Category: So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man

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So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #126: Trust Me

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #126: Trust Me

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

I’m going to side step pop culture for the week, in a way, and take an oddly specific deep dive into… politics. (note to the editors: if you could maybe cue up a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder here that would be great! -M)

A point of order first: I actually believe politics goes hand in hand with pop culture. So much of what is created for entertainment is not made in a vacuum. It is, in fact, generated through the lens of the author — and their perspective absolutely is shaped (among other things) by the political landscape in which they live. I could pelt you with a 1000 examples, but instead, I’ll give you one. Look at the most recognizable symbol of our dear comic books, Superman. He is the creation of the sons of Jewish immigrants, literally celebrating the American Way—truth, justice, and defending the people living, toiling, and loving one another. Immigrants included. Funny, that. 

With that said? I think I’ve earned my supper. Let’s eat. Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #126: Trust Me” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 125: Draggin’ on Dragon Con 2026

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 125: Draggin’ on Dragon Con 2026

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Just as the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano, so too do the Unshaven Lads descend upon Atlanta on Labor Day weekend. This year, Unshaven Comics entered Dragon Con’s 40th celebration of their fan-forward nerdy Mardi Gras ready to rock out as hard as we possibly could. How so you ask? We bought two tables to fill with merch. We finished The Samurnauts: Rage of Rep-Simian #1. We ordered custom badge ribbons — an amazing fan-led custom the con has adopted over the years. I personally audited and ordered full refills of my PokeMashups to fully take hold of all four of my spinner racks on the second table. We designed a brand new mighty mashup poster celebrating The Princess Bride and the Muppets (in addition to our recently debuting Mandolorian + Bluey poster). We even ordered business cards after giving up on them years ago due to fan demand.

And then the universe laughed at how desperate we were and whispered “oh yeah?”.

Let’s see… Those badge ribbons? Didn’t arrive on my doorstep until the day after we’d left for the show. In spite of paying for expedited shipping. The business cards? Never even printed. Turns out OvernightPrints had a printer error, and decided simply not to fill the order and send a refund to me… a day before the show. My PokeMashup order? FedEx lost the package, didn’t report it for over a week, and when I finally notified OvernightPrints of this folly? They just issued me a refund and a shrug. Shout out to Solution Printing though… as they delivered “Rage of Rep-Simian” to us a full three weeks early. Because they are awesome. OK. Enough with my angry Google reviews, right? Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 125: Draggin’ on Dragon Con 2026” →

So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #124: Dispatch from the Climate Conjurer!

So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #124: Dispatch from the Climate Conjurer!

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

We here at PopCultureSquad are sad to report that regular columnist Marc Alan Fishman’s normal weekly piece was not turned in this week, and in its place was the following letter left in his submission inbox. Please take caution when reading. Thank you.

–The Management

Dear Flash and the downtrodden dopes of Central City,

Tis I, Mark Mardon, more often known to you as Weather Wizard. I know all too many of you are already rolling your eyes. “What’s this? Yet-another plot hatched by our city’s rogue’s gallery by way of a stolen opinion column?!” Nay, cretins. Firstly? It’s “Rogues Gallery”, capitalized. We’re trademarking it soon. Secondly? I didn’t steal this column you’re reading today. The yutz missed his deadline, and luckily I happened to be strolling past his open laptop. Since his bearded bouffant was nowhere to be found, I did him a favor and filled in for him while he was off doing whatever columnists on this site do when they aren’t pontificating on pop culture. He was probably doomscrolling on the john, with his boxers round his ankles. HA! And lastly? I don’t hatch plots. In the past, perhaps, I’ve been known to steal, snipe, jaywalk, trespass, vandalize, or (on occasion) participate in some light(ning) tomfoolery. 

But not this time. No. Continue reading “So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #124: Dispatch from the Climate Conjurer!” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 123: Manifesting… Unshavenly

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 123: Manifesting… Unshavenly

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

In checking off the list of things I’ve recently chatted about, seems I’ve covered all my bases. Comedy. Pro Wrestling. New movies. Old movies. Indie movies. And, of course… Unshaven Comics. Well, guess we start at the top and take another spin, aye?

