AWA Con Report
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 10:56 -0700
Below is the Anime Weekend Atlanta con report. The Dojo members I met are listed with their on-screen names. Hopefully, a photo of Tomoe will be forthcoming.
Anime Weekend Atlanta 9/22-26/05
Day 1, Thursday: in which I fly to Atlanta
I've attended about 200 conventions over the past 25 years, but anime cons are still pretty new to me. I am definitely out of my element when attending them, because I don't watch much anime, and I'm not a regular manga reader. However, being a guest to these might introduce new readers to Usagi. Besides, I enjoy them, especially the cosplayers. Anime Weekend Atlanta took place September 23-25 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, GA. This was my first trip to Atlanta, and I was a mite concerned a week or so before the event. Hurricane Katrina had passed by a short time ago, and Ophelia had come through a week later. Hurricane Rita was still brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, building up to a category 5 and deciding where to go when I flew out of LAX.
The shuttle picked me up at 6:30 am for a 9:30 flight. It picked up another passenger in Pasadena, then drove down to Monterey Park for two more. The driver got lost along the way, and that added another half hour to our drive. As we were getting off the 105 to Sepulveda and LAX, we were rear-ended by another car. I did make my flight with no more problems, however.
The 8 am Delta flight to Atlanta had been cancelled because of mechanical problems, so my 9:30 flight was full with stand-by passengers. The flight itself was uneventful. I thumbnailed about a third of Usagi Yojimbo #91.
The Atlanta airport is huge, and I heard it is the busiest in the world. It was about a half mile walk from the gate to baggage claim, but there was no one to meet me there. There was some neat artwork to look at while I waited, such as the sculptures of the giant ants crawling on the ceiling. Fred Perry had just arrived from San Antonio, and together we were able to contact someone from the convention. The rush hour traffic was in full swing, and our ride was caught in it.
We were driven to the Renaissance Waverly Hotel, about 20 miles from the airport. All the guests stayed on the 14th floor, the executive floor which required a key to access. After settling in, I went down to the Waverly Grill for dinner. I had the lobster bisque. I hoped that it would be similar to the she crab soup, which I really enjoy and is popular around the south east. I also had grilled pork chop, mashed yams, and collard greens (this is the south, after all). After dinner, back to the room to get some inking done. I had brought the first 11 pages of UY 90 to be inked. I hoped to finish most of them during my stay in Atlanta. The deadline for this issue was September 30.
Day 2: the con opens
A very nice continental breakfast is provided for guests on the executive floor. The con's green room, in a corner suite, is also located on this level. After breakfast, I did some inking, then went to get my badge. The opening ceremony took place at noon. Yoko Ishida, a singer and voice actress, is the special guest from Japan. She and two backup dancers performed a couple of numbers at the opening. It's a different experience to see parapara performed by professionals.
I did a quick tour of the dealers' room to see what was there, and bought a kimono and obi to take back for Hannah. She had outgrown her old kimono years ago.
My first event at AWA was a presentation at 3, followed by an hour signing. There was a cosplayer dressed as Tomoe, one of my characters. It was a very faithful recreation. I then spent some time in Fred Perry's workshop. I was scheduled to conduct a workshop on Saturday, and wanted to know what was expected of me.
I went to the Green Room for dinner. They just had a delivery from The Olive Garden, so Italian food was on the menu tonight. I spent a couple of hours there talking to Lloyd Carter, the con organizer, then went back to my room, called Sharon, and got some work done.
Day 3: Japan Fest and Stone Mountain
John H is a friend that I have gotten to know because of Usagi. He travels a lot on business, and was on long term assignment at Cape Canaveral. He drove up from Florida and he and friends James, Hal, Benno, and I went to the Japan Fest at Stone Mountain about 40 minutes away. JF is an annual open air event, and has worked in conjunction with AWA. It fell on the same weekend this year, as it did last. There were exhibits, demonstrations, food booths, and dealers. I enjoyed the taiko drum performance, but not so much Dani's Mojo Dojo rockabilly band. The kyudo archery was the most interesting thing there. I did have some Georgia sushi for lunch, not a pleasant experience.
We walked over to the Stone Mountain Conferderate Memorial that afternoon. Stone Mountain is the largest piece of granite in the US, and carved on one side is a huge monument of Jefferson Davis , Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. I'm a bit of a civil war buff, so it was a treat to see this place in person.
I was scheduled for an autograph session at 3, so returned at 2:30. However, the area where I was to sign was not set up, so the event was cancelled. I went back to my room to do some inking.
My drawing workshop at 6 started on time. That was followed by an hour signing. One very pleasant surprise was meeting Usagi from the UY Dojo Boards.
