Underrated: The Long Con
This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: The Long Con.
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if nerds and geeks were the last surviving members of the human race? That’s effectively the setting for this story, written by Dylan Meconis and Ben Coleman with art by EA Denich with M. Victoria Robado.
Because I’m not really going to summarize the story beyond what would be in the blurb, I’ve handily copied that from Oni Press‘ website for you below. This is from the first trade;
Five years ago, a cataclysmic event obliterated everything within a fifty mile radius of the Los Spinoza Convention Center—right in the middle of Long Con, the world’s biggest (and longest) pop culture convention. Underdog reporter Victor Lai barely escaped with his life, but his nerdy friend Dez Delaney—publicist for an indie darling comics publisher—wasn’t so lucky.
Now, Victor finds himself with the story of a lifetime—that the con-goers not only survived inside the center’s cavernous Cold War-era halls… they kept the convention going.
It doesn’t take long for Victor to get trapped inside, find Dez, and run afoul of a totalitarian sci-fi fandom ruled by a mysterious figure known as “the Special Guest.” Breaking out is impossible, and resistance is futile—but maybe, just maybe, Dez and Victor can recruit some unexpected allies from the warring factions of fans, pros, and D-list celebrities that still roam the show floor…
If this sounds like a serious book to you, then allow me to disabuse you of that notion. The Long Con, both trades, is very much a comedy book on the surface. Imagine The Lord Of The Flies goes to a comic/pop culture convention in an old silo with as many references to things that you can throw a stick at. There’s the on the nose technicalities and intricacies of Star Trek’s timeline, the ever popular discussions about reboots, retcons and relaunches… there’s a lot to enjoy here. Some of it is in the subtleties in the background of the larger splash pages, in the running jokes across the trades, but a lot of it is in the journey of Victor and Dez as they navigate the utter chaos of nerds living in a never-ending convention.
If you’re at all into nerd culture, and I assume you are if you’re reading this, then you’re going to find something in these two trade to enjoy. I had overlooked this series when it came out because I had assumed it was to do with a con artist, and the art style wasn’t exactly speaking to me for that style of story; it wasn’t until I found the trade and actually read the back I realized how wrong I was. I made the mistake of literally judging a comic by its cover, and I couldn’t have been more wrong about the nature of the story and how the art style compliments that.
I’m sure I’m not the only person who has written this off as something to ignore, and we were all wrong. And that’s why this is underrated.
Unless the comics industry ceases to exist this week, Underrated will return next week.
