Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: ben coleman, comedy, dylan meconis, ea denich, M. Victoria Robado, oni press, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, the long con

The Long Con #1 Review: A Convention After the Apocalypse

A pair of soldiers outside a FEMA facility are surprised by an alien. Upon killing it, they discover that it's just a guy in a suit.

The world has been destroyed, and there are few safe areas left. Victor is a reporter for one of the remaining newspapers, and his editor wants him to dig through the remains of the Long Con, a geek convention that was underway when the world fell. Victor is reluctant, but his editor makes it clear that he won't have a job if he rejects. Victor reported on the Long Con when it all went down; now he must go back.

The Long Con #1 is a comedy sci-fi post-apocalypse tale centering on a journalist (that throws in another subgenre into the mix technically) centering on parodied geek culture.

The issue keeps some of its cards to its chest, as you get the impression something else is going on, but the other shoe doesn't drop in this issue.

The FEMA opening implies that the government knows something else is going on, but that's never made clear. The Long Con itself doesn't have anything supernatural inside; it has a different twist to offer.

The geek culture parody mostly centers around a Star Trek stand-in and comes off as oddly hostile towards the broad strokes of geekiness. That seems odd, as there are plenty of genuine things at which you can poke fun about geek culture and pop culture. This just comes off as, "Look at these nerds and their aliens!"

Ea Denich gives a good treatment to the book, bringing a cartoon aesthetic that focuses on big eyes and broad gestures. It suits the tone and story well, and he captures the thinly-veiled contempt of the Victor character perfectly for maximum sympathy and humor. M. Victoria Robado gives a nice balance of apocalyptic greys and the occasional bright purple or red to keep things visually lively.

The Long Con #1 is some good fun in a post-apocalypse setting. It doesn't seem to be entirely sure where it wants to go, but the lead characters are fun. The geek culture parody could be sharper, but it's not awful either. I can recommend this one well enough. Feel free to check it out.

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