If you're a fangirl (or fanboy) for "Fantastic Four," "Zap Comix" or maybe just have your own penchant for creating magic in the thin 32 pages of a comic book, there's nowhere else to be this weekend but at the first-ever Atlanta Comic Con.
The convention, put on by the Imaginarium Agency, debuts Friday until Sunday at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, featuring celebrity comic guests, cosplay, comic books and dozens of vendors.
Tickets are still on sale for between $30 and $60 here.
The convention is dedicated to the nearly 90 years of comic books, the movies and the pop culture that has evolved around comics and cartoons. Imaginarium previously hosted comic conventions in San Francisco, Detroit, Tamp Bay, Florida, and Indianapolis.
“Not too far from home for most of our team, we’re excited to bring a great Imaginarium style comic convention to the great city of Atlanta,” according to a statement on the agency’s website. “We’re looking forward to that laid back ‘southern hospitality’.”
If you’d like to congregate with fellow passionate comic enthusiasts, here’s everything you need to know:
There will be an impressive list of celebrities.
Sean Astin of “Lord of the Rings” fame, Matthew Lewis best known for playing Neville Longbottom in the “Harry Potter” films, Renee O’Connor, who played Gabrielle on the TV show “Xena: Warrior Princess,” are just some of the top tier celebrities that will be in attendance this weekend.
The event will also honor the celebrities behind some of cartoon’s most beloved characters, like Rodger Bumpass, voice of Squidward on“Spongebob Squarepants” and Carlos Alazraqui, voice of “Rocko’s Modern Life.”
There will be more to do than salivate over celebrities.
Atlanta’s inaugural Comic Con will offer various opportunities to purchase and survey a wide spectrum of interests, including comic books, magazines, toys, games, Star Wars, Star Trek, anime, manga, cosplay, artwork, sketches and apparel. There will also be a chance to cosplay with a pro. Yaya Han, an Atlanta-based a costume designer, will be in attendance for some cosplay entertainment.
It’s free for kids.
Admission runs much cheaper than most weekend-long conventions, with a single-day ticket running just $30. Although, the autograph sessions will cost about $40 a pop. You'll spend money schmoozing with the stars, but not paying for your kids to attend will leave room in your wallet for them. Children can attend Atlanta Comic Con for free. You can purchase tickets now on Eventbrite.
There are rules to cosplay.
Convention staff and security can opt to inspect attendees’ props to ensure safety during Atlanta Comic Con.
Here are the general rules for cosplay:
- Any real firearms.
- Any metal weapon with an exposed point or sharpened edge (swords, spears, arrows etc).
- Metal or wooden baseball bats and/or clubs.
- Any weapon or prop that produces a flame.
- Airsoft, paintball, and bb/pellet weapons.
Parking, directions and more.
You can take MARTA to the convention, which will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta. The route is along the Blue and Green Lines, with two rail stations serving the GWCC: the Vine City stop and the GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Station.
The Georgia World Congress Center has online parking reservations. For Friday and Saturday, parking is available for purchase now. For Sunday, a code is required to purchase online; that code is ACOMIC18. You can reserve your parking now here.
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