Metal Machine had the pleasure of attending XCON in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this weekend. I say pleasure due to the abundance of southern hospitality residing in nerd culture down in the south. The entire weekend was filled with good laughs, buying comics, talking to television stars, and discussing movies with new friends.
As everyone was complaining about this past weekends Motor City Con, with it’s long lines, over selling of tickets and lack of parking, South Carolina was showing the convention biz how it’s done with X-Con. Metal Machine has participated in several Cons through out the years, big and small, so I must say X-Con has a very bright future in the “Convention Game”. Present at the Con were many vendors and artists selling a variety of goods and merchandise ranging from comic books to magazines featuring corpse-like models. Apart from the vendors there were many special guests present. Michael Rooker, Irone Singleton, and Addy Miller from the Walking Dead were all in attendance, a really big get for X-Con and something that will surely put them on the map. Metal Machine even had the opportunity to interview Rooker in hopes of nabbing some information about his upcoming role in Guardians of the Galaxy, alas to no avail. In the artist side, Tom Flemming was in attendance. He has been working more frequently on more and more renowned works such as Jody Fosters, “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys” where he worked along side of Seth McFarlane. Bob Camp was also in attendance. Camp has been nominated for two Emmys, a CableACE Award, and an Annie Award for his work on The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Even the Mystery Machine and ECTO-1 were present. I got to talk to the guys who created all the beauty of everything the ECTO-1 is for a bit. This crew comes from the Carolinas and their whole gig is bringing the car, dressing up, viewing the cons and collecting money for charity. All of this while being a driving billboard for anywhere they go. Way to go guys, faith in nerds continues every day.
Metal Machine’s neighbors at this show were two of the most awesome neighbors one could ever hope for. To our left we had one of the only local comic shops in the area, Coastal Comics. . To our right was another fantastic neighbor Krypto Knight Comics, an online based shop. All of which had a fantastic selection for con goers.
Over all, the entire con was a pleasant experience, what with some dedicated cosplayers and even a wrestling ring in the middle of the venue, who could ask for more?
