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Perhaps Oz Comic-Con’s greatest triumph is its ability to unite people who share a love of pop culture. For them, being immersed in comics, games and film isn’t just a passing fancy—it’s a way of life. Dressing up as a favourite character requires effort, poise and patience, but these hardcore fans seem to bypass such challenges with ease. “It’s fun” they say, posing for pictures with their many admirers. This sense of enthusiasm seems to galvanise the entire convention, bringing out the inner child of whoever walks through it. It’s a rare, beautiful sight to witness. Here are some panels that caught our attention during Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017.
Live Drawing Demonstration with Wayne Nichols
When Australian comic artist Wayne Nichols draws Spiderman, he has an image of the iconic Marvel superhero in his mind—but the remaining 50% is just letting the pencil flow on the page. Nichols, whose work is currently on display at GOMA (Queensland Gallery of Modern Art), feels that creating art is a very ‘zen’ process where “the self disappears and you become one with the craft.” He begins his Spidey sketch with a soft 2H lead pencil, simultaneously narrating for the captive audience. Illustrations done in 2B tend to get greasy on paper and are too hard to ink in afterwards, he says. Capturing the dynamic flow of Spiderman’s rounded angles has occasionally led him to watching gameplay footage from Spiderman 2, but despite this, he “hasn’t really played any Spiderman games”. He does however own a Disney Infinity Spiderman figurine. Nichols says being selected to contribute to the Marvel – Creating the Cinematic Universe exhibition was a “blessing”. Those interested can watch the drawing demonstration on Twitch, here.
Keegan Allen Panel
Anyone who read the Pretty Little Liars novels will know Toby Cavanaugh (Keegan Allen) was originally meant to die in the second book, Flawless. In fact, Allen says it was “because of the fanbase his character even lived” in the television adaptation. Pretty Little Liars first aired in 2010. The last episode of the teen drama series was broadcasted just over a week ago, reaching a climax with the reveal of “A’s” true identity. Speaking about his time on set, Allen said “it was great” to be a part of the A team, and that the show’s ending is ‘brilliant’ because it leaves “a lot open to the imagination”. His suggestion for an alternate ending is far darker. If Allen had directing power, he would have all the girls emerging from The Brew in their symbolic black dresses and receive a text from ‘A’. It would start to snow, the camera zooming out indefinitely until it’s apparent to the audience the snow is from a snow globe, Alison DiLaurentis clutching it tightly. She would be in a nursing home, struggling with dementia. Allen says “good writing can help people deal with different things in their lives” by removing them from their daily lives and “delivering an alternate reality.”
Shannon Purser Panel
Fans of sci-fi horror series Stranger Things weren’t too pleased when Barbara Holland (Shannon Purser) was brutally killed off by a monster from The Upside Down. In response, the #JusticeForBarb movement took over social media, with the ultimate goal of bringing Barb back for season 2. Sadly, the show’s producer Shawn Levy recently confirmed that the team would not “cravenly service the wish-list of fans”. During her panel, Purser revealed that being given the role was “a shock”, and she was “so nervous she was going to die”. But ultimately, the audition went “very well”. Purser said she has strong links to the 80s and the sci-fi/thriller genre as a result of working on Stranger Things, which is “always close to (her) heart”. We managed to ask her about her favourite games, to which she replied: “I was one of four girls, and we were all really girly so I never really got the chance. But I do play a mean game of Mario Kart.”
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That concludes our coverage of Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017. Gameranx thanks Blue Planet Public Relations for making it possible.
