MegaCon 2012

Megacon 2012 has concluded, and this is my report on the biggest comic con in Florida. There are lots of pictures and art-related links to check out, as well as an full schedule of events in the coming year you may want to check out.

To see a schedule of upcoming conventions, click HERE.

The artist links are after the pictures. There were a lot of insanely talented artists at MegaCon this year.

Below right: part of the Megacon vendor area. Megacon was much bigger this year, with a lot more vendors, celebrities and artists.

One of the biggest draws of Megacon are, of course, the costumes. Megacon is obviously not as big as Dragoncon, but is like a smaller-scale Dragoncon. New pictures added!


Here are some pictures taken by a 501st Legion member, Pirate Girl, from Saturday. Thanks Pirate Girl!

Here are my shots from Sunday, the day I was there

Other interesting sites to be seen at this year's Megacon

Above: The Ghostbusters ambulance (a 1975 Cadillac model; the one in the film was a 1959 model) and a Blues Brothers Bluesmobile. The one in the film was a 1974 Dodge Monaco; this one is a Ford Crown Victoria

Below: The 501st Legion had a huge area this year, filled with a recreated Star Wars set, an array of costumes, props and helmets, all built by members, as well as a Shoot-The-Trooper game that raised a lot of money for charity. I pulled a few hours of table duty, and stayed behind to help with breaking down the displays.

Left: a replica battle droid. Below: a recreation of the Mos Eisley spaceport set

Always a popular draw at cons is the Lego area, with fantastic sets created with Legos. There are moving trails that encircle the sets, which have many pop culture references.

A Back To The Future flying Delorean

A Roy Lichtenstein painting created in nothing but Legos

A Ghostbusters scene rendered in Lego

Below: scenes from the R2 Builders area:

After Megancon closes, and the visitors leave, vendors and convention participants begin furiously taking down their displays. Forklifts zip around importantly, collecting huge rolls of carpeting, chairs are gathered onto rolling carts, display racks and props are disassembled and put away, and a small armada of robots roll through the chaos toward the rear loading dock doors. Below, the Ghostbusters ambulance and the Bluesmobile drive out of the convention hall. Another MegaCon has ended.

I met some truly talented artists at Megacon, much better than myself, which just makes me want to work harder to improve my skills. Check out their websites for some inspiration and a look at different styles of work. Remember, art is not created in a vacuum; creativity requires exposure to other artists. Click on the artist names to take you to their sites.

I am in the process of adding more artists; check back soon!

Below Left: Hazzard Ink

Katie Hazzard (known as Hazzard to her friends) paints pin-up art on cast off airplane parts. Her playfully naughty pin-up art adorns aircraft cargo doors, instrument and body panels, even windows. Katie is a huge fan of the art of the pin-up, and when I spoke to her at Megacon she told me it was her very first con. She has a niche I have never seen before at cons, and I think she will do very well in the con scene. Her site is well laid out and has a large gallery of her work. Check it out!

Below Right: Locoduck Studios

Locoduck is run by Michael Duron, who currently works as a caricature artist at Walt Disney World theme parks in Orlando. His work is cartoony and whimsical, fun to look at. Besides doing caricatures and whimsical illustration, he produces comic books, cards, clothing and other items.

Below Left: Danielle Soloud: Danielle is another woman who likes to produce pin-up art. Her blog has a lot of examples of her work, as well as a few pictures of what her work looks like as it's being created. 

Below Right: Coallus (Michael Banks): Michael's work has a dreamy, surreal look to them, the main characteristic being huge, bubble eyes on all of his illustrations. His work, according to his website, is fueled by sugar and caffeine.

Below: Love and Capes: L&C is a web comic that you can read on their site, and is decribed by its creator: Abby and Mark are a typical couple. At least, that's what Abby thinks. Unknown to her, her boyfriend is not just an accountant, but also the super-powered crime-fighter, the Crusader. And, tonight, Mark's going to let her in on the secret. Love and Capes is a heroically super romantic comedy situation comedy in comic book form from Thom Zahler.