TODD GREEN, The Standard
SCUGOG: Last Saturday, Port Perry hosted a comicon show at the Scugog Recreational Community Centre from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The show saw approximately 70 vendors and about 520 attendees. People of all ages were milling about, fascinated with the items available related to their favourite comic genre or character.
The front hallway was lined with framed, realistically constructed bugs, animated related socks and Amigurumi knitted plushies. Various video games and paraphernalia abounded, including old movie signs, licence plates, badges and old commercial posters, which could be used for movie sets, as well as PB&J comics and collectibles from Kawartha Lakes.
Artists of all levels of experience attended. Some show their works for the first time, and others have decades of interrelated experience across many animation styles and other media art platforms.
One such artist, named Shaun Hardy, was creating his own homemade chainmaille jewelry, accessories and art. His chainmaille vests and armour have appeared in middle-age period features for the screen. There were sword replica sellers (safe materials only), and figurines of all types of characters, from one inch to much larger, painted in great detail.
Graphic Novel and character design artists had work on display. New to the scene was Preston Squire, introducing his series Brute – Who's tagline is "What if the toughest guy in the Universe looked like a teddy bear?". Next was Ryan Poirier, showcasing Herd and Farm Freaks from his independent publication house, called Accidental Creations. Plus, there was Rusty Lein, a nine-year-old boy, with his personally done Catman comic and Rusty comic books.
Kapow Comics was there with the artist Brant Mawdsley, along with the varied hero and heroine creations. Brant was producing caricatures upon request for a small fee.
Then there was "Artist and Coffee Addict" from MadMonkeyLove. This artist, Loc Nguyen, has been working cross-platform in the creative media industry for over 30 years. His experience spans from before computers were used for special effects and many production houses ran on duct tape and gusto to today. After the staple in the industry became computer-generated art, he kept in step and transferred his generous and varied art skills to the digital tablet. Everything from character concept art and storyboarding, working with Disney on Little Mermaid and Mattel on Barbie, to MGA for Vivendi Universal Games. Among his fan art and personal illustration, he has created a character for a small handout comic book featuring Sergent Alex Lee. This free gift to the public is called 'Goose,' a promotion for 'Madd' (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).
He was both relaxed and enthusiastic about art and life. It was a treasure trove, talking with this gentleman. "It is like my therapy. I have to draw and get it out," he said with a satisfied smile.
The organizer of this event was David Wyldstar from Pop Culture Canada. The event was free with a suggested donation to Operation Scugog Food Bank. His booth was front and centre, covered with collectable items to be raffled off in exchange for food bank donations. In addition, there were wrestling masks available for purchase, as he works to promote local wrestling events. Up-and-coming events will be this Autumn in Lindsay and the surrounding area.