With my forthcoming special appearance on the award-winning Pop Culture Squadcast (I promise that’s my last link kiddos.), I’m elated to scoop myself to note that at the upcoming Dragon Con (September 3rd – 6th), my lil label will be debuting our latest issue of The Samurnauts… Rage of the Rep-Simian #1. Penned by Kyle Gnepper, with interior art by the always awesome Steph Mided and cover by equally effervescent Steph Stanga. Colors were helmed by our intern, Ava Luiz — who Matt and I have been teaching the ways of comic books since Ava herself was in elementary school. She’s a high school junior now… and an amazing talent. I did a bunch of stuff on the book too, but I’m just here for a good time. While it’s been a few years since a new issue graced our tablescape, it makes no difference: Unshaven Comics works hard and sells everything with the same zeal and gusto we’ve been living off of since (checks Facebook memories) 2008. Yeesh.

First off, let me dish a little bit about Rage of the Rep-Simian. Same as Samurnauts: To the Max!, this is the first issue of a fresh short series of Samurnauts books that tell a singular story in a singular time period (versus Curse of the Dreadnuts and Genesis having time-jump narratives throughout). In this case, we’re going back to the very first assembled team under the immortal Kung-Fu monkey, Al, as they face off against a mutated monkey-dinosaur hybrid… with an interesting tie to Master Al’s secret origin. I won’t spoil anything mind you, but fans of lore should be pleased that we Unshaven Lads are leaning into panels of the past to mine new tales to tell. If you can’t tell? I’m proud AF of this book. 

Prouder still of how the production itself was pulled off. When we completed Curse, on another long and winding trip home from whatever con it was at the time… it was decided the next wave of stories we’d tell would meet a specific criteria of challenges we felt necessary in our evolution as creators. First? Each Unshavenaut would be helming their story solo — acting without collaboration in plot points and story beats as we had for issues prior. For Matt and myself? This meant art and writing duty for an entire book. For Kyle, it meant for the first time, Unshaven Comics would open up the Samurnauts to another artist for interior art.  Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 123: Manifesting… Unshavenly” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #122: On Being Funny

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #122: On Being Funny

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Forever and a day ago, I wrote about my comedic aspirations. At the time, I’d just agreed to perform at a local charity event during the early holiday season. Hilariously (perhaps only to me), I was told the event was “blue”, in so much that the nice gal who asked me to perform was plenty fine with me dropping a few foul words, and to make my set as azure as I wanted it to be. Not that I’m that foul-mouthed (but given both my wife, and one of my best friends Matt, I’m clearly attracted to it),  I was pleased-as-punch to pepper my prose that evening with the devil’s tongue. Flash forward to the big night, and right in the front row? A line of children. When I took the stage, one even shouted “THAT’S BENNETT’S DAD!”. Cue my inner monologue going full bore Denis Leary while I proceeded to barrel through my set figuring that the worst that could happen is I’m forever earmarked as a potty-mouth on various local Facebook groups. When I hit my closing joke (which was, at that time, about Bennett’s inability to agree to eat fruits and vegetables), I met a polite sea of applause, and the hostess of the event gave me a passive thumbs up before ushering on the next act — a high school ska band. I was never asked back to perform at that event again. Their loss. 

Shortly after that personal pratfall though, I kept my gums flapping monthly at a local “spoken word” evening at a community coffee house. Among poets, storytellers, and a handful of locals loving a little night entertainment… I regularly joined the dais to deliver my monolithic monologues of middling merriment. With a warm room, this monthly escape fed my desire to perform… until March of 2020, when the world shut down. Cue the curtain and the denouement of my fledgling comedy career hobby. Total sets performed? Fourteen. Fifteen, if you count the full 9 minutes of hilarity that exist on YouTube that you should not seek out. Hollywood didn’t come calling. Lorne Michaels didn’t have a page call me about flying out to pass his Tootsie Roll Test. Such was life.  Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #122: On Being Funny” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #121: Recent Thoughts on Recent Rasslin’

