So instead of just having 1 winner…we had two! Our way of trying to spread some CON*tourage love. Interested in submitting your own photo for our MONTHLY PHOTO CON*TEST? Next deadline is May 31st at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Complete info. on how to enter can be found HERE. If you entered this month and didn’t win…try again! Be creative…ANYTHING GOES! You can check out all of the APRIL ENTRIES at our Facebook Fan Page located HERE.

April "BEST PHOTO" Contest Winner (Lauren – Atlanta, GA)

A big CON*gratulations Lauren out of Atlanta, GA for winning the “Best Photo” for April with her “Dark Lord” entry. Voting members of the CON*tourage CRUE really liked how much effort and creativity she put into her photo submission. When asked how she created the image Lauren said “I actually used gift wrap tissue and a pencil to trace your (CON*tourage) Facebook cover photo on my computer screen because it was more transparent than regular paper. Then I wrapped that “stencil” around my arm and went over it with a sharpie marker to make a rough outline of where letters should be, then just freehanded the rest.” And how about that cool effect on the arm? “I used a Photoshop “lightsaber” effect. My Photoshop wizardry isn’t the best, but it was a lot of fun to cosplay a Death Eater! I also made the wand myself.” For winning “Best Photo” for April, Lauren now will received TWO CON*tourage VIP PARTY PASSES for our Dragon*Con 2012 events/parties.

April "MOST LIKED" Contest Winner (Scott – Atlanta, GA)

 …and for getting the most “Likes” on Facebook, Scott out of Atlanta, GA wins ONE (1) CON*tourage VIP PARTY PASS  for our Dragon*Con 2012 events/parties. The photo that gained the most “votes” (65 to be exact) by Scott he snapped last year at CON*tourage’s FIESTA CON LOCO PARTY during Dragon*Con.

This was the first month for this fan-submitted PHOTO CON*test so we truly do appreciate all of the entries we received. We also learned a few things with this being our first month so next month we’ll be more timely in announcing winners. Things will also be smoother and winners announced sooner. If you are interested in submitting a photo all the details you need to know can be found HERE. The next deadline is May 31st, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

I’m sure most of you have seen the new movie from Marvel Entertainment, The Avengers. Your favorite Marvel Super Heroes, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and Black Widow all together in the SAME movie! If you haven’t seen it yet, go see it now! It’s that good. This film has already broken records in movie attendance and for good reason, it has more star power than any other film to date with all of the original cast members, save Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner who is expertly replaced by Mark Ruffalo, coming together to play the Avengers characters. It also has Joss Whedon, director of such con-cult classics as Firefly and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, at the helm.

This has proven to be an excellent match of talent as the film manages to please the widest array of audiences possible, from kids to senior citizens, and even ‘gasp’ women! More than all that, it has a great script with an awesome pace,  special effects that are convincing and acting that feels real. This is the film Marvel fans have been waiting for, and it doesn’t dissapoint.

Go and check it out if you havent seen it, and if you have, go see it again and study up on costumes!  That’s what I’m about to do!

We welcome all comments! Let us know what you thought about the movie, the costumes, or whatever! Enjoy and see you next time!

Throw on a sombrero, slap on a mustache, put your best gamer face on and come enjoy BEER SPECIALS all day! Never been to BATTLE & BREW? They offer a great menu, along with a kick-a$$ beer and drink selection. For those of you who don’t already know, BATTLE & BREW is a really cool bar/restaurant in Marietta, GA that is a “gamer” type establishment…that has tons of gaming options for those of you who are into video, video, video games. Long gone are the days of Atari 2600 as B&B caters to those who enjoy a competitive game on systems including PC, Xbox, PS3, Wii and NES. According to BattleAndBrew.com, “We go the extra mile to provide a relaxed comfortable atmosphere where it is just as much fun to chill out and have a beer in as it is to duke it out in an intense CounterStrike deathmatch with your buddies.”

And as far as what the comfort level is at B&B, you can kick back on one of their plush couches and enjoy the latest Xbox 360 titles over system link where up to 16 players can battle it out on their 50+ inch LCD TVs. “It’s an awesome experience that you have to try to appreciate. Of course if Xbox Live is your thing we have that too offered over our superfast T1 connection.”

For those who don’t know where BATTLE & BREW is located, it’s conveniently near I-75 just outside of Atlanta at 279 Powers Ferry Road in Marietta, GA  30067. You can check out directions HERE. For those of you on FACEBOOK, check out the EVENT PAGE and invite your friends HERE.

As far as food and booze, B&B has both and they offer a wide variety to please almost anyone. If you love a good beer, you’ll be hard pressed to not find a good beer waiting for you….PLUS they’ll be offering GREAT BEER SPECIALS during CINCO DE GAME-O. B&B offers a full menu with appetizers, entrees, wraps, burgers and pizzas. We at CON*tourage has tried many of their menu items and we can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s TASTY FOOD…not what one might “think” they’d get at a gamer’s bar. And if you aren’t into gaming, that’s cool also. There are always friendly folks to chat with and since several of the CON*tourage CRUE members and regular attendees of Dragon*Con drop by B&B regularly, it must be pretty cool.