John picked me up at 8:30, and our party of 11, including Brian Stelfreeze and Tom Feister, went to Fat Matt's BBQ, an Atlanta institution. I had half a rack of ribs, cole slaw, sweet potato pie, and sweet tea. Fat Matt's is a small restaurant with a live band. One of the guitarists had to move whenever someone opened the restroom door. Wanting someplace quieter to talk, we went to the Fat Matt's take out restaurant next door and sat outside. They were closing but said we could stay outside. We talked until 11. When John dropped me off at the hotel, the party here was in full swing with cos players everywhere around the lobby and a mob around the elevators. Typical Saturday night at a con.
Day 4: The last day of the con
Except for Closing Ceremonies, I had no con commitments today, so I inked a couple of pages before going down to the convention floor. I had lunch with an old friend, Bob Fonda, and his wife, Angela. I had not seen Bob for about 13 years, and he had just recently reestablished contact. We had a wonderful lunch at the hotel. A golf enthusiast, Bob, with my permission and assistance, had some golf balls printed with the Usagi head logo. He gave me a dozen balls, even though the only golf I play is of the "mini" variety.
It was just a couple of hours before the end of the con, so I went to say good-bye to friends and do a final tour of the dealers' room. I picked up a few books, and a couple of t-shirts for Hannah and Matthew.
At the closing ceremonies, all the remaining guests were reintroduced and each said a few words. Some had already left, including Yoko Ishida who was on a musical tour of the US.
I had dinner with Rod Espinoza, from Antarctic Press. We drove to a nearby Japanese restaurant that someone had recommended. We had soft shell crabs as appetizers, and sushi and tempura as main courses. This sushi was much better than the ones yesterday.
Back to the hotel room to pack for tomorrow's flight, and do more inking. So far, I had finished 8 pages.
Day 5: Return to LA
My Delta flight was scheduled to leave at 1:50 pm. I had breakfast in the Executive Lounge, and had already checked out when we met in the lobby at 10. Guest relations director Stan Dahlin had already ferried a group over to ATL. I was in the second wave of departing guests.
CNN had reported thunderstorms just north of Atlanta, with expected flight delays in Atlanta of up to 90 minutes. It was just drizzling that morning. I checked in, and was at my gate with 2 hours to spare. I used that time to finish thumbnailing UY 91. On the flight, I wrote out a synopsis for UY 92. The 100th Dark Horse issue of UY is coming up, and I've got to think of an appropriate story arc leading up to that. Perhaps Jei?
Next week, I'm off to Seattle.
Anime Weekend Atlanta 9/22-26/05
Day 1, Thursday: in which I fly to Atlanta
I've attended about 200 conventions over the past 25 years, but anime cons are still pretty new to me. I am definitely out of my element when attending them, because I don't watch much anime, and I'm not a regular manga reader. However, being a guest to these might introduce new readers to Usagi. Besides, I enjoy them, especially the cosplayers. Anime Weekend Atlanta took place September 23-25 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, GA. This was my first trip to Atlanta, and I was a mite concerned a week or so before the event. Hurricane Katrina had passed by a short time ago, and Ophelia had come through a week later. Hurricane Rita was still brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, building up to a category 5 and deciding where to go when I flew out of LAX.
The shuttle picked me up at 6:30 am for a 9:30 flight. It picked up another passenger in Pasadena, then drove down to Monterey Park for two more. The driver got lost along the way, and that added another half hour to our drive. As we were getting off the 105 to Sepulveda and LAX, we were rear-ended by another car. I did make my flight with no more problems, however.
The 8 am Delta flight to Atlanta had been cancelled because of mechanical problems, so my 9:30 flight was full with stand-by passengers. The flight itself was uneventful. I thumbnailed about a third of Usagi Yojimbo #91.
The Atlanta airport is huge, and I heard it is the busiest in the world. It was about a half mile walk from the gate to baggage claim, but there was no one to meet me there. There was some neat artwork to look at while I waited, such as the sculptures of the giant ants crawling on the ceiling. Fred Perry had just arrived from San Antonio, and together we were able to contact someone from the convention. The rush hour traffic was in full swing, and our ride was caught in it.
We were driven to the Renaissance Waverly Hotel, about 20 miles from the airport. All the guests stayed on the 14th floor, the executive floor which required a key to access. After settling in, I went down to the Waverly Grill for dinner. I had the lobster bisque. I hoped that it would be similar to the she crab soup, which I really enjoy and is popular around the south east. I also had grilled pork chop, mashed yams, and collard greens (this is the south, after all). After dinner, back to the room to get some inking done. I had brought the first 11 pages of UY 90 to be inked. I hoped to finish most of them during my stay in Atlanta. The deadline for this issue was September 30.
Day 2: the con opens
A very nice continental breakfast is provided for guests on the executive floor. The con's green room, in a corner suite, is also located on this level. After breakfast, I did some inking, then went to get my badge. The opening ceremony took place at noon. Yoko Ishida, a singer and voice actress, is the special guest from Japan. She and two backup dancers performed a couple of numbers at the opening. It's a different experience to see parapara performed by professionals.