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #121: Recent Thoughts on Recent Rasslin’

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Welcome back, one and all, to my little corner of the internet. For the past couple weeks, I’ve been bringing you my thoughts on movies — both old and new. So, let’s go ahead and switch up mediums, shall we? While I’d love to wax poetic on some of the recent streaming I’ve done… I’m fairly confident all the best essays on Pluribus were already written. And much like Severance, I’ll be tortured awaiting new episodes for the eternity it takes to get them. Say what you want about terrestrial cable shows of yore, but at least you got seasons of content regularly for multiple years in a row, I tells ya whut. I could discuss my recent spins of music, but I need a few more weeks to determine how best not to sound like an angry pre-grandpa when it comes to the current cadre of modern music. Let’s just skip past that for now. Heck, I could bedraggle the lot of you with some parting thoughts on the cavalcade of audiobook memoirs I’ve recently consumed — of funnymen Gary Gulman, Marc Maron, and David Spade — but I figure next to no one would read past the intro to whatever literary car wreck I’d splay out gushing over comedians I admire (ok, 2 I admire, and David Spade. zing…). 

What all does that leave? C’mon kiddos. Let’s take a trip back to the wide world of Pro Wrestling, and see what’s grinding Uncle Marc’s gears! And hey, it’s been five articles since I have, so, it’s time!

Let’s chat about the Sami Zayn of it all. 

Perennial “Underground Underdog”, Sami Zayn (né El Generico, Stevie McFly, or Sami Uso..) scored an amazing upset win in a triple threat, and became the Undisputed WWE Champion — which instantly became one of the most polarizing victories in all of professional wrestling (certainly in the last 10-20 years). To the ride or die fans of the man, this was a long-time-coming; not unlike the victory of Zayn’s real-life bff, Kevin Owens’ win of the WWE Universal Championship a decade prior. But unlike Owens’ reign — which lasted 188 days — Zayn’s champion run lasted only nine. The already spicy fans now were en fuego with rage. WWE top brass are likely just happy that the dirt sheets and passionate fans were abuzz with chatter of it all. 

Firstly, I’d like to address several former WWE talent, who took time to step out of obscurity, to come yell at the sky over Zayn’s victory. Sean Morley (né Val Venis, the Big Valbowski, or Chief Morley) paused his MAGA-twinged tweets long enough to publicly decry his outrage. Of equal importance (that is, literally none), former curtain jerking jerkoff Bob “Sparkplug” Holly spent every one of the nine whole days Zayn was champion to lambast him to his 67.7K followers on Twitter. Multiple times a day. To both of these blowhards — and any other equally long-forgotten pantloads of similar stature — I proudly laugh in your general direction. For former workers of the WWE to attempt to gain some free press from the aforementioned dirtsheets in hopes their “old man shakes fist at clouds” opinions is just a sad, sad look. Certainly the former fake porn star, and professional bully would have proudly taken a run at the top prize of the WWE for 9 days if Mr. McMahon had asked. But boy howdy… losing a gasket over a fellow journeyman like Zayn getting the accolade makes them think they can grouch their way back into the zeitgeist? FFS, it’s pathetic. 

Secondly, and most importantly: to Sami. I’m a fan. The man has charisma. Whether he’s a smarmy unhinged heel, or doe-eyed babyface… Zayn is a command presence — even if he’s not a carved out of stone body guy. To me, he’s in the mold of a Bryan Danielson, Kevin Owens, or Brody King. He’s clearly fit… but has a build that is atypical for his fellow pro wrestlers. Sorry, different is good in my book. And while I get why many fans threw up their hands in frustration over the short tenure as champion? His sour grapes tirade (that the official WWE youtube page posted, mind you) is an instant faux-real classic. The ire and bile he spews shows me that at very least for the short while, Zayn will be hovering in the main event picture for at least a cup of coffee or two. So, three cheers from this Fish, man. It’s nice for WWE to be interesting for a change. 

