by Jon Partridge
Austin is a special place this time of year, not content with throwing ACL and Fantastic Fest at us, we now have the annual event that is MondoCon to fit into our schedules…and finances. Last year’s inaugural event saw a host of screen print and collectible fans descend upon the Marchesa theater here and there weren’t disappointed. We posted up some overall thoughts on last year’s con as well as specific coverage of the panels. This year’s Con promises to be even bigger, as such we’ll be scaling up our coverage to bring you poor folk who can’t attend the next best thing.
Read on below for all the information you’ll need and be sure to check back the weekend of the Con for our reports from the thick of it all.
ARTISTS & EXHIBITORS IN ATTENDANCE
Florian Bertmer, Mike Saputo, NC Winters
Hi-Def Ninja, Stan & Vince, Matthew Woodson
Kevin Tong, William Stout
Martin Ansin, Ken Garduno, Dave Rapoza
Oliver Barrett, JJ Harrison, JC Richard
Richey Beckett, Tom Haubrick, Rockin’ Jelly Bean
Andy Belanger, Jock, Arik Roper
Burlesque of North America, Rob Jones, Todd Slater
Scott C, Landland, Static Medium
Becky Cloonan, Middle of Beyond, Ken Taylor
Daniel Danger, Mike Mitchell
Draplin Design Co., Unbox Industries
The Dude Designs, Ciro Nieli, The Vacvvm
Jason Edmiston, Randy Ortiz, Waxwork Records
Brian Ewing, Phantom City Creative, Bernie Wrightson
Francesco Francavilla, Gary Pullin, WBYK
EXHIBITORS FLOORPLAN
EVENTS/PANELS
SATURDAY
11:00–11:50am — The Art of Toys & Collectibles 12:10–1:00pm — Underscore: A Soundtrack Panel 1:20–2:10pm — The Art of Jock 2:30–3:45pm — Vacvvm Artist Panel 4:00–6:30 — Toymasters Documentary Screening (and Q&A with filmmakers and William Stout) 7:00–9:20pm — Batman (1989) (Screening)
9:50pm-12:00am — The Goonies (Screening)
SUNDAY
1:20–2:10pm — William Stout Career Retrospective 2:30–3:45pm — Mondo Talk 4:00–6:00pm — Black Swan (Screening) 7:00–9:00pm — TBA
9:30–11:30pm — Umberto ‘Pieces’ Live Score Event
SATURDAY
The Art of Toys & Collectibles (11am — 11:50am)
A behind-the-scenes look at the Mondo collectibles line with Creative Director of Toys/Collectibles Brock Otterbacher & a number of special guests. This panel will give fans a look into the toy making process along with a few upcoming release teases!
Underscore: A Soundtrack Panel (12:10pm — 1pm)
Record Label Manager Spencer Hickman & Production Manager Mo Shafeek discuss the creative process behind Mondo & Death Waltz’s soundtrack releases. The panel will also include insight into the production process of Vinyl manufacturing for independent labels. Featuring special guest panelists from various other soundtrack labels, distribution and authorities of the medium, as well as announcements and artwork reveals of forthcoming soundtrack releases.
The Art of Jock (1:20pm — 2:10pm)
You may know Jock from the work he’s done with Mondo, but his career extends far beyond a 24”x36” poster. After getting his start in comics working at British magazine 2000 AD, he’s worked with DC / Vertigo on projects including The Losers, Scalped & Batman: The Black Mirror. He is currently illustrating the beautifully twisted & critically acclaimed new comic Wytches, written by Scott Snyder. Additionally, Jock has done concept work on a number of films including Children of Men, Dredd, Batman Begins and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Most recently, he has been praised for his design work on the film Ex Machina, which includes his design for AI robot Ava.
The VACVVM Artist Panel (2:30pm — 3:45pm)
Members of the illustration collective THE VACVVM discuss the advantages of working with each other, the synergy of a collaborative artistic environment and share information about projects past and future.
Toymasters Documentary with Q&A (Free Screening) (4pm — 6:30pm)
When two friends attempt to discover who created their favorite childhood action figure, they end up uncovering a heated battle for credit that’s lasted 30 years and is filled with more colorful characters than any toy store aisle. Filmmakers Roger Lay, Jr. and Corey Landis set out to document the origin of He-Man, the central character in a billion-dollar multi-media franchise, and along the way, they begin to realize that the truth may not be as simple as they’d hoped. Join them as they go from interview to interview of conflicting stories about how it all began — and try to figure out who’s lying and who’s telling the truth — in this fun, informative doc that plays like the ‘King Of Kong’ of the toy world. Filmmakers Corey Landis and Roger Lay Jr. will be in attendance. The screening will be followed with a Q&A with Corey Landis and Roger Lay Jr. as well as William Stout!
Batman (1989) (Screening) (7pm — 9:20pm)
In 1989, Tim Burton gave us his incredible version of Batman, combining a masterful blend of gorgeous production design, an incredible soundtrack (from both Prince and Danny Elfman) and the inspired casting of Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. The modern superhero blockbuster was born. We’re extremely excited to present the film in beautiful 35mm at MondoCon this year with a limited edition, screen printed poster by Ken Taylor. Poster is included in the ticket price and only available to attendees.
The Goonies (Screening) (9:50pm — 11:59pm)
In 1985, Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg took us on an quest in search of One-Eyed Willy’s hidden treasure, with a rag-tag group of kids as our guide. With a perfect blend of adventure, laughs, quotable lines, and that unforgettable Cyndi Lauper tune, Goonies is quintessential 80s nostalgia that will hold up for generations to come. Join us for a screening of the film along with an awesome new poster included in the ticket price!
