Final MOC Review aka Cleaning off the Desk
In an effort to clean off my drawing table so I can actually draw on it, I offer the following reviews of some of the great things I found at the Mid Ohio Con in no particular order and in no particular genre. The only thing that connects them is that they are all incredibly cool. This is my final review from MOC.
The Ineffables issues 1-3 and the Secret History of the Ineffables. Craig Bogart. $2.00.
The Ineffables are an existential team made up of Mason, an uber genius giant stone head a la Easter Island, Clarity, the personification of abstract art and expression and Chet, a conspiracy theory obsessed journalist who is apparently invulnerable to harm. The team deals with such surreal circumstances as the badness of Elvis given hellish form and an attack by robot ghosts. Using logic, philosophy and existential thought, this is a story that will make you think, make you wonder and make you look for your old college textbooks. The initial art is extremely flat and crude but Bogart improves with every issue and you can see his progression as an artist as you progress through the series.
The Art of Darkness, Ren McKinzie, Blade’s Edge Illustrations.
First off, I have to say that I was drawn to Ren’s table by his looks. He is a tall, heavily muscled African American man with a tall Mohawk. He looks like a superhero. And opening up his art collection comic proves that fact. Compiled over the last seven or so years in comics, his work is a mix of a vibrant graffiti style and incredibly fine and detailed line work. In addition to his own original work, redesigns of characters that his uncle, Douglas Barnes, created in the 70’s, he has included ultra cool reimaginings of Blue Falcon and Dino Mutt and Hong Kong Phooey.
The Cosmic Norseman Verses Morgana X # 1, Allen Freeman and Clint Basinger, Cosmic Moustache Comics/Fanatic Press, $2.99
Tough as nails hit woman Morgana X has never failed to accomplish a mission. The Cosmic Norseman never met an ice cream cone that was tall enough or had enough flavors. When these two clash, hilarity ensues. Morgana mistakenly believes that Norse is her next target and the oblivious Norse just wants to get his comics and have an ice cream cone with 16 scopes. Each star also has their own back up adventure but the fun romp in the front is the real meat of this feast.
And now for something completely…well…not that different. If you have spent any time at a convention, you will know that there are many things to be found that have little or nothing to do with comic books, but being creative people of an eclectic nature, there are always things that draw your attention and turn into must haves (or at least I must haves)
Mid Ohio Con Messenger Bag $15.00
www.midohiocon.com
I absolutely badgered the promoters for this bag and finally ended up buying one to carry all my new acquisitions. To me, it was that cool. It is a great bag with a strong handle, subtly embossed with the Mid Ohio Con logo.
The bag was definitely there when I needed it and a welcome addition to an already ridiculously large bag collection.
Leather Studded Bracelet from Pawstar.
I am a big guy and finding normally created bracelets, watches and other arm wear is a constant struggle. The gentleman (whose name escapes me but I remember it being one word and cool) did not as a rule make bracelets but he went with it, allowed me to choose me the style of stud and made a kick ass band that I think looks great.
Batwing sword and Dragon head sword from The Pirates Treasure of Ohio.
I am an absolute sword geek. I have around ten swords and five smaller knives. While walking the aisles, I came across two guys in pirate outfits surrounded by a display of swords. This scene is not uncommon these days at many cons, but what made this special was the positive attitude of the guys, their respect for the handling of bladed weapons and the price. I got these swords at an incredible price and I hope to bump into these guys again and add a few more of their swords to my collection.
Godzilla machete Destroy All Monsters series 1 $20.00
My second favorite giant monster (the first being King Kong…big geek for the monkeys) Godzilla holds a special place in my heart. Plenty of Sundays were spent lying on the floor watching Godzilla stomp Tokyo for the thousandth time or lay a smack down on an equally huge but no where near as cool monster. What makes this particular item worth mentioning is that it is a solid ceramic piece, his fins light up with an unearthly blue and he roars the distinctive roar that takes my back to those days on the floor.
That brings my final review to a close. Mid Ohio Con was a great experience for me and obviously gave me a lot to talk about. I hope the next con I attend gives me as much enjoyment, as much interest and as much fun as this one.
John Wilson - John Wilson is a life long comic book fan and recent comics professional. In addition to his Graphic Content column of Comic and How-to book reviews on Comic Related, he writes content for Sketch Magazine.net, is a digital colorist for Unleashed Press, a moderator on the Art Unleashed forum for Blue Line Pro and Sketch Magazine and writes his own comic stories. John is also an Art educator, Multi-media artist and graphic designer. In the other five minutes of his day, he spends time with his wife, Kim and their two dogs and reads more magazines than should be humanly possible.
This page last updated on
November 13, 2008
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