However…

Let’s chat about the CM Punk, Cody Rhodes,  Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins of it all.

In the same breath I applaud the WWE for the Sami Zayn nod… I jeer them just as hard for their continued leaning on the same top level talent holding down the fort with their pair of championship cummerbunds. Since returning to the WWE, Phil “Cookie Monster” Punk has seemingly been enjoying HHH checking off each item on his 2011 pipe bomb promo. Mania main events. Plenty of merch. Creative freedom. And now? Completing the triple crown of fan-perceived dick-moves as he walked into (and won!) a gimme championship match after taking a brief vacay to rest and heal (heel?) up. And his opponent at the upcoming — and grossly undersold — Summerslam? Cody Rhodes. Again. 

Over on the other show, Roman Reigns has once again formed his Samoan supergroup, and is waging war with… Seth Rollins. Rollins has thrown away his gang of “luminaries” to once again be a solo anti-hero-esque babyface. Again. 

The WWE’s main event scene is too safe, and the product is suffering from it. Cody, Punk, Rollins, and Reigns all trading belts every 9-12 months isn’t compelling. And without an Attitude Era writer’s room offering insanely over-the-top genre-pushing storylines? All Paul Leveque is proving is his brand of stock-owner-friendly creative is just a yawn with beards and snark. I know, I know. Beards? Snark? And Marc hates it? Look, kids. My schtick is MY SCHTICK. Not theirs. 

Meanwhile, AEW also had some championship upheaval…

At the recent Beach Break episode of AEW’s Dynamite (their flagship Wednesday 3 hour show), my personal favorite wrestler — Maxwell Jacob Freidman — defended his BBB (big beautiful belt; the AEW Men’s Heavyweight Championship) against Kenny Omega. The juicy stipulation? If Omega lost… he could no longer vie for AEW’s top prize ever again. With AEW’s forthcoming “All In” event (their de facto Wrestlemania if you will) once again taking place in Wembley Stadium, the obvious main event on paper would be the reviled MJF facing off against recently returning hero (and Brit to boot), Will Ospreay. So, for many insider fans like myself? The interest was where Kenny would go after clearly losing to “Big Hebrew” for his third consecutive time. 

And then he won. 

First thing’s first: credit to Tony Khan for giving away this win on cable TV versus a pay per view. Credit too for surprising me with the swerved finish. And to triple that credit? I’ll even go so far as to say I understand the potential of Omega vs. Ospreay at Wembley being the bigger match. Without getting into the nuances of recent storylines — AEW really goes subtle with their non-fighty content — there’s a growing shade of grey to Mr. Ospreay that makes the upcoming match with Omega all the more tantalizing. And knowing on top of that MFJ will be lurking (and furious), along with a considerable handful of other contenders? Well, AEW is showing WWE what it means to open up the main event picture, and how to keep fan engagement high. 

And how about a lightning round before we go back to the locker room?

  • Word is Big Cass is headed back to WWE after being in the indies and AEW for eight years. There’s also a rumor Enzo Amore is coming with him. If Amore can keep his act together this time around? He and Cass might actually make the money they deserved to make long ago. I’m a fan of them together, so I’m hopeful!
  • Danhausen ended his feud with The Miz and… the other guy…and has successfully moved on to business with the Judgement Day. I wish him continued time, attention, and all the monies. 
  • AEW’s women’s division continues to be less than when it’s sans Toni Storm. Her star power elevated every lady she stood across from. Current women’s champ Thekla can cut a decent promo, and is great in the ring… but no one she’s faced has been bettered for the bout. The soon-to-come All In match between her and fellow heel Mercedes Moné feel like Mercedes’ time to finally get the big one. I think she’ll be a better heel champ in the role, and can shine the babyfaces a wee bit better. Here’s hoping.
  • Recently I saw a promo from Eddie Kingston that he’s “forcibly” becoming a locker room leader in Ring of Honor. I think it’s actually a smart move on Khan’s part. Eddie’s got a little left in the tank, and bringing young talent up suits him.
  • The Hardcore Legend Mick Foley has also joined AEW — as an occasional on air commentator, facilitator of matches, and hopefully some backstage creative. I really hope we get a Foley / Bang-Bang Gang segment soon. 
  • Does the WWE have a tag team division anymore? Does AEW? I know they do on paper, but seemingly as of later neither company is utilizing their deep rosters and giving us any viable storylines. For the WWE? Predictable. But for AEW? A sullen disappointment.
  • And lastly… I really hope Summerslam is Brock Lesnar’s last match. His involvement with the Janel Grant case is sickening. And the fact they’re just letting him bank bucks in a part time capacity is pathetic. Let Oba Femi maul him, get the shine he deserves, and let Lesnar go back to the farm and his eerily clone-like daughter. 

