U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Mapping out Mid-Ohio Con

Columbus' biggest comic book culture celebration hits year 29

By Reyan Ali

While I've been fascinated by comic books and its surrounding culture since I moved to Ohio in 2001, it was only last fall when I made my inaugural visit to Mid-Ohio Con (MOC), the annual comic book culture spectacular that reins in figures from across the industry for a weekend of signings, sales, and discussions, all held in Columbus. Though I likely missed out on many sights and guests in those previous seven years, I'm glad that I gave the Con a shot.

Held on the first weekend of October, I attended the Sunday half of the two-day event. Without double-checking where exactly the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) was, I started my day by foolishly going to the wrong venue. (I figured that the GCCC was the same locale Hell City Tattoo Festival was held a few months earlier. I found out how mistaken I was when I entered the place and it was barren.) After some searching, I found MOC's actual location by noon, just in time to catch Jason Mewes (Jay from "Clerks," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," and most of Kevin Smith's other flicks) speaking sheepishly to an intimate room about on-set stories and how much he really, really liked "Smallville" and "Bones." Once that wrapped up, I wandered around the aisles of vast MOC hub Exhibit Hall E and noted the booths featuring both a wealth of industry talent (including Columbus-based creators like Darryl Banks and Jamie Snell) and inordinate quantities of pop cultural merchandise that I would have loved to burn my bank account on. Plus, lots of costumed attendees were roaming the place to add to the con atmosphere; my favorite being an impressively put together Doctor Octopus who looked perpetually disgruntled. (Perhaps he was staying in character).

My favorite MOC experience took place soon after 2 p.m., when Brian Pulido, president and creative mind behind much of Chaos! Comics (a now defunct brand whose flagship titles included "Lady Death," "Evil Ernie," and WWF tie-ins) led a panel called "Horror in Comics and Film." Due to some scheduling mix-up, Pulido was the only person to show up. (Another creator stopped by later.) The crowd for the talk comprised only a small handful of fans (I was attending to accompany my girlfriend) but Pulido still decided to carry on the event. While I have limited interest in horror movies, he led an audience-based discussion so friendly and riveting that it represented what an ideal convention panel should feel like. Pulido-and, in turn, MOC-had won me over.

I wasn't the only one spending a notable first year at Mid-Ohio Con. In early 2008, brothers James and Bill Henry took the reins of the Columbus institution after buying it from Roger Price, its long-running owner. The fall event would be their debut.

"I'm actually from Connecticut," notes James Henry, who functions as Managing Director of GCX Holdings LLC, the owner and producer of MOC. "I've been interested for a long time in buying a comic con and this is one of the greats. Other than San Diego, which is the big one, I don't know of any shows that have been around as long as Mid-Ohio."

While Henry hadn't attended a MOC before (as both a professional and a die-hard comics fan, he's been to many other conventions), he's well aware of the value of Columbus.

"It's an incredibly vibrant city from a cultural perspective [and] an economic perspective," says Henry. "You've got the presence of OSU and CCAD, so there's a really great populous of students. It really makes an ideal environment in which to have an event like Mid-Ohio Con."

As Henry reports, Price started MOC in Mansfield, OH 29 years ago. After a few years, it shifted to downtown Columbus to be housed in hotels like the Adam's Mark until it was moved to the GCCC. Upon landing at the GCCC, it was held in the Battelle Hall until the new management moved it to Exhibit Hall E in '08 so that the show would have more room. Planning MOC is a year-long process.

"You start in the fall [a year before the next con], inviting your guest list, comic book creators, and television stars-the big draw for the fans," says Henry. "You do that throughout the beginning of the year, soliciting exhibitors throughout the summer. Then, it all comes together in a flurry of activity in August and September." As Henry notes, "It's heavily weighted towards the last two months." He pauses and corrects himself with a little chuckle. "It's probably heavily weighted towards the last two weeks."

Despite the likely intimidation factor of handling a minor behemoth like Mid-Ohio Con, Henry attests that everything went "pretty much by the numbers" last year. "With my brother and me running the show for the first time, we had essentially complete continuity for the Con crew," he says, adding that the team of 20 volunteers (including some who have been with the show for more than a decade) is crucial to making sure things run smoothly. Also, to assist in the transition, "Roger Price was still intimately involved."

The event brings in quite a few folk, but organizing the booths and attendees was a largely straightforward process.

"From a sales point of view, there are a lot of folks who want to exhibit," tells Henry, "so we rarely have a challenge filling it up with exhibitors. It's a pretty straightforward exercise in filling the folks into the area. It's not too complex."

Though there was the rare hiccup ("Occasionally, you get a disgruntled fan wondering where Jason Mewes is," mentions Henry, before portraying such an attendee: "'We traveled all the way here from Indiana to see Jason Mewes and he's not here!'"), the weekend went fine and was finished before he knew it. He didn't get much time to engage in the festivities himself but he does call moderating a panel with headlining guests Chris Claremont (a writer vital to "X-Men" lore) and Alan Davis (a writer/artist who did lots of work for Marvel and DC) "a thrill," adding that it was his fondest moment. Remarks Henry of comic creators at the Con, "Being able to meet these folks one on one and see them draw something in front of you is the miracle of creation right there."

For the 2009 incarnation, MOC's line-up will include Michael Golden (a major Marvel artist during the '70s), "Swamp Thing" artist Bernie Wrightson, James Kyson Lee ("Heroes"), Ray Park ("G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Star Wars: Episode I"), "Sandman" artist P. Craig Russell, and some 60 other guests. As of press time, panel programming has not been announced.

Henry reconsiders his time assembling his first Mid-Ohio Con. "I am sure there were some moments where we wondered what on earth is going on," he says. "Looking back, it all went smoothly and I think this year is going to be even better."

Mid-Ohio Con will be held at The Greater Columbus Convention Center (400 N. High St.) on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4. Tickets range from $15 (one day pass) to $100 (VIP Weekend Pass). For more information, visit midohiocon.blogspot.com.

Originally Published: September 30, 2009

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