Dragons r us

On Labor Day weekend, while families engage in wholesome picnicking and ladies bid adieu to their white shoes, hordes of black-clad disciples of myth and legend will descend on Atlanta’s Marriott Marquis for their annual rite of passage, the 2004 Dragon*Con.

The event will also feature the Dragon*Con 2004 Art Show, with more than 250 artists represented, including the female answer to legendary pinup artist Vargas, illustrator Olivia DeBerardinis, whose work graces Courtney Love’s CD America’s Sweetheart. Also on hand will be Charles Vess, whose fanciful storybook drawings suggest a bouillabaisse of Gustav Klimt, Albrecht DÜrer and Japanese comics.

While some enclaves of esoteric artistry — like Gen-X graphic novelists or the hot-rod hipsters of Juxtapoz — have scribbled their way into the mainstream, sci-fi and fantasy illustrators remain an unappreciated lot.

Say what you will about some of Dragon*Con’s geek trappings, it’s hard not to admire how the iconoclastic artists offer a last vestige of imagination and dreaminess in a cold, ironic world. Inspired by the shared iconography of the Dragon*Con artists, Creative Loafing has assembled a hit list of factors that could indicate whether you have what it takes to join the Dragon*Con ranks:

You know you’re a Dragon*Con artist if:

- You tend not to draw from life since women with double-E chests and 10-inch waists are hard to come by.

- You believe that dragons have highly individual personalities and it is your mission as an artist to bring them to the fore.

- You think nothing conveys the essential spirit of woman better than a pair of gossamer fairy wings.

- Rather than praying that a gallery owner seeking new artists stops by your booth, you hope for a drop-by from the convention’s celebrity guests, such as Soupy Sales.

- You are not above using a crescent moon for dramatic effect.

- You believe the only thing better than a naked woman is a woman in a cape.The Dragon*Con 2004 Art Show runs Sept. 3-6 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave. Fri., 1-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Mon., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Exhibition free with admission to Dragon*Con, $25-$85. 770-909-0115. www.dragoncon.org.