Ring the bell, I’m out!

 

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #120: Super(ish)girl!

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #120: Super(ish)girl!

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

This past weekend, I was able to take the wifey out and about to catch a flick at the cinemaplexatorium. We chose to check out Supergirl. Having absolutely adored James Gunn’s Superman, I personally walked in with expectations of a fun romp with a good dose of heart. I knew the film itself was heavily inspired by “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, but alas, I’ve never read it. My knowledge of Kara Zor-El honestly was best pulled from the DC Animated Universe — which I know means not much in context. So, I’d like to say I sat down and plunked on my 3D glasses with as open a mind as you could get before the requisite ten minutes of commercials and ten minutes of trailers I’ve likely already seen on YouTube. 

I’m going to go ahead now and make clear: this will be as SPOILER-FREE a review as I can make… so long as you saw the end of Superman, and the trailer to this movie.

Supergirl effectively picks up where we left off at the end of her cousin’s flick. She’s picked up Krypto, and has headed off for a week(ish) of red-sun-dampening debauchery in celebration of her 23rd birthday. Hilarity, life lessons, and action sequences ensue. 

It’s time for a compliment sandwich, kiddos. Hope you’re hungry.

Overall? Supergirl is a fun romp. Milly Alcock is infinitely watchable as Kara Zor-El. Be it a drunken stupor, heroic posturing, or whatever comes between, Alcock’s cock-sure take on the character is purposefully diametrically opposed to ole’ cousin Kal. Because of this, we get a hefty dose of whatever the polar opposite of dork is for all 90-some minutes of the flick. Same as Superman, all other casting choices that the house that Gunn built are all scene-chewingly glorious choices. From Matthias Schoenaerts’ evil(ist) big bad Krem to, yes, Jason Mamoa’s Lobo… everyone plays their parts perfectly — no matter the heavy makeup, prosthetics, or both. Equally impressive is the downright dreary landscapes and sets of the movie, keeping in mind how bright and shiny Superman happened to be. If Gunn gave us a truly gleaming Metropolis first, this movie certainly makes bold choices to show us every grimy cesspool the galaxy has to offer on Kara’s sobriety-free solstice. If I can double back to Lobo though? Credit where it’s due. This was a part Mamoa clearly was born to play — so much so that even a line in, any fleeting memory of his Arthur Curry is fragged like a bastich, I tells ya. While Lobo never appeared in the original source material… it’s practically a given in James Gunn’s DCU (thus far), the Easter eggs and fan-service are always abound.  Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #120: Super(ish)girl!” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 119: Unseen Hot Takes… Empire Records

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 119: Unseen Hot Takes… Empire Records

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Happy Rex Manning Day… whatever the hell that means.

Once again, I am back to cover a movie I’ve been brutally chastised for not seeing during my formative years. I’ll note though: thus far this series only covered movies in the 80’s (Top Gun, Caddyshack, and Labyrinth, to date). So I guess we’re now allowing for flicks in the 90s too. Fine by me. 