CON*tourage will be attending FREE COMIC BOOK DAY earlier in the day on May 5th for all of you fellow comic book geeks. Planned costumed appearances include Supergirl, Axl Rose (of Guns n’ Roses) Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil (of Motley Crue). After all…it IS a ROCK shop! Find out all the details you’ll need on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY by clicking HERE.

HERE’S HOW TO VOTE:

FREE COMICS you say? Yep….that’s what we say. For the majority of people who are into Sci-Fi and the accompanying culture like we are….comic books go hand-in-hand. Dragon*Con, the annual…massive….pop culture phenom, held in downtown Atlanta every Labor Day weekend, has it’s roots in comics and with some of the biggest blockbusters out there today being based on Comic Books, it’s hard to not get pulled in.

What exactly IS Free Comic Book Day? It’s an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Free Comic Book Day is scheduled on the first Saturday of May (for 2012 it’s May 5th) and is often tied into the release of a major theatrical film adaptation of a well known superhero property, in order to take advantage of the film’s heavy promotion and related press about the comic book medium. On Free Comic Book Day, participating comic book store retailers give away specially printed copies of free comic books, and some offer cheaper back issues and other items to anyone who visits their establishments. In addition to comic books, some stores also give away other items, including mini posters for live-action superhero movies, keychains, Green Lantern promo rings, etc.

For those of you who haven’t checked out the Rock Shop, located at the Mall of Georgia in Burford, it’s a great combination of all things geek and music. In addition to having a great comic book selection and lots of other comic book related items, they also have a vast array of music related items…hence the name ROCK SHOP Music & Comics.

Model Alisa Farrington will be appearing as SUPERGIRL

In addition to FREE COMICS, Dean Trippe (artist/writer for web comic Butterfly, Project: Rooftop) will be there from 12pm – ?. Check out his personal website HERE. Cosplay model Alisa Farrington will be appearing as Supergirl from Noon-3 p.m. Alisa was a hit last year as Wonder Woman at the ROCK SHOP but this year she will be appearing as Supergirl. Comic artist legend George Perez actually just redesigned Supergirl in Alisa’s image in Supergirl #8. Photographer Danny Hunter will be on hand to snap photos so for all of you who have costumes….wear them! Danny will be there from Noon-3 p.m. for photo opportunities so tell all of your friends (all ages welcomed), load up the car and come hang out in one of the coolest comic book stores this side of Metropolis.

And if you are also a fan of hard rockin’ music…CRUE members of our own CON*tourage will be appearing as famous rockers Axl Rose of Guns n’ Roses and Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue….which will lend itself for even more killer photo opps! Don’t forget to bring a camera!!!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is on Saturday, May 5th, 2012 and will start at 10 a.m. and last till 9 p.m. (NOTE: Some of the guests listed in this article will not be appearing all day so make note of their appearance times.) ROCK SHOP Music and Comics is a retail store located at the Mall of Georgia and is located in the Village area (where the fountain and ampitheater are, outside of the food court entrance) next to Charming Charlie.  They carry an extensive line of band apparel and merchandise, comic books (new comics and back issues,) trade paperbacks, games (ccg, rpg, and board games) action figures and statues/busts, posters, music cds (mostly new releases), dvds, and vinyl. For more info. on the ROCK SHOP visit them at RockShopMusicAndComics.com. ROCK SHOP is located at 3333 Buford Dr. Ste V-B02, Buford, GA 30519.

Check out the FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE for ROCK SHOP’s Free Comic Book Day HERE and invite your friends.

Stranger things have happened! Infamous rockers Axl Rose (of Guns n' Roses), Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx (of Motley Crue) will also be appearing at the ROCK SHOP's Annual FRE COMIC BOOK DAY on May 5th for photo opportunities with attendees and music fans.

Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Woman styled bikinis are now available online!

Send your own Superheroine swimsuit photos to contourage@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to share them with the rest of the geek world in the upcoming months!

This monthly contest is a no-brainer and doesn’t really take much planning…if any at all. You don’t have to be a professional photographer by any means. You don’t have to own or have access to a expensive-as-all-get-out camera with lots of settings. Hell, this might be the first photo you’ve ever submitted to a contest! If you have access to a cell phone camera or a simple point-and-shoot camera then you are good to go. And yes….Instagram photos are do-able too!

The ONE requirement that you will need to include in your photo is the word CON*tourage….that’s it! You can do that several ways:
1.) If you have a CON*tourage t-shirt — wear it in the photo.
2.) Print out the CON*tourage logo HERE (.pdf file) and show it in the photo in some way.
3.) Write the word CON*tourage on yourself (or an object) and have it appear in the photo.

What does the photo need to be of or show? ANYTHING! Be creative…take chances….anything goes! Going out clubbing with your friends? Planning on hanging with a celebrity? Scaling Mt. Everest? Traveling to a foreign country? Found a funny/interesting setting for a photo? Feeling nerdy, sexy or a maybe little naughty? In the middle of no where, all alone and the sights are killer? Bachelor Party in Vegas? Really…ANYTHING GOES as long as the word CON*tourage is in the photo.

