OCon Pop Culture and Comics Expo is back for its fifth year at the Mid-America Center from June 28 to 30. The expo brings together cosplayers, artists, podcasters, professional wrestlers, and more!
Guests can spend the three days exploring the expo’s programming (see a schedule on their website), striking a pose with their photo ops, and shopping for fabulously geeky items.
“Shopping for geek-themed toys, art, and collectibles is super fun, as is attending the many panels with our media guests,” Rebekah Burchfield, OCon event coordinator and media on-call rep, said.
OCon’s media guests this year include Gigi Edgley of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge; Kate Flannery, you probably know her as Meredith Palmer from The Office; WWE superstar Lita; Peter Macon of The Orville; Sam Jones, the original Flash Gordon; Steve Whitmire, longtime puppeteer behind Kermit the Frog; and voice actors Steve Blum and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. You can visit OCon’s website for a full list of guests including creators, PWP Live Pro Wrestling, and cosplay guests.
“I am always amazed at the creativity of the cosplay at our show,” Burchfield said. “My favorite cosplays are the ones that take two well-known characters and make a mashup out of them.”
At a past OCon, Burchfield saw a cosplay of “Dead-Pooh”—a mashup of Deadpool and Winnie the Pooh.
“It was soft and had the silhouette of the Winnie the Pooh character, but it was styled in Deadpool's signature red and black colors,” Burchfield explained. “It was truly creative and fun—the perfect mixture of elements for cosplay.”
The panels at this year’s show will feature many topics about the craft of writing, world-building, and creating art.
“Though we have great panelists every year, I feel this year is even more of a treat because we have New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee and Eisner-nominated comics writer Mark Russell doing Q&As at our show,” Burchfield said.
While there’s plenty for adults to do, OCon’s founder Matt Fujan and his small team, including Burchfield, work hard to create a family-friendly environment.
“We want people to enjoy the show, bring the whole family, and have a great time celebrating the things they enjoy,” Fujan said.
In fact, children 12 years old and younger can come to the event for free with any paid adult admission. Children’s activities include boardgame demos, kid-friendly Jedi training, superhero story time, and more!
“The kids' costume contest is held on Sunday and it's always a popular and fun event for kids at OCon,” Burchfield said. “Sunday also features the ever-popular Cuddle a Corgi panel hosted by the Omaha Corgi Crew!”
We had an opportunity to interview some of the panelists attending OCon this year! Read on to learn more about creator and writer Greg Smith, Star Wars group the 501st Legion, author Matt Hebert, and the Cuddle a Corgi panel.
Greg Smith
Creator and writer Greg Smith is known for The Junior Braves of the Apocalypse book series and podcasting with Nerds From the Crypt. His Junior Braves collaborator and artist Zach Lehner will be joining him at OCon. This is his second year attending the expo as a guest.
What are you excited to see at OCon this year?
Honestly, the people! I had such a blast last year with all the folks I met and became friends with that I can't wait to come back and make more memories with them!
Why should attendees come to visit you?
This year, I am bringing along with me, my partner in crime, Zach Lehner. He really puts the "art" in partner in crime! Zach is the artist for the “Junior Braves of the Apocalypse” series and I can't wait for him to meet everyone! Zach and I live very far away from each other (Zach in Chicago and me in Seattle) and OCon is a great event [where> we can meet up and see people together.
Do you have any advice for other comic creators out there?
Keep doing what you are doing! Keep being creative! You might not be everyone's jam but you are somebody's! Be that jam!
Anything else you’d like people to know about you before they come to OCon?
Be prepared to have a good time! There is literally something here for everyone! [OCon>, as my wife put it, "It's the little Con that is everything!" Be a part of that!
Smith will have panels at all three days of OCon. You can view his schedule on OCon's website.
The 501st Legion Star Wars Group
Lindsey Trout, the squad’s PR rep answered some questions for us about what a Star Wars group is and what they’re looking forward to at OCon this year.
What’s your organization planning for OCon?
