THE WRAP UP-- DRAGON CON 2016!

This was one of my best years at Dragon Con yet. I know I say that every year, but somehow this amazing convention seems to outdo itself each and every year and this one was no different. This year marked Dragon Con's 30th Anniversary and my 28th Dragon Con. Looks like I discovered it two years late, but my parents wouldn't let me attend anything like a convention until I graduated high school. In 1989, that happened and I've not looked back. My 2nd convention was my first Dragon Con.

Dragon Con 2016 was a year of change with a new building added, changes made to where certain programming tracks were located, the parade was shown on TV (thank you, CW 69), and there was a boost in attendance by about 7,000 people.

It's a Bobby sandwich with my pals
Van Allen Plexico and Bobby Politte.

For the past few years, I was at the show as an attending professional. That meant I wasn't a full guest, but I was there and I did many panels and events. It was a fun, full, exhausting good time. This year, I was surprised to be invited back as a guest of the Comics and Pop Art Track, which meant I was given a table in Artist Alley. I still did panels, but far fewer than in years past.

My 2016 panel schedule looked like this:
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Title: Playing in Someone Else's Sandbox - Writing Licensed Fiction
Description: It’s not uncommon for an author to continue the legacy of a universe that already exists. In this panel, authors who have written licensed fiction will share details on how they’ve survived working within existing canon.
Time: Friday 1:00 p.m. Location: 204 A - Mart2 (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Andrew E.C. Gaska, Bryan J.L. Glass, Bobby Nash)

This was my favorite panel of the weekend, especially once Bryan J.L. Glass joined us. He's a funny guy and had us laughing in hysterics with his story about writing a Thor tie in for Burger King. I'd not met Bryan or Andrew before, but both were nice guys. The panel was moderated by my friend, Jami Jones, who did a great job keeping us on track.
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Title: Graphic Novels--Ride the Tide
Description: The fiction world is exploding with graphic novels. Take this opportunity to hear what successful writers in this genre recommend to help new writers break into the field.
Time: Sunday 2:30 p.m. Location: Embassy CD - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Chandra Free, Bobby Nash, Andy Runton, Lee Martindale)

Always fun talking comics. I had a great time chatting with Andy and Chandra about how they go about putting their comic book stories together. Big fun and a fairly large crowd.
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Title: Secret History: Bet You Didn’t Know It Happened That Way!
Description: Our alternate history authors and experts describe that variety of tales where the public and world at large have no idea what really happened behind the scenes. Many authors have written in the sub-genre. Classic short stories and novels will be discussed.
Time: Monday 1:00 p.m. Location: 204 J - Mart2 (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Bobby Nash (Moderator), Anthony Francis, Eric Flint, Kacey Ezell)

I moderated this panel, which means most of the time I shut up and let the experts talk. This was a fun panel and the first time I've moderated a panel without actually being on the panel. An interesting experience.
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Representative John Lewis signs March.

The rest of the time during the day was spent at my table on the third floor of America's Mart Building 2 in the Comics and Pop Art track, which is run by Thom Trainor and his team. They do a great job taking care of us and keeping Artist Alley running smoothly. Over the weekend I met a lot of people unfamiliar with my work who picked up books, saw lots of friends, did some panels, took lots of photos, met some talented creators, checked out the cool costumes and, most importantly, had a fantastic time. What more could one ask for? This is truly my favorite con of the year and I hope they have me back again next year.

Click on Read More to see all of the photos I took at Dragon Con 2016. Also, search social media using #Dragoncon or #Dragoncon2016 for more photos from the event.