MegaCon ‘99 Preview

Julio Diaz

MegaCon bills itself as “the Southeast’s Premiere comic, gaming, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, anime, & multimedia convention.” But what does that mean? MegaCon is one of the largest comics and science fiction conventions in the country, providing a three-day weekend of exciting activities.

MegaCon will feature over 200 guests from the world of comics, science fiction, and fantasy. This year’s guests of honor include:

• J. Michael Stracynski, the creator of Babylon 5 and the upcoming sequel series, Crusade .

• Terry Brooks, the New York Times best-selling fantasy author of the Shannara series, who has just been contracted to write the novelizations of the upcoming Star Wars prequels

• Legendary comics artists Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit ), Neal Adams (best known for his groundbreaking work on Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow ), and George Pérez (currently working on The Avengers , though you’d be hard-pressed to find a comic he hasn’t drawn)

• Lost In Space stars Bill Mumy, Angela Cartwright, and Marta Kristen (Will, Penny, and Judy Robinson, respectively)

• Renowned husband and wife fantasy painters Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

• Current comics superstars Joe Madureira ( Battle Chasers ), J. Scott Campbell & Andy Hartnell ( Danger Girl ), and Alex Ross (critically acclaimed painter of Kingdom Come, Marvels , and the recent Superman: Peace on Earth ).

These guests (and many more) will sign autographs and participate in panel discussions and presentations all weekend long.

MegaCon features over 100 gaming events presented by SunQuest Partners, Inc. a professional gaming convention company. SunQuest presents a full schedule of role playing officially sanctioned by the RPGA Network, Live Action Role Playing in the universes of Star Wars and White Wolf’s World of Darkness , traditional and all-new board games, and fully interactive networked computer gaming. Nearly all gaming is free with the purchase of a MegaCon membership, although there is an additional charge for computer gaming and select charity benefit role playing tournaments. For more information on gaming at MegaCon, visit SunQuest’s Web site at www.sunquestgames.com.

The Japanese Animation Club of Orlando presents a wide variety of the latest Anime throughout the weekend, boasting large screen projection with digital surround sound from the highest quality sources available. Much of what the Club will screen has never been seen in the US! For more information on Anime programming, visit the JACO Web site at www.jaco.org.

This is just scratching the surface of all the fun that’s ahead at this year’s MegaCon. Other activities include a weekend-long Art Show and auction, a Hong Kong Film Festival hosted by Kung-Fu Magazine ‘s Ric Meyers, movie previews and screening room, and of course, a huge dealer’s room, with over 100,000 square feet of dealers’ wares and displays from the comics and gaming industries’ top publishers, many of whom will be offering exclusive free stuff!

MegaCon ‘99 takes place March 5th, 6th, and 7th at the Orlando Expo Centre, 200 W. Livingston St. in Downtown Orlando, just across from the Orlando Arena. The main exhibit hall will be open 1-7 PM Friday and 10 AM – 6 PM Saturday and Sunday, though much of the programming, including gaming, anime, movies, etc., will continue well into late night hours. Admission is $15 per day (at the door only), or $35 for all 3 days (at the door or by pre-registration). For pre-registration or more information, contact Quantum Cat Entertainment at (407) 599-0905, or visit the Web site at www.fffi.com/megacon. ◼