Ohio Comic Con 2012: Day Three Photos

This year's Ohio Comic Con is officially in the history books.  An understandably less crowded day than Saturday, but still busy with activity for the most part.  Sundays seem better for comic hunting with less guys around who need to learn the wonders of underarm deodorant elbowing you for position in the rows of comic boxes.  Anyway, here's one last set of photos.  Hope to see you there next year!

Dr. Horrible and victim of The Silence from Doctor Who

 

Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead and Blade II

 

Sir Patrick Stewart. Make it so, Columbus.

 

Avengers movie version of Black Widow

 

Soundwave from Transformers campaigns for the Decepticon Party

As a reminder from yesterday, I have more Ohio Comic Con photos posted on my Facebook account which you can view HERE.  Dig the extra Comic Con goodness until next year!

Ohio Comic Con 2012: Day Two Photos

Well, Day Two of Ohio Comic Con 2012 was all kinds of insanely busy with celebrities such as Sir Patrick Stewart, Val Kilmer, Norman Reedus, Eliza Dushku, Dean Cain, John de Lancie and others signing autographs.  Had a great time catching up with old friends from Medina Senior High School and the amateur press association TitanTalk and of course, I have a few more photos to share.  Hope you like 'em!

Darth Maui.  YES.

The Fifth Doctor from Doctor Who

 Captain America oppa First Avenger style!

 

 The Predator with Deadpool. Do I have to explain how awesome this is?

 

Dean Cain, who is just as super in person as he was on Lois & Clark

Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!

If you'd like to check out more pictures from Day Two, you can find them posted HERE on my Facebook account.  See you back at the Columbus Convention Center for Day Three on Sunday!

Ohio Comic Con 2012: Day One Photos

Day One of Mid-Ohio-Con Mid-Ohio Comic Con Ohio Comic Con 2012 was essentially a preview night before the big stuff happens on Saturday and Sunday.  However, it gave me the opportunity to buy my comics professional pass for the weekend (No comp pass this year, sadly) and take a few advance photos.  Keep checking back this weekend for more, okay?


Dr. Emmett Brown's DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future. This is heavy.

The Doctor Who Store booth. It's like they traveled all this way just for me.

Ironside Dalek from the Doctor Who episode "Victory of the Daleks." No, I don't want any tea.

The Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. Needs a little engine work.

 

 

Loki and Thor just hangin' out in Midgard

 

See you back at the Columbus Convention Center tomorrow!





Fandom: The Next Generation

Generation X, this may be hard for some of you to accept, but it's time to step aside and make room for Generation Text.

I know, I know...As a comics and science-fiction fan of forty-two, I'm not overly fond of my increasing obsolescence but I like to think I'm secure enough to understand my reduced place in the rapidly-shifting landscape of fandom.  While attending the 2011 Mid-Ohio Comic Con as a guest this past weekend, I had several opportunities to engage in a writer's favorite pastime -- people watching.  (And no, not in a creepy, stalky way...)  Here's a little of what I observed:

