MomoCon 2006 Con Report

MomoCon, a free admission convention celebrating anime, manga and video games, was held on the 18th and 19th of March 2006. Although this was only the second year that the con had been held, the large fan turn out and friendly staff made for a highly enjoyable con experience.    The con, which has been held at the Georgia Tech Student in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.) for the past two years, takes place across two different buildings located on the Georgia Tech campus. The majority of the con is held in the Student Center & Commons building, while the anime viewing rooms and gaming rooms were set up in the Instructional Center a short distance away. I suppose some of the more cynical con-goers might be tempted to say that this was done to keep the stink levels down since many gamers are not known for their cleanliness, but of course, there's no proof of this =^_^;;=     The con was very well run and although the number of panels was a bit on the small side, most were very well attended. In fact, some panels ended up being standing room due to the sheer number of people who showed up. With MomoCon's panel offerings reflecting a strong support for artists, especially manga and webcomic artists, it's no surprise that the con is quickly becoming "the place" to be go if your looking to learn more about becoming a professional artist or webcomic creator.    While at the con, I spotted a number of popular webcomic creators, independent artists, and artist studios. Some of my personal favorites include "The Devils Panties" creator, Jennie Breeden (devilspanties.keenspot.com), Eirik Blackwolf of "Chisuji" (www.chisuji.com), and Andy Runton (www.andyrunton.com). I also bumped into several members from the artist group, Imbrium Studios (www.imbriumstudios.com). Although I'd met many of the con guests before at other cons, it was still a pleasure to see them again at MomoCon.    Perhaps the only real complaint I had with MomoCon was how cramped the Artist Alley was. It was literally shoulder to shoulder inside the room and once con-goers started working their way through the room, it started to feel down right claustrophobic in there. In fact, this was the first time I've been to an artist alley that had so many people crammed in to it that it began to smell a convention gaming room. =^_^;;=    Regardless of the cramped quarters in the Artist Alley, MomoCon was a great con all around. I loved the more intimate, family atmosphere that was fostered by the con staff. Whether it was serving free bowls of udon to con-goers on Saturday night or running an unofficial karaoke session after most of the con had shutdown on Sunday, every aspect of MomoCon was obviously labor of love for everyone involved. If the MomoCon staff continues to build upon the fine traditions they've established so far, I'm sure it will continue to be a wonderful event for years to come. As for my group and I, we're already planning on attending again next year! =^_^=