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RVA Comics X-Change: Issue 39 — GalaxyCon 2020 Edition

Ash Griffith | March 10, 2020

Topics: Aladdin, Brian O'Halloran, Clerks, comics, comics conventions, Comics X-Change, cosplay, GalaxyCon, GalaxyCon 2020, Gilbert Gottfried, Greater Richmond Convention Center, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Linda Larkin, Pikabug, Robin Williams, Shannon Elizabeth, View Askewniverse

Happy Tuesday, comics fans! Welcome back to your favorite bi-weekly go-to for comics news and talk in Richmond. Not only that, we are your best go-to for in-depth coverage of the biggest annual comics and pop culture event in the River City – GalaxyCon Richmond. 

Conventions are beautiful events for many reasons; they bring people of all walks of life and interests together under the same roof, and also allow said people to experience the media that brings them joy in a new way. From artist alley, to vendors, to question and answer panels, to even shaking your favorite actor’s hand, conventions are full of magical events for so many people.

Naturally, this year’s GalaxyCon Richmond was no different. If last year’s line-up of celebrities and creators was excellent, then this year’s topped it as a solidified supreme. The unofficial theme of the year must have been “reunion,” as many franchise’s actors and creators joined forces once again, some having not each other in years.

From the central cast of The WB/CW’s Smallville to Disney’s Aladdin and even nerd king Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse, many different casts were reunited on the floors of GalaxyCon. It was a mighty good time to be a fan of, well, almost anything.

Linda Larkin is best known to many children of the 90s as the speaking voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin (1992). If her fans thought that they were the ones most excited to meet her and the cast, they have some competition. While she travels the convention circuit a few times a year, no one was more excited to be at this convention, and see the Aladdin cast reunion, than the princess of Agrabah herself.

“It’s really nice for [the cast to be back together],” said Larkin. “It’s just really nice to be able to meet people that love the movie, and all of us [to] be together when that happens. It’s really nice. ”

The best part for Larkin was certainly meeting the fans. Voice actors usually don’t record many parts of their script, if any at all, with other actors, so getting to see and meet other people who share the passion for her projects is her favorite. If you grew up with this film and let her know, she was just as excited to talk to you as well.

“It’s very moving to me,” said Larkin. “It’s very touching when I see another person across from me, and they’re telling me, and I can see in their eyes that this movie imprinted on them in a way that is lasting. I just feel really lucky to be a part of that for them.”

The event Larkin was most excited for was without a doubt the question and answer panel with the remaining members of the cast – Steve Weinger (Aladdin himself), Gilbert Gottfried (Iago), Jonathan Freeman (Jafar), and Frank Welker (Abu and the Cave of Wonders). Rarely are they ever together, and even then it is usually in smaller groups. It has been a long time since all of the remaining cast has been in the same room together.

The event was held on one of the main stages of the Greater Richmond Convention Center, which meant that the panel was held in a very large, almost stadium-sized room. The projection screens on either side of the stage were gratefully appreciated. Families, small children, and adults in their twenties and thirties filled the packed room, with barely a seat left to spare. With five minutes until the panel was set to begin, the long line to ask questions was already filling.

The cast answered a variety of questions, ranging from favorite recording memories to casting memories, and even their favorite lines from their individual characters. Two subjects, however, were the most popular in rotation – the shock of the film’s immediate and long-lasting popularity, and working with the Genie himself, Robin Williams. 

Most of the cast remembered Williams just the way we as fans assumed he was – kind, supportive, and hard-working. Weinger recalled Williams improvising parts of a scene with him, where Weinger’s Aladdin (in disguise as Prince Ali) is still trying to woo Princess Jasmine, while Williams’ Genie (in disguise as a bumblebee) advises him to just “beeeeee yourself.”

Of all the memories, the one that got many of the adults who are familiar with Gottfried’s long stand-up comedy career was when he recalled sharing the stage with Williams at a comedy show. When Gottfried was kicked further down on the lineup, Williams fought for him by insisting that he himself go early instead of Gottfried, because he had “friends who were here to see Gilbert.” 