Empire Records is one of those movies I guess everyone around my age (perhaps a few years older) seems to have a special place in their heart for. Or, perhaps it’s just on April 8th, my social media feed is CHOKED with “Happy Rex Manning Day!” posts, and I’ve long felt on the outside of apparently a massive inside joke. Well, I aim to rectify that feeling by giving this mid-nineties needle-dropper a spin.

Without further adieu… Here’s my hot takes in media res. That’s right: I’m writing these as they come to me, so you can enjoy my journey. Groovy, right? Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 119: Unseen Hot Takes… Empire Records” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #118: We Live in a Failed State

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #118: We Live in a Failed State

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

On Friday, April 24th, I had the sincere pleasure to take a three and a half hour drive from my quaint suburban home to the bright lights and gilded streets of Dubuque, Iowa. Why? Well folks, the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival officially selected a movie I was a teeny tiny part of, and the writer / director / all-around-great-guy invited me to come!

Let’s get through the sundries quickly.

The film? Failed State. The writer/director? Matt Doherty. You might know him as “Averman” in Mighty Ducks, or “Big Head” in So I Married an Axe Murderer. Well after those early roles, Doherty continued acting, but also learned scene craft and cut his teeth on the page and behind the camera. Smash cut to the post-apocalyptic world we live in where Matt assembled a ragtag group of fellow smart thespians and set out to make a movie to celebrate the literal failed state we live in. Part social experiment, part artistic outlet, and all parts acerbically funny. 

How I was a part of it? Well, thank Kathy Fishman. My beautiful wife was a hah-yoooge fan of the original Duck film, and befriended Matt early into her social media tenure. One rainy afternoon she denoted a post wherein Doherty was asking his friends if anyone knew a good graphic designer. She name-dropped me. He and I zoomed, and immediately hit it off. Soon thereafter, I became his goto maker-of-things. And when he decided to put together Failed State, there were some design needs throughout the film — including some fake posters, conspiratorial government agency logos, and other minutiae. And after the film was ready? I was on board to make the company website, start working on some cool merch, and so on. 

Alright. I think that gives you the broad strokes of how I wound up in Dubuque.  Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #118: We Live in a Failed State” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #117: OK Convention(al) Wins and Losses

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #117: OK Convention(al) Wins and Losses

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Unshaven Comics ventured from our humble homes in the Chicagoland suburbs (and Kenosha, WI) to make our way out to GalaxyCon Oklahoma City, a couple weeks ago. While we’ve done GalaxyCon shows prior (last year specifically in New Orleans), this was a fresh city for we Unshaven Lads. The hypothesis? A new city means new energy. New fans. New sights and sounds. And while I’d love to have a grand narrative to unravel for all y’all this week… I’m headed back to the well of a long listicle to work through the wins and losses we faced tabling at the con. If you don’t mind the predictable format, and grant me some grace? Let’s crack on, kiddos. 

Win: Sales.

Our rule of thumb has long been “Twenty books a day keeps company extinction away”. That metric above all else typically means we’ll have banked enough bucks in the till to cover the cost of the table, and some sundries that got us to said convention. With that in mind… I’m elated to report we netted 86 trade sales of The Samurnauts. This included 48 books moved on Saturday — two away from a single day sales record! In short? OKC came out to buy from Unshaven Comics, and that was the biggest win all weekend.

For the uninitiated, you might ask “how do you sell so well?”. I’ve covered it pretty well in the past, but the TL:DR of it all is: Kyle Gnepper is our secret weapon. His mutant ability to suppress empathy long enough to pelt the con populace with our time-tested perfect pitch without flinching for hours on end is the single biggest secret to our success. So, tip of the cap to my brother from another mother. 

Loss: The allure of a cheap hotel stay.

The truth of the matter is that Unshaven Comics is composed of three people. Hotel rooms don’t often come with three beds. In the past, we’ve always gotten two beds and a pull-out couch, or brought an air mattress. This time around, as I perused the hotel availability around the con, a special caught my eye. A hotel so inexpensive we could afford 2 rooms for the same price as one we’d normally book. And it was by the airport — which I’ve personally known to never be the worst part of town, given how hotels close by are typically tapped for layovers and the like. And given the specific brand of the hotel in question was quite reputable and met our needs of offering a decent continental breakfast… we booked.

