention promoters haven’t heard of her. They are good businessmen, but they mostly aren’t geeks like us. That’s really what sets us apart, we bring the professionalism and the geekness together.
5) What aspects about DC Awesome Con 2014 are you most excited for?
The two things I’m personally most excited for aren’t even happening at the con! I can’t wait to set a new world record for people dressed as comic book characters at the Capitol on Friday at noon, just before the con begins. I am also a major Andrew WK fan, and seeing him at our Awesome Con-certon Saturday night will be so much fun. For things I’m looking forward to AT the con, I think just watching everything as it’s set up on Thursday and Friday, that always really makes everything seem super real and it’s the culmination of so much work that we’ve put in for more than a year, it’s really emotional. I’m also going to try to participate on our pro wrestling panel, and maybe the most important thing I’ll be doing all weekend is giving a very heartfelt thank-you to our Kickstarter Backers in person at the Backers Only Panel.
6) So, who are your favorite female comic book characters, whether heroine, antiheroine, or villainess?
I love Michonne in Walking Dead, she’s got to be my favorite right now. Andrea is also a great character, but Michonne is so great. I’m reading Saga, which is full of awesome female characters. I loved Barbara Gordon as Oracle, I was always amazed at how well the writers seemed to nail it with her.
7) What do you think is the evolution of women in comics? What changes have you noticed in your years of being a comics fan and convention organizer?
I think it’s just in the past few years that the comics industry has really gotten a lot more progressive about women and their personas in comics. It’s still a very male-dominated field in terms of creators, but there seem to be a lot more male writers and artists who can respect women, both as characters and as readers. The change is positive but you can look around most conventions and see that there’s still work to be done.
8) Similarly, what do you like about genre television and media?
I like that it’s mainstream now!!! If you had told me 20 years ago that Green Arrow would have a highly-rated amazing TV show, I would have lost it! When I first started reading comics, none of my friends who didn’t also read comics knew who the Avengers were. This is a great time to be a geek.
9) I see you definitely have media guests this year, like Billie Piper and Jewel Staite. Do you have a personal favorite female character from television or movies?
Just like in comics, I love Michonne. Arya from Game of Thrones is great. I am also a huge fan of the new Comedy Central series Broad City, Abbi and Ilana are hilarious.
10) What do you think and hope makes a strong female protagonist?
Anyone who wouldn’t be written any differently if she were a man. Someone like Arya Stark who just takes care of business.
11) What are your big hopes for DC Comic Con 2014 and beyond?
I just hope Awesome Con grows into something that will serve as an annual tradition for all the geeks in the DC area. I wish we had something like this when I was younger, working at the comic book store.
12) Finally, where can people find you and how can they buy tickets?
Awesome Con is at the Washington Convention Center in Downtown DC, April 18-20. You can buy tickets on-site, or if you’d rather not wait in super long lines you can purchase tickets atwww.awesomecondc.com/tickets.
Thanks!