Sure…this is a damn easy and fun contest but there are GUIDELINES / DEADLINES so read on!
• DEADLINE for submitting a photo is the last day of each month (11:59 p.m.).
• EMAIL the photo (.jpg preferred) to: contourage@gmail.com
• In the EMAIL SUBJECT please put “Photo Contest Entry”
• In the email put your FIRST NAME and LOCATION and a short description/write-up about the photo. If there are several people in the photo, feel free to include their names also. Say as much or as little as you want.
• Each photo can only be submitted ONE TIME so if you don’t win one month, try something different the next month.
• You CAN submit more than one entry per month BUT photos must be different. (i.e. Don’t submit the same photo from just different camera angles. Who knows…one night out of the town might get you numerous photos as the evening develops!) Quality over quantity, friends!
• The word/logo CON*tourage must be “in” the original photo and not added afterwards with a photo editing program (i.e. via Photoshop)
• NOTE: CON*tourage reserves the right to post, edit, and/or reproduce any photos submitted for contest. Photos submitted may possibly be featured during future CON*tourage parties/events.

MONTLY PRIZES:
Leading up to Dragon*Con 2012, monthly winners will receive a PAIR of CON*tourage VIP PARTY PASSES (21+) to our Dragon*Con 2012 events (FYI, we SOLD OUT well over a month before Dragon*Con 2011 so these VIP Passes will be a hot item).  If you are one of the lucky monthy winners but don’t plan on attending Dragon*Con 2012 let us know and you can:
A.) Transfer your VIP Passes to someone else (21+)
B.) We’ll give you another kick-ass prize instead.

After Dragon*Con passes, we’ll change up the montly prizes. Photo Winners will also have bragging rights with photol be posted online for future viewing purposes.

REMEMBER…ANYTHING GOES!! Email monthly entries to: contourage@gmail.com

‘The Shelter’ (voted BEST NEW CLUB by Atlanta’sCreative Loafing readers) will be the setting for this fun & unique event, hosted by CON*tourage (and produced by RockEgos) on March 31st, 2012 from 9 pm–3 am

Already lined up for the evening:
• DJ/VJ Anthony, Atlanta’s premiere video DJ, and DJ Ghost, will keep ‘The Shelter’ moving until the early morning hours. Anthony, who played Dragon*Con in 1992, 2004, 2009 and 2010, adds a video element to the dance club experience ~ mixing and beat matching the actual music videos to create a fluid and energetic night that pleases multiple senses.
• Makeup Artists will be ready to help turn willing partiers into zombies.
• Billy Tackett, known as the Zombification Specialist™ and the Father of the Zombie Mash-Up, will have his art featured and will also be the evening’s Guest of Honor Artist.
• Photographers will be set up around the venue to snap photos of partiers as the INFESTATION unfolds.
• A PANCAKE CHOWDOWN (from 9 p.m.–11 p.m.).

Visit the official website: www.InfestationAtlanta.com

Yes...hot chicks are video gaming freaks, too!

But for those of you who still haven’t made up your mind where you want to be and you live in the metro Atlanta, GA area…CON*tourage encourages you to come spend that last evening at BATTLE & BREW for their NEW YEARS EVE PARTY. “Battle and what?” you may ask yourself. For those of you who don’t already know, BATTLE & BREW is a really cool bar/restaurant in Marietta, GA that is a “gamer” type establishment…that has tons of gaming options for those of you who are into video, video, video games. Long gone are the days of Atari 2600 as B&B caters to those who enjoy a competitive game on systems including PC, Xbox, PS3, Wii and NES. According to http://battleandbrew.com/, “We go the extra mile to provide a relaxed comfortable atmosphere where it is just as much fun to chill out and have a beer in as it is to duke it out in an intense CounterStrike deathmatch with your buddies.”

And as far as what the comfort level is at B&B, you can kick back on one of their plush couches and enjoy the latest Xbox 360 titles over system link where up to 16 players can battle it out on their 50+ inch LCD TVs. “It’s an awesome experience that you have to try to appreciate. Of course if Xbox Live is your thing we have that too offered over our superfast T1 connection.”

Video, video, video games...and beer!!!

As far as food and booze, B&B has both and they offer a wide variety to please almost anyone. If you love a good beer, you’ll be hard pressed to not find a good beer waiting for you. They offer a full menu with appetizers, entrees, wraps, burgers and pizzas. We’ve tried many of their menu items and we can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s TASTY FOOD…not what one might “think” they’d get at a gamer’s bar. And if you aren’t into gaming, that’s cool also. There are always friendly folks to chat with and since several of the CON*tourage CRUE members and regular attendees of Dragon*Con drop by B&B regularly, it must be pretty cool.

For those of you who have a CON*tourage t-shirt….wear it to the party and CON*tourage will happily buy you a beer/drink to help ring in 2012. Sorry…no swapping of shirts with your friends after we’ve bought you a drink. That’d just be…weird. The party starts at 8 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.

Event info. on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/219357011477113/