As per usual at conventions, there were many cosplayers walking the exhibition halls. From Sailor Moon to Rey and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren from the Star Wars series, there was something for everyone. Among the booths and events were even tables and events specifically for the cosplay bunch.

A few tables were set up for cosplayers to quickly mend their costumes, or fix hair and makeup. Many cars were in attendance for fans to pose with, such as K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, the Metallicar from Supernatural, and the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters; plus, for the anime fans, Grace Klich’s Pikabug was hanging out as well.

Not only were there multiple costume contests, costumed pro wrestlers had a strong presence in the back of the exhibition hall as well. Who will win in a battle of Link versus StarLord? Only the headlock will tell. 

Pulling a strong audience amongst the question and answer panels was the reunion of some of the View Askewniverse’s favorites. Kevin Smith’s beloved franchise saw a new addition last year with the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, starring Smith and Jason Mewes. As Smith recently finished up the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Roadshow tour to promote the film, some of the cast, including Mewes, came back to Richmond to say hello.

Friday night’s View Askew Reunion Q&A panel was attended by Brian O’Halloran (Dante Hicks, amongst others), Shannon Elizabeth (Justice), and Mewes (Jay). Like the Aladdin cast, much of the cast of the films had not seen each other in person in a while. That was not true, however, of O’Halloran and Mewes. O’Halloran joked that he “sees this motherfucker all the time.”

O’Halloran and Mewes answered the majority of the questions, which ranged from favorite memories of the series (mostly centering on Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the only film aside from Jay and Silent Bob Reboot in which all three of them appeared), to filming, and of course what it is like to work with Smith himself. O’Halloran fondly recalled that filming the View Askew films is much like “what [he] imagined summer camp is like.”

Of course, the biggest questions centered around Clerks 3. There are always some theories or mystery around Clerks 3 and whether or not it will happen; quite frankly, there have been for many years. Allegedly there was a script previously written for it, but a test audience found it to be entirely too dark, so it was scrapped. 

However, O’Halloran confirmed during the panel that the film is a go, and the usual cast of characters are just waiting on Smith to finally finish the script.

That does it for this week, comics fans! We hope you enjoyed part one of our coverage of GalaxyCon. Stay tuned for more, as we dig deep into Artist Alley, talk with some of your favorite comic creators, and present a very special interview with the men of Clerks themselves, Brian O’Halloran (Dante Hicks) and Jeff Anderson (Randal Graves), as they talk to us about the convention and the future of the series.

Until next time.

All Photos by Ash Griffith

RVA Comics X-Change Issue 21: GalaxyCon Artist’s Alley Edition

Ash Griffith | June 11, 2019

Topics: Andrea Rose Washington, Celestial Fawn Designs, comics, Comics X-Change, GalaxyCon, Jordan Kincaid, Mackenzie Lemoine, Pikabug, Steve Howard

Happy not-yet-rainy Tuesday, comic fans of the greater River City! Welcome on back to issue number twenty-one of your RVA Comics X-Change, where every other week we talk about what is on the radar in comic world and pop culture. This week we take a big stroll down Artist’s Alley – GalaxyCon’s Artist’s Alley that is.

One of my absolute must stops when I go to conventions is always Artist’s Alley. Sure, it’s really cool to walk by vendors, go to panels, or quickly run past your heroes at meet and greet tables and hope that they noticed you. But what really makes it for me is meeting independent artists, writers, and creators of all mediums, who are not only passionate about the same fandoms that you are, but are also excited to share their original works with you and the world.

This week with Comics X-Change we’re going to take a different turn in the road; instead of check out the comics coming out this week, or that are already out and deserving of a second glance, we are going to talk to some of the folks who made GalaxyCon so special. I talked to illustrators, writers, and creators of all kinds who were passionate about everything from general fantasy to anime to sci-fi and everything in between. It is my privilege to introduce you to some of the biggest names of tomorrow.

Andrea Rose Washington

Andrea Rose Washington has your new favorite novel to get sucked into. Originally from the DC area, the author of Adalithiel and Elendil heard that GalaxyCon was a good one to come to. After she heard that GalaxyCon had not been to the Richmond area in, well, a minute, her interest was piqued.