• Those Damn Kids are just as passionate about stuff they like as you are, probably more so -- See those four guys in the photo above?  They spent a good ten minutes hanging out at my table, talking all kinds of fun, good-natured smack to me and to one another about who was better, Generator Rex or that nowhere-near-as-cool-as-Generator Rex Ben 10 guy.  They threw out each character's advantages, flaws, you name it, all with energy and true geek passion that used to fuel many a Kirk vs. Picard argument back in the day.  They love what they love, just as you geezers do, even if you have absolutely no clue why that is.
• Those Damn Kids aren't just fat white kids with bad skin anymore -- Ever since the Lord of the Rings movies and the Harry Potter films debuted, the traditional white, straight male geek demographic has been seemingly halved by a much more diversified and more importantly, female presence.  As a result, you can find things like Twilight memorabilia (shudder) and all kinds of custom jewelry mixed in with all those Japanese katanas and Klingon Bat'leths.  Some comics creators are wisely making specific efforts to reach out to those new types of fanbases, which only helps to grow them further.  If you're looking for real social progress, take a good look at a modern comics convention floor.
• Those Damn Kids love to cosplay -- Once upon a time, nerds with Spock ears and Batman masks roamed the convention floor in often cheesy homemade garb, but now you can find all kinds of elaborate costumes made by people talented enough to be working in film and television instead.  Oh, cheesy still has its place, as it always will, but you can find fans wearing quality costumes from just about every TV, movie, novel series and animation project you can think up.  With numerous comics and science-fiction sites posting cosplay photos these days, these younger fans know they need to come up with something attention-grabbing and they often do.  Young women have the advantage here, obviously, and are more than willing to wear the skimpiest of costumes whether they have a decent physique to pull them off or not.  Halloween costume shops seem to be big for those female fans who want to show off as Sexy Captain America, Sexy Robin or yes, even Sexy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
• Those Damn Kids are The Future -- Just as our geezer generation replaced the Silver Age-obsessed Baby Boomers, this new generation is gradually replacing us.  Digital comics and e-books are rapidly becoming the norm, whether you like it or not, and we've just seen how accommodating these newer formats and technologies has helped companies such as DC Comics earn their best sales in years.  Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley have given way to Pine, Quinto and Urban, creating a new generation of Star Trek fans for decades to come.  One group's Star Wars is now another group's Clone Wars.  Tom Baker Doctor Who scarves have been replaced by Matt Smith bowties and fezzes.  The names and details may change, but the core of What We Love continues on in What They Love.  As it should be.

Mid-Ohio Comic Con 2011: Day Two Photos

Mid-Ohio Comic Con 2011 wrapped up today.  After meeting all kinds of people and signing and handing out at least thirty free copies of Cartoon Network Action Pack #61 over the weekend (over twice what I expected), I can easily say I had a full convention.  Hope everyone who attended enjoyed it as much as I did and let's do it all again next year, okay?

And as promised, some more photos...

Arthur Dent (A frood who knows where his towel is) and The Eleventh Doctor

Harry Dresden and Molly Carpenter from Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files

V from V for Vendetta (or a member of Anonymous, take your pick)

Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Flash Thompson as Venom

And just as before, you can find more photos at my Facebook account.

See you next year!

Mid-Ohio Comic Con 2011: Day One Photos

Day One of Mid-Ohio Comic Con 2011, my first-ever convention as a guest, is officially in the history books.   An absolutely huge turnout for Saturday and I gave away twice as many free copies of Cartoon Network Action Pack #61 than I expected. My many thanks to everyone who stopped by my table today and a Special Shout-Outs to fellow ex-TitanTalker Neil Southwell and to all the Doctor Who and Generator Rex fans. 

Oh, look...photos!

The Tenth Doctor, The Eleventh Doctor, The Ninth Doctor and Captain Jack Harkness (with banana because bananas are good)

Mistah J and Harley Quinn

Four new recruits for Team Generator Rex.  Represent!

Ed Brubaker-era Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Aquawoman

Rose Tyler from "The Idiot's Lantern" and The Tenth Doctor from "The Girl in the Fireplace"

My favorite pairing of Day One -- Mysterion from South Park and Shipwreck from G.I. Joe

Want to see more pictures?  Check them out on my Facebook account!

26 Years of Attending Mid-Ohio-Cons and THIS Happens

All of the sudden, I'm reminded of the song "1985" by the band Bowling for Soup...

Some of my favorite memories are going to the annual Mid-Ohio-Con comics and sci-fi convention, ever since writer/artist John Byrne appeared in 1985 at the Richland County Fairgrounds in Mansfield just before relaunching the post-Crisis Superman for DC Comics.  The con has moved around the state of Ohio and has had different dates throughout the fall, but apart from the few years I lived in Florida in the early '90s, I've always made a point to go no matter what.  I've seen and met a number of legendary comics creators, bought an insane amount of comics and the occasional bootleg video (allegedly), and taken solace in the knowledge that I can spend at least one weekend out of the year doing something that I love.