Well, the joke was on us. It turns out we were just far enough from the airport that we were absolutely in the less than great neighborhood we wanted to sidestep. Oh well. At the end of the day, we were close to normal suburban sprawl for dining options and sundries. The hotel was relatively quiet, and far as we could tell… plenty safe. Would we come back to it specifically should we return to OKC? Not a chance, fancy pants.

Win: GalaxyCon’s logistics.

Having been a part of over 100 cons since our humble beginnings… we Unshaven lads know a thing or two about the logistics of a good show. The ease by which we’re able to enter the building for the first time, get our passes, and load in our materials  — and then how easy it is to reverse the process at the end — can set the tone for things to come. 

I am elated to declare GalaxyCon was pitch perfect. They opened the show floor to artists all day into the evening the day prior to show, and the Oklahoma City Convention Center has an astoundingly easy loading dock to locate and enter. We walked right in the open bay, were given our passes, and got all our materials in without any guff. 

And while the actual show days were a smidge too long (Friday and Saturday both ended at 8PM!), it’s hard to argue giving con-goers plenty of time to explore and have fun.

Loss: Old men don’t make time for memories.

The downside then to a con that really does maximize open hours means any chance to see the host city is all but decimated. And truth be told, my cohorts and I aren’t often interested in deep dives into the local culture. We’re kinda suburban dad homebodies equally happy with a good meal from a chain restaurant and reminiscing together than necessarily becoming would-be tourists. And while OKC is known to have some great onion-forward cheeseburgers, top-notch steaks, and other hearty fare… we honestly explored only a single sprawling strip mall and the surrounding area for our dinners. Finger of shame though specifically to the “top-rated” Chinese buffet (according to Google, Yelp, AND TripAdvisor) turning out to be absolutely the worst. Trust me when I say: Unshaven Comics knows Chinese buffets. And OKC delivered an OK-D-minus in that department.

Win: Old men learn from their mistakes. Kinda.

As we Unshaven Lads all near the middest of our forties, a few old-man-adjustments have crept in to our con life. For one of us? It was adding compression socks to the fit. For another? Protein bars added throughout the day to keep energy up. And for all of us? A commitment to no more fast food, and always aiming to get something green on the plate at least once a day. For once in a good long while? We traversed the entire long weekend without anyone complaining… only cheering at turning in early to ensure we were well rested each day. L’chaim!

The Biggest Loss: Where did the Indie Comic Makers go?!

I truly hate to bury the lead here kiddos. The info above really was the long and short of our fantastic experience at GalaxyCon: Oklahoma City. But under the surface of the show, something continues to gnaw on me: the absolutely limited number of comic book making compatriots in the aisles of the artist alley. While the show boasted a heaping helping of awesome established stars of the medium (Cory Smith, Megan Levens, Bob Hall, Dexter Vines, Christopher Priest, Dan Jurgens…), I’m always on the lookout for folks of a similar stature as Unshaven Comics. 

As I walked through the artist alley… row upon row… I only counted perhaps half a dozen actual indie comic creators — and this included ya boys and the ever-present Onrie Kompan (our fellow Chicago-based pal). SIX among what was likely 200+ other tables. This floors me. It depresses me. A decade prior, Unshaven Comics would be among dozens upon dozens of fellow creators at any given show. Part of the appeal to the comic con had always been that notion you could catch the next generation of talent in the comic book medium. But here, at this decidedly expansive-focused show… Comic Bookery was merely a pockmark in comparison to anime bric-a-brac, stickers, poster prints, novelists, plushie-producers, and the standard slog of vendors (with barely a handful of long-box comic vendors!). 

Stay tuned to this, as we continue to go to cons. Is the industry changing under our noses? Did it already change and we’re late to the party? Perhaps it’s time I had a sitdown with Mike and Bob to discuss. 

 Thanks, Oklahoma City. We’ll see you down the road!