“I’m a sci-fi writer, [and] my first book took me about five years to get it done completely,” said Washington. “The next one took me about a year to do, so [I’ve been] writing officially for five years.”

Jordan Kincaid

Jordan Kincaid is a local illustrator who lives just around the corner here in Richmond. She focuses on whimsical fantasy elements, and knows how to make your childhood favorite stories look like absolute art. When she heard that GalaxyCon was going to be coming to the city, she was happy to support a really good convention that we were in need of.

“I think that [tabling at artist’s alley] helps get our name out there, and with our social media prescence,” said Kincaid. “It’s just a really good learning experience for newer artists as well. It’s a good opportunity to slowly build on what you already have.”

Steve Howard

Steve Howard is another DC favorite who made it down south to share his skills with us. Howard is an illustrator and designer who does a lot of comic styled art, among other skills. He was looking for another convention to hit when another artist recommended GalaxyCon. When he isn’t at the table, you won’t catch him doing any window shopping, but he will be found meeting fellow artists and networking.

“Anybody doing anything creative, especially if it’s just you and the people around you, artists, writers, and craftsman, they need to have their ear to the ground,” said Howard. “Most of the time when we do this, we’re in the studio. We rarely get to interact with the public. I think it’s important that every once in a while artists get to meet their public. It’s very important to meet people and find out what they like, or what you could do that they could see. On the other side, especially with comic artists, people may know your style but it’s always an extra added to treat to put a name to your face of these pictures you like.”

Grace PikaBug

Grace is another Richmond local who is probably the ultimate Pokemon fan, at least while the Richmond area is concerned. Not just a collector of merchandise, she ended up with the biggest collectible she could have – one of the only ten Pikachu Volkswagen Beetles ever made. She is still in the process of fixing it up, but got it up and running enough to take it to its very first convention. This is her first big convention, and one of the best parts was surely talking to people about the history of the car and answering questions.

“It’s a piece of Pokemon history,” said Grace. “Even though it isn’t perfect, I wanted to show it off, and people seem to be really enjoying it.”

Mackenzie Lemoine

Mackenzie Lemoine is an illustrator and artist based out of Raleigh who specializes in the cute, pink, and spooky. Prints featuring subjects such as Mothman, ghost Pokemon (including a tattooed, punk rock Jigglypuff, naturally), and Tim Burton-styled Totoro decorate her table, proclaiming her really cool aesthetic. Much like the other artists here, she is excited to be in Artist’s Alley, and for all that it brings to the art community.

“It’s really good to meet the people who want to see your art and are interested,” said Lemoine. “It’s good for artists to have that face to face interaction with people who enjoy their art. For me, whenever I started illustrating, illustration is my safe place to go. When people come up to me and go ‘It’s so much pink! That’s so cool!’ It’s so good for me and my mental health.”

Celestial Fawn Designs

Bridgett McPherson, aka Celestial Fawn Designs, is another illustrator out of North Carolina who came up to the convention to see what GalaxyCon was all about. Her designs focus a lot on color and pop culture, and have their own way to make some of your pop culture favorites like Kiki’s Delivery Service your new treasured piece of art. She is a big fan of seeing the costumes as they go by, and as an artist who does a lot of pop culture based work, she truly enjoys seeing the things she draws in real life.

“I think nostalgia is what grabs me the most, because you can do crossovers with your art and make stuff with everybody,” said Bridgett. “It’s cool to see dads go, ‘Hey look, there’s that thing from when I was a kid!’ It’s easy to talk to the parents who intimidate you, but are bringing up our future so that when we get old they’ll be into the good stuff.”

There were so many more artists and creators that we talked to that we could not fit in here, but we’ll see some of them in the future for more issues of Comics X-Change, sharing their picks of the comics out there right now.

Until then, a word of advice: if you’re tired of the same old stories of Superman vs Deadpool, please take a break from the vendors and panels and just take a good stroll down Artist Alley. Not only will you shake up your own aesthetic, but you will leave with so much knowledge you wouldn’t have otherwise gotten.

Also, if you’re like me, about $20 worth of stickers.

Until next time, comic fans!

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