SUNDAY
William Stout Career Retrospective (1:20pm — 2:10pm)
The legendary William Stout returns to MondoCon for a look into his incredible career which includes design work on over 35 feature films — both Conan films, The Hitcher, Invaders From Mars, First Blood and Return of the Living Dead. This panel will include a myriad of artwork & illustrations from over the years and never-before-told stories about Stout’s time in the industry.
Mondo Talk (2:30pm — 3:45pm)
Mondo Creative Directors Mitch Putnam, Rob Jones, Jay Shaw, & Head of Creative Production Eric Garza discuss the creative process behind Mondo’s work showing how the team works with artists to arrive at final images. The panel will include a presentation of alternate concepts and a look at some of the biggest releases of the year.
Black Swan (Free Daytime Screening) (4pm — 6pm)
We’re thrilled to release the BLACK SWAN soundtrack (on vinyl for the first time) at MondoCon, and to celebrate we’re hosting a free afternoon screening of the film on Sunday (Oct. 4th) with a discussion of the film’s music with Critic and Composer Brian Satterwhite.
‘PIECES’ (Live Score & Screening) (9:30pm — 11:30pm)
Grindhouse in conjunction with Death Waltz Recording Company presents UMBERTO — Pieces Live Re-score. To celebrate Grindhouse releasing PIECES on Blu-ray, Matt will perform his PIECES re-score for one final time at MondoCon. Every attendee at the screening will receive a FREE exclusive colorway of a new Umberto 7″ due on the Death Waltz jukebox series featuring two brand new unreleased tracks and a poster by Jay Shaw. Copies of the Rock Action LP will also be on hand and Matt will be signing after the performance.
MONDO RELEASES
MONDO will be premiering their vinyl soundtrack releases for both Black Swan by Clint Mansell and Army Of Darkness by Joe LoDuca during the weekend. Black Swan comes as a 2XLP set with artwork by Sam Wolfe Connolly and is pressed on White & Blue vinyl. Army Of Darkness features artwork by Richey Beckett and is pressed on ‘Black Vortex Swirl’ vinyl.
On top of that they’ll have previously unreleased variant versions of two of their 2015 releases AND a fully stocked store with all available titles that are still in print, test pressings, and a few last remaining copies of some previously sold out / rare titles.
Army Of Darkness
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music Composed by Joseph LoDuca “March Of The Dead Theme” by Danny Elfman Performed by The Seattle Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Artwork by Richey Beckett Pressed on 180 Gram Black Vinyl & Baby Blue & Black Vortex Swirl (Limited to 1,000 Copies)
Cut at 45RPM for best sound quality
Lil Mikey
Lil Mikey goes old school with the MondoCon exclusive variant of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figure based on artist Mike Mitchell’s Just Like Us series. The Lil Mikey Red & Gray Variant harkens back to when the TMNT comics were Black & White and all of the turtles donned red masks. This version is limited to 100.
Black Swan
Artist: Sam Wolfe Connelly
Print Size: 16″ x 24″
Edition Size: 225
Spongebob Squarepants — Regular
Artist: Tom Whalen
Print Size: 18″ x 24″
Edition Size: 350
The Rocketeer — Regular
Artist: Martin Ansin
Print Size: 24″ x 36″
Edition Size: 400
The Rocketeer — Variant
Artist: Martin Ansin
Print Size: 24″ x 36″
Edition Size: 200
Mulholland Drive — Regular
Artist: Kevin Tong
Print Size: 24″ x 36″
Edition Size: 300
Mulholland Drive — Variant
Artist: Kevin Tong
Print Size: 24″ x 36″
Edition Size: 150
Jonathan Burton — Regular
Artist: Kevin Tong
Print Size: 24″ x 36″
Edition Size: 325
Jonathan Burton — Variant
Artist: Kevin Tong
Print Size: 24″ x 36″
Edition Size: 150
The Lost Empire
Artist: Rockin’ Jelly Beans
Print Size: 36″ x 18″
Edition Size: 275
Falling just between Fantastic Fest and Mondo’s annual MondoCon, FRIZZI 2 FULCI is a traveling live tribute to Italian director Lucio Fulci taking place October 2nd at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas — Frizzi’s first-ever US performance.
Frizzi will be joined on stage by his 8-piece FRIZZI 2 FULCI orchestra performing suites from classic Italian horror films ZOMBI 2 (AKA ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS), SEVEN NOTES IN BLACK, THE BEYOND, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, MANHATTAN BABY and more. Orchestral performances will also be accompanied by live visuals derived from Fulci’s iconic filmography.
“This is a great opportunity to tell my story in America, the story of an Italian composer and his journey through sound and cinema. I’m excited to share the sights and sounds of Lucio Fulci’s and to perform for US fans that have been supportive for the last 40 years of my career. It’s an emotion that is hard to explain,” said Frizzi of the upcoming shows.
Highly influential to this day, Fabio Frizzi is one of the most celebrated Italian film composers, and respected in the same iconic pantheon as Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, Goblin and Gianni Ferrio. Frizzi’s influence has been cited by a vast range of contemporary artists from Boards Of Canada to Wu Tang’s RZA, and he is heavily referenced by the rising stars of synth-horror, Umberto and Zombi. Frizzi’s work also resonates with cinephiles due in part to Quentin Tarantino’s use of the theme from SEVEN NOTES IN BLACK for his soundtrack to KILL BILL VOL 1.
MondoCon 2015 will take place October 3rd & 4th in Austin, Texas.
Don’t have tickets yet? You can purchase them here! Tickets are available now. MondoCon Single day tickets are $45 and 2-day tickets are $90.
Visit the MondoCon official site and follow Mondo on Twitter for more updates: @MondoConAustin @MondoTees