This year for OCon, our local Star Wars groups are raising money for The Little Warrior Foundation. To try and raise as much as we can, we will have blast-a-trooper, bounty hunts, and a raffle.
What inspired the creation of your organization?
The 501st [and fellow groups the> Rebel Legion, Mandalorian Mercs, The Dark Empire, and Droid Builders are all volunteer organizations. Not only do we get to build costumes and droids, we get to help raise money for various charities while sharing our love for Star Wars, and that’s pretty cool!
What would you like people to know about your group before OCon?
If there is one thing you should know about our group before OCon, it’s that we love meeting fellow Star Wars lovers of all ages! Seeing people’s excitement when they get to high-five Darth Vader or take a selfie with Chewbacca, those are moments that never get old!
What do you like most about OCon?
OCon always has something for everyone! Whether you’re coming for the media guests, fan art, cosplay contests, panels, or to hang out with a few corgis, there’s always something happening!
Matt Hebert
Matt Hebert is an author who comes to OCon as a vendor. His most recent book is Dragons Are Meant to Fly, the first book in a children’s fantasy chapter book series called A World of Lizards, Squirrels, and Men. In addition to his new book, he also has a sci-fi trilogy called The Surface Series.
Can you share anything with us about your new book?
This first book follows a young dragon boy who likes to study science and engineering and wants to use them to solve the problems he sees around him.
How did you get involved with OCon?
[My first> OCon was kind of an accident for me. I had just published my first book and was looking for a venue to sell it. I brought 50 copies (with no expectations) and completely sold out!
What do you like about the convention?
OCon looks like every big Con I've been to but feels like every small one too. It's professional yet personal. Plus, there's something for everyone.
What advice do you have for other aspiring authors out there?
Don't try to be anyone but you. Don't try to be Tolkien. Don't try to be Rowling. Just be you. And don't stress about writing every day. If you set a deadline and are trying to meet it that's fine, but don't beat yourself up if you don't write just to write. If you aren't feeling inspired, then anything you write probably isn’t going to be as good.
Hebert will be at OCon all three days and can’t wait to meet new people!
Cuddle a Corgi Panel
This is the Omaha Corgi Crew’s fourth year in a row at OCon. Guests can come by to play, pet, and receive kisses from a herd of stumpy-legged friends. The Omaha Corgi Crew was founded by Jessica (Jess) Kubec almost eight years ago as a group of corgi friends that started having monthly meetups at the dog park. The group has grown to more than 1,500 members. We were able to speak with Olivia Fries of the crew.
How did the Omaha Corgi Crew get involved with OCon?
The Omaha Corgi Crew became involved with OCon for two reasons; The first is that Jess is friends with the creator, Matt. Secondly, Jess was looking for an indoor space with A/C for corgi crew meetups. She asked Matt if we could use a panel room and the Cuddle a Corgi Panel was born!
Will all of the corgis be present for cuddles?
If all the corgis in the Omaha Corgi Crew could come to the Cuddle a Corgi Panel we would probably need a good chunk of the MAC. Wouldn't that be amazing and wonderful?! There will most likely be 30 to 50 corgis this year at the panel, similar to last year.
Do the corgis dress up?
Yes, a lot of the corgis do dress up! It's not required, but a lot of Crew members are fun-loving, nerdy people, so costumes are encouraged.
Why do you think folks should come check out OCon?
People should check out OCon because it gives you a great convention experience, really cool guests, amazing vendors, fun and interesting panels, all without having to spend a lot of money on travel or admission like some other conventions across the U.S. Plus, the Cuddle a Corgi Panel is the best panel— not that I'm biased.
The Cuddle a Corgi panel will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on Sunday morning. Come meet this fun group of “paw”rents and their pups!
See You at OCon!
Whatever your interest is, comics, movies, television, board games, writing, cosplaying, and more, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy at this fun-filled convention!
“Everyone is a fan of something,” Burchfield said. “Our event is really about celebrating all those ‘somethings’ under one roof.”
Tickets for the expo can be purchased online before the event (with discounted pricing) or at the door. If you want to save money, order your pre-sale tickets soon! OCon is coming!
