Awesome Con 2016 Review

Awesome Con 2016 wrapped up about 3 weeks ago and I'm finally getting around to writing about it. I would have written this earlier, but I came down with a bad cold that I started to get Sunday evening after meeting Peter Capaldi. I think the Doctor gave me a space virus. My immune system is not used to Gallifreyan viruses.

This year I did something different, I actually paid for the VIP pass and tried to experience everything as a VIP. As always, I like to look at a convention just in terms of Dr Who (guests, programing, vendors and overall  feel of the con). Let's get right to it.

Guests:

It seems like every year Awesome Con outdoes itself when it comes to Dr Who guests. This year they hosted the current Doctor, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman. Now, It's a rarity to see the current Doctor and the most recent companion making appearances, but Awesome Con pulled it off. Now since Peter and Jenna have very busy schedules, they only appeared on Sunday. This is where Awesome Con dropped the ball, in my opinion. It seemed like they oversold the special VIP packages (Autograph and photo) to individuals causing a clear fiasco. Thankfully Peter and Jenna generously agreed to stay after the con was over to sign for all the individuals who had paid for their autograph. From what I heard, this lasted hours after Awesome Con was over. I only had the Peter Capaldi VIP package and was only guaranteed to get his autograph, so I missed out on Jenna. Maybe next time.




The other big Dr who guest was John Barrowman. Currently playing Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow, but we all love him as Captain Jack. John Barrowman did not disappoint, but I will get more into that later.

Lastly, we have our personal friend Matthew Dow Smith. Matthew has written and drawn the Dr Who comic and is a professed Whoivan himself. He is currently drawing the X-Files, which can be found in your local comic book store. He also, became the first person ever to do a second interview with us. That will be coming out soon to our site.

Programing:

One of the things I always look forward to are the panels and John Barrowman did not disappoint. Captain Jack was up to his usual antics, when he came out dressed in a Darth Vader dress, wearing a Darth Vader mask and carrying a light saber. This was definitely the PG-13 panel of the Con. John's Q&A was probably the best one I've ever seen. It was so funny and full of energy and their wasn't a dry eye in the room from laughter. Take my advice, never miss a John Barrowman panel.

Like I mentioned above, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman's appearance were poorly handled and that carried over to their panel as well. The panel ended up starting almost 2 hours from the stated start time and was only 30 minutes long. Long time to wait for 30 minutes of the Doctor and Clara. They hand some entertaining moments, but it seemed like by the time it got started, it was over.

Vendors:

This year, I felt the number of vendors were down compared to previous years, but with that being said there was plenty of Dr Who merchandise to be had. They used up more of their convention space for different vehicles and cosplay photograph areas.

I was really happy to see Alien Entertainment set up there. They always seem to fix my Big Finish audio addiction. I can't wait to listen to the War Doctor stories. Sci Fi Continuum always has a big selection of Dr Who merchandise and I was able to pick up some Dr Who Funko vinyl pop figures. Lastly, we did see the Tardis Photo Booth at Awesome Con. I just wish they gave them a better space. It felt like they were crammed into a spot.

Overall Feel:

Awesome Con seems likes it gets bigger and bigger every year and 2016 was no exception. But one has to wonder if it got too big too fast. The lack of planning for Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman's Sunday appearance, shows that running this convention is no small feat. They take months of planning and you have to have continuance plans when something doesn't go as well as it should.

Overall, Awesome Con 2016 scores a 3.5 Tardis's out of 5, which is a drop from last year. I would like to sincerely thank the officials at Awesome Con for having us.