MondoCon Heads Downtown

Pop culture print gathering to occupy Statesman space

By Richard Whittaker, 6:30PM, Thu. Apr. 6, 2017

MondoCon IV is back, and it's found a new home.

Everyone's been wondering what will happen to the Austin American-Statesman offices now that the riverfront property no longer houses its printworks. At least its fate is clear for one weekend in November: it will host MondoCon, the Drafthouse-affiliated celebration of movie prints, collectibles, soundtracks, and original art.

Entering its fourth year, MondoCon is part of the cultural diaspora in the wake of Austin Film Society taking over the former Marchesa Hall and Theatre, and converting it into a two-screen cinema. The Blue Genie Art Bazaar moved to a warehouse on Airport, the Staple! Indie Media Expo is relocating to the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, and the Texas Burlesque Festival hits the big time this weekend at the Paramount and Stateside.

Since its inception in 2014, MondoCon has called the Marchesa in North-Central Austin home, plus increasingly taken up real estate across the street in the neighboring Holiday Inn. This time, it will set up shop in the somehow apt space of the Statesman's now unused printworks, with evening screenings at the Alamo South Lamar. For out-of-town visitors, the con has booked a block of rooms just around the corner at the Hyatt Regency Austin Downtown, running at $225 a night.

MondoCon: taking up all your wall space since 2014 (Photo by Richard Whittaker)

No word on programming or con exclusives yet, but the guest list announced today includes:

Martin Ansin
Oliver Barrett
Richey Beckett
Florian Bertmer
Jonathan Burton
Scott C
Sam Wolfe Connelly
Becky Cloonan (Marvel's The Punisher)
Daniel Danger
Craig Drake
Aaron Draplin
Jason Edmiston
Francesco Francavilla (Black Panther: The Man Without Fear, Detective Comics)
Nicole Gustafsson
JJ Harrison
Industry Print Shop
Jock
Rob Jones
Alex Kirzhner
Rory Kurtz
Landland
Dan McCarthy
Mike Mitchell
The National Poster Retrospecticus
Randy Ortiz
Alex Pardee (Digging Up the Marrow)
Phantom City Creative
Eric Powell (The Goon)
"Ghoulish" Gary Pullin
Retroband
JC Richard
Jay Ryan
Justin Santora
Mike Saputo
Scarecrowoven
Todd Slater
Stan & Vince
William Stout
Matt Taylor
Tiny Kitten Teeth
Matt Ryan Tobin
Kevin Tong
Unbox Industries
The VACVVM
Teagan White
Erica Williams
N.C. Winters

MondoCon, Nov. 4-5, Austin American-Statesman building, 305 S. Congress. Early bird tickets and info at www.mondo-con.com

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