And now, through another strange, wibbly-wobbly universal anomaly, I'm actually appearing at Mid-Ohio-Con (excuse me, now Mid-Ohio Comic Con) as a guest.  Madness.

So I imagine it will only be slightly, kinda-sorta, absolutely, positively bizarre to be sitting on the other side of the table signing someone's comic instead of asking to have one or two signed signed for me.  I did a Barnes & Noble book signing years ago for my Star Trek: Strange New Worlds short story, "Doctors Three," but dealing with a convention crowd is something else entirely.

If you're interested in checking out the potential trainwreck, you can find more information here at the official site, and be sure to block out October 22 and 23 on your 2011 calendar.  I'll be there at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to sign copies of my Generator Rex stories for DC Comics' Cartoon Network Action Pack and probably go on at length about the TV series Doctor Who to anyone foolish enough to ask me about it.  Hope to see you there!

It's Official -- Wizard World Mid-Ohio Comic Con 2011

Considerable rumblings began surfacing on the internets last weekend during Mid-Ohio-Con 2010 but it's now official -- Wizard World has assimilated Mid-Ohio-Con into the Wizard Collective, making them the new showrunners for 2011.  Some dreaded the news, others saw potential for growth, but one thing is certain...There is no stopping them; Wizard World will soon be here.  And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords and their delightful press release:

Wizard World Acquires Mid-Ohio-Con

Wizard World Mid-Ohio Comic Con Set for October 22-23, 2011

Headline Guests Adam West, Burt Ward, Rob Liefeld Announced for 2011

NEW YORK and COLUMBUS, Ohio, November 13, 2010 – Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard Entertainment, today announced the acquisition of Mid-Ohio-Con. The show will make its inaugural appearance on the Wizard World Tour circuit on the weekend of October 22-23, 2011 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH.

“The acquisition of Mid-Ohio-Con gives us an even stronger presence in the key Midwest market,” said Shamus. “We are excited to have the opportunity to build from the great foundation of Mid-Ohio-Con, which has consistently delivered the best in comics, celebrity and pop culture entertainment for 30 years running.”

“We are thrilled to join the Wizard World Tour,” said James Henry, Managing Director of Mid-Ohio-Con. “We are excited to work with Gareb and the Wizard World team to produce Mid-Ohio Comic Con and we are confident that this partnership will result in a show that will delight fans, creators and exhibitors alike in 2011 and beyond.”

Wizard World Mid-Ohio Comic Con announced its first slate of guests for 2011, which includes Batman stars Adam West and Burt Ward as well as fan-favorite Image Comics creator Rob Liefeld. “I'm in,” said Liefeld. “I've never been to Mid-Ohio before....make it a big deal!” Stay tuned for additional headline guest announcements in the coming months.

Mid-Ohio-Con is one of America’s longest-running and most successful comic book and pop-culture conventions, carrying on a fun and family-oriented tradition of bringing fans of all ages together with leading comic book writers and artists, film and television stars and creators, and publishers and retailers from across the nation.

2010 marked Mid-Ohio-Con’s 30th anniversary show which included guests of honor David Finch and Adam Hughes along with featured media guests Michael Berryman and Lou Ferrigno and more than 100 creators from the worlds of comics, film, gaming and television. The show had record attendance and has received acclaim from exhibitors, fans and guests as the best in its long history.

Join tens of thousands of fellow fans as they converge at the Greater Columbus Convention Center at Mid-Ohio Comic Con to celebrate the best in pop culture. Columbus’ Comic Con brings it all - Movies, Comics, Toys, Video Gaming, Games, TV, Horror, Wrestling, MMA, Original Art, Collectibles, Anime, Manga, & More! This is Ohio’s longest running and most widely attended Comic Con! Brought to you by the group who produces the most widely attended Comic Con tour!

