Oz Comic-Con is a great showcase for local talent, being the Oz Comic-Con and all. The ‘Con has added three familiar names to the line-up this year: Gestalt owner and publisher Wolfgang Bylsma, plus creators Andrew Constant and Justin Randall. All three will be joining the event for the Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane shows.
Wolfgang Byslma will be familiar to comics fans and wider audiences alike, thanks to being the subject of the ABC documentary Comic Book Heroes. Regular con goers will know Byslma from his panel discussions and presence at the always popular Gestalt table, having personally helped launch the career of some of Australia’s biggest names in the comic book scene. Wolfgang will also be providing professional portfolio reviews to guests keen to have their work examined, and you can register at the information desks of each of the five events.
Justin Randall‘s horror series Changing Ways is without a doubt one of the most beautifully crafted and simultaneously terrifying books on the international scene. Recently translated into French, it joins his already impressive range of work on 30 Days of Night: Eben and Stella, Silent Hill and contributions to anthologies Popbot, 24Seven, Character Sketches and Flinch. We were lucky enough to have Justin on the show last year, and we look forward to seeing him again at this year’s events.
Andrew Constant is another local legend who is perhaps best known for Torn (with Nicola Scott), which Greg Rucka described as a “mesmerizing, hypnotic and frankly disturbing tale.” More recently, Constant was behind Broken Line #1, an already highly praised new series from Gestalt. According to his official bio, Constant “has been a journalist, a salesman, an I.T. manager, a bartender and a hippy”.
He will join the Oz Comic-Con 2014 guests that include (across the various states) William Shatner, Billy Piper, Shannen Doherty, Brian Krause, Holly Marie Combs, Bill Farmer, Booboo Stewart, Nana Visitor, David Nykl, Jason Momoa, Amanda Tapping, Gigi Edgley, Chris Judge, Robert Maschio, Corin Nemec, Eddie McClintock, Mike McFarland, Paul Eiding, Daniel Cudmore, Bobby Curnow, Freddie E Williams II, Tristan “T-Rex” Jones, Nicola Scott, Brad Walker, Jon Sommariva, Doug Holgate, Paul Abstruse, Georges Jeanty, David Yardin, Dean Rankine, Agnes Garbowska, Jim Cummings and Rodger Bumpass.
The 2014 Oz Comic-Con dates are:
- Perth, WA – March 29 and 30 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Adelaide, SA – April 5 and 6 at the Adelaide Showground
- Melbourne, VIC – July 5 and 6 at the Royal Exhibition Building
- Brisbane, QLD – September 6 and 7 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Sydney, NSW – September 13 and 14 at the Sydney Exhibition Centre at Glebe Island
You can find out more information about Oz Comic-Con by heading to their website at ozcomiccon.com. THEN come right back here as well, as we’ll be covering the various ‘Cons in full over the next year.
