"Well, a lot of the stuff I do is adult, and this leads people to believe that I'm pretty liberal." Tim Vigil, co-creator of the cult comic FAUST, told me while he sketched behind his Dragoncon exhibit table. "So, this guy asks me whether I would come up to his room and draw a picture of him and his girlfriend having sex. I was like, no, I don't want to see your hairy ass."

FAUST was adapted into a motion picture released theatrically in Spain in 2001 and internationally thereafter but seen largely only on video and DVD in the US. The mostly unsuccessful film reportedly didn't capture the FAUST book.

"I would have made it more violent." Said Vigil. "I mean lots of blood and guts and then throw in a little sex and my fans would be happy."

Directed by veteran horror auteur Brian Yuzna, the motion picture played a little too campy for Vigil's taste. But he did admit to watching it recently and finding things he really liked.

Dragoncon 2004 is a huge convention attracting thousands from all over the country. The focus on science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books, makes it one of the more interesting festivals covered by EI each year.

Interesting mainly because your typical Dragoncon attendee really gets into the event. At every corner you can see Darth Vader, Xena: Warrior Princess, various characters from the LORD OF THE RINGS books and movies together with hoards of merry pirates an obvious homage to the success of PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN. My favorite was a family of Predators complete with a fully outfitted child version along for the hunt.

Having attended two previous Dragoncon's I can honestly attest that this year's costumes were the best I've seen.

The Cruxshadows dancers livened up the Hyatt Hotel lobby posing for photographs. Members of the Cruxshadows band were also on hand signing autographs and selling CDs and merchandise.

At the costume contest table, Brett Burkholder sat as a White Tiger.

Convention attendee Corwin McCloud strutted about in his latex pink tutu while fellow convention goer Annasta found herself dressed like someone from one of the post-apocalyptic MAD MAX films.

Dragoncon is often a chance for various websites to gain recognition mainly through sexy women in costume. Websites like Bardiva.com and Pinup-dreams.com proudly featured scantily clad females with some in chains.

Tom Savini was in attendance standing behind his table that included examples of his work in horror movies. After leaving his table, I heard a couple of guys say "wow, that guy was in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN." Of course, little did they know that Savini is one of the horror genre's most talented make-up/special effects artists whose work behind the camera is certainly equal to anything he's ever done in front of it.

Lloyd Kaufman stood before his Troma table handing out DVDs and posing with his latest diva (sometimes called "Tromette") Debbie Rochon. When I made my way through the packed crowd to Troma's table, the diminutive Kaufman was playing cameraman for a couple of Dragoncon visitors orchestrating a shot with one of the visitor's digital cameras.

I asked Kaufman what he was hyping at the moment and he immediately said, "why, TALES FROM THE CRAPPER, of course," and he handed me a DVD labeled "Coming Distractions."

While navigating around in the large vendor arena, I heard the familiar soundtrack from the infamous 80s science fiction movie BUCKAROO BONZI. Instantly, I remembered Jeff Goldblum in those furry chaps and ridiculous cowboy hat.

Back in the Marriott lobby (the huge convention stretches comfortably between two large high-rise hotels in downtown Atlanta), I snapped a picture of a fellow identifying himself as Fanboy. He said that he made his costume from scratch which was really top-notch. Fanboy told me that he serves as the mascot for several area sports teams and makes use of his degree in digital arts in creating his characters. The costume was so good, I found myself talking to the padded head as though it were a living breathing part of him.

Once in the vendor room featuring actors from various science fiction and horror television and movie roles, I was surprised to find Margot Kidder seated at a table. The woman who made a perfect Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve's unforgettable Superman looked great and was greeting fans right and left signing autographs and selling photographs. This was her first appearance at Dragoncon.

In one of the large banquet rooms close to a 1000 people crammed in to listen to veteran science fiction writer Harlan Ellison talk about his experiences. I caught him as he told the interactive crowd about his experience meeting Frank Sinatra in a bar and going toe to toe with MAGNIFICENT SEVEN co-star and Hollywood tough guy Brad Dexter. Ellison who appeared to be barely 5 foot 7 or so told the crowd about taking on the much larger Dexter by cracking him with a pool cue. He said that the next day, he got calls threatening to kill him and an equal amount trying to hire him. The audience responded with cheers and laughter.

While exiting the Hyatt hotel, I took time to talk with Joseph Michael Linsner, creator of the popular DAWN comic book series from Image Comics.

"We had about 57 entries this year." Linsner told me about Saturday night's DAWN look-a-like contest. It is an annual event that attacks many curvaceous females all trying their damnest to capture Linsner's comic creation. His book features a goddess like central character called Dawn who acts as the sexual muse for a warrior traveling a world that may or may not be post-apocalyptic. In the world of DAWN disputes are handled with the blade and losing one's head is not uncommon.

"The quality of the entries were better this year," Linsner continued. He said that the contest was a real success entertaining a large crowd.

"Right now, I'm completing a Dawn series called THREE TIERS and have finished 4 out of the 6 issues." Linsner said. He handed me the first four issues to take home. After reading them, I'm interested in discovering how the series ends. THREE TIERS is an on-going tale of a warrior who once spent 2 nights with the alluring Dawn and longs to find her for a third even if it kills him. His quest leads him from adventure to adventure often resulting in death by the blade.

I asked him about the Robert Rodriguez adaptation of Frank Miller's popular SIN CITY graphic novels. Linsner said that he thought that Frank Miller's best stuff involved superheroes and the SIN CITY stuff is kind of a step down for him.

I asked Linsner what he was listening to for inspiration these days and he told me that 311 and Massive Attack set the tone just right for him.

"Music shapes the atmosphere and colors the emotion for me," Linsner said. I asked him what his personal theme song might be and he answered quickly with Kashmir by Led Zeppelin.

Linsner just finished reading a non-fiction book entitled MURDERING MR. LINCOLN which according to Linsner explores President Lincoln's personal ties to trade with the South and how this dark secret may have led to his assassination. As far as comics, Linsner said that HELLBOY was always on his must read list, but that readers ought to check out a Darkhorse title called AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD which while only a one shot issue is really, really funny.

Linsner said he was off to the Baltimore Comic Con next. He told me that he didn't get much work done on the road.

Elsewhere at the convention, Tim Vigil sat before his table sketching with a thin brush dipped into a jar of black ink. He was sketching the title character from his FAUST comic book.

"Sketching is not so hard to do," he said, "it keeps me loose and I learn from the looseness." He said that later he will look at the finer detail to create.

"Walking around here, it starts to wear on you," he continued, talking about the great amount of creative talent at the convention. "I'm so competitive and seeing all this great stuff causes me to try to reestablish my thinking pattern. Comparing my work to the stuff here is intimidating. They all have different imagination and this causes you to look closely at what you do."

Vigil is right, Dragoncon is an amazing collection of creative people whose competitive nature can be inspiring.

Jonathan W. Hickman