It's only been one week since the 2010 Mid-Ohio-Con and already considerable changes can be seen on the Wizard World site for the 2011 convention.  Some slightly-higher profile media guests have been announced -- Adam West and Burt Ward from the '60s Batman television series, along with Walter Koenig, Chekov from the original Star Trek and Bester from Babylon 5.  Also, comics professionals Phil Jimenez, Mike Grell and Rob Liefeld have been listed, making this the first time ever that Jimenez and Liefeld will appear at Mid-Ohio-Con.

Unfortunately, the really bad news is on Wizard World's Mid-Ohio-Con ticket page, where the price for a 2-day weekend ticket has now jacked up to $40 from 2010's $25 at the door, and the new price of $25 for a Saturday or Sunday single-day ticket.  There's also a note at the bottom that says "Save $5 by ordering your ticket in advance," which makes me wonder if the full price at the door will be $45 for both days and $30 for one day.

Obviously, we're only a week into building up for the 2011 con, so I'm sure there will be much more news to come down the road.

Mid-Ohio-Con 2010: Day Two Photos

Mid-Ohio-Con 2010 ended today and I have the sore feet and nearly-dislocated shoulder from lugging around all those 50%-off hardcover collections to show for it.  It was great to see several of my friends again and have fun chatting with comics creators and cosplayers. 

And as promised, some more photos...

Tom Servo and friends of the Satellite of Love



Frank Quitely-era Emma Frost



Chewbacca and some other people who only wish they were as awesome as Chewbacca



Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest



Robot Monster from Mystery Science Theater 3000.  At least I hope it was Robot Monster...

And just as before, you can find more photos from today at my Facebook account.

See you next year!

Mid-Ohio-Con 2010: Day One Photos

Well, Day One of Mid-Ohio-Con 2010 is officially in the history books.  A surprisingly big turnout today, which resulted in an equally surprising line just to get in.  Doesn't look like the recession is hurting the geek demographic much.

Oh, look...photos!

Please do not touch...especially there.



The only time I will EVER post a photo of someone dressed as a Stormtrooper



The Avengers, with Thor practicing for his appearance in an '80s metal video

It's...the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, with Mini-Louis Tully and Slimer!

Zombie Deadpool heads on artist Arthur Sudyam's table.  Shhhhh!

Want to see more pictures?  Check them out on my Facebook account!

Mid-Ohio-Con Hits the Big 3-0 on November 6th!

The 30th anniversary of Mid-Ohio-Con in Columbus, Ohio is just over a month away now, so I thought I'd pass along their most recent guest list.  I've been going to Mid-Ohio-Con since the John Byrne relaunch of the Superman books was announced way back in November of 1985, so needless to say, this convention has meant a lot to me over the years.

As you can see, the list of creators is looking pretty impressive so far, so if you're interested in going, check out the link above for more information and tickets. 







Guests of Honor

David Finch                  Adam Hughes

Featured Guests

Andy Bennett               Josef Rubinstein
Art Baltazar                  Joshua Warner
Arvell Jones                  Kevin Cannon
Barry Kitson                 Khoi Pham
Beau Smith                  Kurt Busiek
Billy Tan                       Lora Innes
Billy Tucci                    Marc Sumerak
Bob Ingersoll                Mark Evanier
Brett Pinson                 Mark Texiera
Brian Pulido                 Matt Wagner
Bryan J.L. Glass          Michael Golden
Chris Giarrusso            Renee Witterstaetter
Chris Sprouse              Scott Simmons
Chris Yambar              Sean Forney
Craig Rousseau           Sean McKeever
David Aikins                Sergio Aragonés
David Mack                 Steve Scott
David Petersen            Thom Zahler
Ethan Van Sciver         Todd Dezago
Gary Kwapisz              Todd Nauck
George Broderick, Jr.   Tony Isabella
Herb Trimpe                 Tony Moore
Jamie Snell                  Uko Smith

Recent Updates
Michael Berryman, Lou Ferrigno, Joe Benitez