I did a quick tour of the dealers' room to see what was there, and bought a kimono and obi to take back for Hannah. She had outgrown her old kimono years ago.
My first event at AWA was a presentation at 3, followed by an hour signing. There was a cosplayer dressed as Tomoe, one of my characters. It was a very faithful recreation. I then spent some time in Fred Perry's workshop. I was scheduled to conduct a workshop on Saturday, and wanted to know what was expected of me.
I went to the Green Room for dinner. They just had a delivery from The Olive Garden, so Italian food was on the menu tonight. I spent a couple of hours there talking to Lloyd Carter, the con organizer, then went back to my room, called Sharon, and got some work done.
Day 3: Japan Fest and Stone Mountain
John H is a friend that I have gotten to know because of Usagi. He travels a lot on business, and was on long term assignment at Cape Canaveral. He drove up from Florida and he and friends James, Hal, Benno, and I went to the Japan Fest at Stone Mountain about 40 minutes away. JF is an annual open air event, and has worked in conjunction with AWA. It fell on the same weekend this year, as it did last. There were exhibits, demonstrations, food booths, and dealers. I enjoyed the taiko drum performance, but not so much Dani's Mojo Dojo rockabilly band. The kyudo archery was the most interesting thing there. I did have some Georgia sushi for lunch, not a pleasant experience.
We walked over to the Stone Mountain Conferderate Memorial that afternoon. Stone Mountain is the largest piece of granite in the US, and carved on one side is a huge monument of Jefferson Davis , Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. I'm a bit of a civil war buff, so it was a treat to see this place in person.
I was scheduled for an autograph session at 3, so returned at 2:30. However, the area where I was to sign was not set up, so the event was cancelled. I went back to my room to do some inking.
My drawing workshop at 6 started on time. That was followed by an hour signing. One very pleasant surprise was meeting Usagi from the UY Dojo Boards.
John picked me up at 8:30, and our party of 11, including Brian Stelfreeze and Tom Feister, went to Fat Matt's BBQ, an Atlanta institution. I had half a rack of ribs, cole slaw, sweet potato pie, and sweet tea. Fat Matt's is a small restaurant with a live band. One of the guitarists had to move whenever someone opened the restroom door. Wanting someplace quieter to talk, we went to the Fat Matt's take out restaurant next door and sat outside. They were closing but said we could stay outside. We talked until 11. When John dropped me off at the hotel, the party here was in full swing with cos players everywhere around the lobby and a mob around the elevators. Typical Saturday night at a con.
Day 4: The last day of the con
Except for Closing Ceremonies, I had no con commitments today, so I inked a couple of pages before going down to the convention floor. I had lunch with an old friend, Bob Fonda, and his wife, Angela. I had not seen Bob for about 13 years, and he had just recently reestablished contact. We had a wonderful lunch at the hotel. A golf enthusiast, Bob, with my permission and assistance, had some golf balls printed with the Usagi head logo. He gave me a dozen balls, even though the only golf I play is of the "mini" variety.
It was just a couple of hours before the end of the con, so I went to say good-bye to friends and do a final tour of the dealers' room. I picked up a few books, and a couple of t-shirts for Hannah and Matthew.
At the closing ceremonies, all the remaining guests were reintroduced and each said a few words. Some had already left, including Yoko Ishida who was on a musical tour of the US.
I had dinner with Rod Espinoza, from Antarctic Press. We drove to a nearby Japanese restaurant that someone had recommended. We had soft shell crabs as appetizers, and sushi and tempura as main courses. This sushi was much better than the ones yesterday.
Back to the hotel room to pack for tomorrow's flight, and do more inking. So far, I had finished 8 pages.
Day 5: Return to LA
My Delta flight was scheduled to leave at 1:50 pm. I had breakfast in the Executive Lounge, and had already checked out when we met in the lobby at 10. Guest relations director Stan Dahlin had already ferried a group over to ATL. I was in the second wave of departing guests.
CNN had reported thunderstorms just north of Atlanta, with expected flight delays in Atlanta of up to 90 minutes. It was just drizzling that morning. I checked in, and was at my gate with 2 hours to spare. I used that time to finish thumbnailing UY 91. On the flight, I wrote out a synopsis for UY 92. The 100th Dark Horse issue of UY is coming up, and I've got to think of an appropriate story arc leading up to that. Perhaps Jei?
Next week, I'm off to Seattle.
That is one amazing and very cute costume of Tomoe! I love the little paw prints! That is just to adorable! 
Happiness takes over your mind sometimes ....
Though, my stay was a short one, this was the best AWA Iv been too.
Thats too funny! My little brother got some pictures with that big pig, I really like that can that is for the pigs noise. I think it was thier first time to Stone Mountain too- Did you know they have lazer shows after dark on the Mountain? 
Never hurd of that XD