Punkrockers
Yes We Are
A Recap of the best weekend in August.
As
a seasoned DragonCon veteran who’s been attending the con since I was probably
around seven years on, there was a special energy in the air there this year.
It was filled with innovative thinkers, delightful creatives, incredible
cosplay, and a community for people who are interested in a thousand different
things.
My
DragonCon experience this year started as it normally does, a trip to my
favorite place, AmericasMart. I canvased all six floors admiring all the
creative merch lining the walls. I ended up walking out with more than I came
in with. More notably hopping on to the Labubu trend and adding another pop
culture artisanal tote bag to my collection. I’ve been getting tote bags every
year at DragonCon from one of my favorite vendors who told me this would be
their last year at DragonCon at they will surely be missed.
Once
my quest at AmericasMart ended, I paved my way to the Hall of Heroes, where I
got to meet the most iconic Karen, Deborah Ann Woll.
This
year BrothasComics was honored to interview the legendary cosplayer YaYa Han.
We got to talk to her about her journey to cosplay, her cutting-edge cosplay
creating technology. She answered questions about what designing large cosplays
in a world without Joann Fabrics, her love of Manga, and what it’s been like
for her to see Anime enter the mainstream culture, because when she was young
it was the opposite. It was an amazing experience to hear from one of the
trailblazers of innovative cosplay about her creative process, passion, and the
legacy she hopes to leave.
But
my favorite part of DragonCon will always be the parade; where attendees get to
show off their passion, fandom, and creativity for all to see. We all laugh,
shout, cheer, and celebrate creativity, brilliance, innovation and fandom in
the most uniting way. Some of my favorite cosplays I got to see this year
include an amazing Antler Queen and mini-Misty Quigley from Yellowjackets, an
incredible automatic Iron Man Suit, a beautifully designed mosaic Star Wars dress,
a full-on Rockstar Bonnie from Five Nights at Freddy’s, and a DragonCon classic,
an army of inflatable T-Rexes adorned in the customary DragonCon mosaic print.
After
the conclusion of the parade, I fought my way back to the Hall of Heroes to
complete some unfinished business; meeting some of my childhood heroes. I was
absolutely delighted at the opportunity to meet the incredible John Boyega, the
one and only Finn. After that I wandered by way down to the Arrowverse side of
the hall to complete my collection of D.C. superheroes by meeting the lovely
Emily Bett Rickards, and the spectacular Brandon Routh.
This
year’s DragonCon was a beautiful celebration of individuality, expression,
creativity, uniqueness, fandom, and community. There’s nothing like it and
never will be. Proving once again, that DragonCon is the real punk rock.
Click here to see my DragonCon
Instagram recap!
