Rhode Island ComicCon Doesn't Disappoint

By Rob Duguay

Roxy The Rancor & Clayface highlighted The Rhode Island ComicCon this past weekend.

Jedis, sith lords, superheros, supervillians, wizards, zombies, monsters and just freaky looking people invaded the Rhode Island Convention Center this past weekend for the 2nd Annual Rhode Island ComicCon. Cult icons, legendary celebrities, talented comic book artists and your normal vendors with the weirdest stuff imaginable catered to the masses for one of the biggest events of the year in The Ocean State. While walking through the eisles of creativity and imagination, there were a few things that jumped out to me that had me completely amazed. It was one of those occasions that if you weren’t there then you weren’t anywhere, there was so much cool stuff to check out that it was a delectable feast for the eyes.

The first thing I couldn’t help but notice was the 700-pound 17-foot-long monstrosity known as Roxy The Rancor, which was one of the main photo attractions of the day. For all of you Star Wars fans, this rip roaring grotesque razor toothed being could have very well teared your head clean off. She was complacent though and many attendees tried either climbing in her mouth or lodging themselves in her humungous right hand to get clasped in her grip. A true marvel, I couldn’t help but look at her with shock and awe. It’s not every day you get to see a gigantic interplanetary being roaming around Providence.

One thing that definitely improved since the first Rhode Island ComicCon was the star power around the building. It was pretty cool to be in the vicinity of the likes of Danny Glover, Billy Dee Williams, Ghostbusters’ Ernie Hudson, Adam West, Flash Gordon’s Sam Jones, William Forsythe, Marky Ramone and C. Thomas Howell. Even though for some of the celebrities you had to pay a ridiculous amount of money to just say “Hi, how are ya?”, it was cool to see the majority of them just sitting at a table like everyone else and enjoying the scene of people around them. It was a shame that one of my favorite actors growing up as a child in Anthony Michael Hall couldn’t make it but hopefully he’ll be able to make his way over to the one taking place next year.

The comic art was simply astounding, it’s always cool seeing what people are coming up with along with seasoned vets making their presence felt. Creator of Marvel Comics’ Deathlok in Rich Buckler was showing off his vintage best while you had Co-Creator of Robot God Akamastu in James Biggie with an eye catching display of his work. Pure eye candy for any art junkie, ComicCon showcased fantastic pieces that were vibrant in color and pulsating aesthetics. Definitely a treasure of the weekend that should not have went unnoticed.

The 2nd Rhode Island ComicCon was a vast improvement of the first one and it’s only going to get better and better as the years go by. Expect more monstrosities, star striking celebs and vast arrays of excellent art that will aim to please. I can’t wait until next year and you should feel the same.