Fans gather for the first Middle Georgia Comic Convention

Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? The Macon Centreplex housed the first annual Middle Georgia Comic Convention (MGA Con) this past weekend.

The two-day convention is owned and operated by Heroes & Villains Comics and Games, located in Warner Robins, Ga. It offers a variety of comic books and general nerdy fun for all ages.

The convention offered panels throughout the two-day event. Panels are lectures or demonstrations that appeal to convention goers. Their subjects range from costuming to film or essentially anything that someone might be interested in. MGA Con hosted a variety, including information panels held by artists about working in the comic book industry to a live demonstration on making a life cast for possible costuming needs.

Outside of panels, a lot of convention activity is found in the artist alley and dealer’s room. The artist alley consists of visiting artists that con-goers can talk to and buy prints or originals of their artwork from. There were over 50 listed visiting professional artists at MGA Con, each with their own unique style. The dealer’s room consists of booths for shops or individuals selling different items such as video games, action figures or posters. At MGA Con there were numerous vendors, including a cookie company displaying different nerdy sweets.

A rather interesting feature to MGA Con was the room specifically for tabletop gaming as well as board and card games. Some of these included Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering and Heroclix. The gaming room included a game library, provided by members of the staff, that allowed for con-goers to check out games they might be interested in buying in the dealer’s room. It also was a nice place to relax and meet other attendees.

Costuming, or cosplay, is becoming a large part of comic conventions. MGA Con saw some really amazing and interesting costumes. The large finale event for Saturday at the convention was the costume contest. The contest had three categories: children, comic book and open. An original take on Batman’s villain Poison Ivy by Kayli Carroll won first place for the comic book category.

Mercer student Libby McCormick and alumnus David Ellis, won the open category with their Aku from the cartoon “Samurai Jack” that stood 10 feet tall and was a hit on the convention floor as well as with the judges. “It was awesome to be recognized for the hard work,” said McCormick. “We’re definitely coming back next year.”

Although in its first year MGA Con already has plans to expand. Brandy Yetzer, director of the convention, hopes to see even more people attending in the coming years. MGA Con hopes to fill not only the Macon Centreplex but also the hotel nearby. In the next years attendees can look forward to “more evening variety” and more guests from both the art and film industries.  “We’re looking at getting a band or possibly a maid cafe,” said Yetzer on ideas for events for the coming year.

Family-friendly and conducive to a large variety of nerds, Middle Georgia Comic Con is quickly on its way to being a big time convention. Its first year saw numerous artists and around a thousand guests throughout the course of the weekend. If you’re interested in a great weekend full of costumes, games and comic books, check out MGA Con.