Geeking Out in the East Bay
The East Bay Comic Con is a haven for anyone looking to transform their home into the geek den of their dreams. Taking place a few weeks back in Crowne Plaza in Concord, the convention is now in its fifth year of showcasing the East Bay’s comics and collectables scene. We decided to stop by and see if we could find some art to turn into the perfect, framed pop culture piece.
Like most comic book fan gatherings, one of the high points of the day was the amazing cosplay on display. The con’s courtyard setting was filled with an impressive range of fans dressed as Stormtroopers, superheroes and characters from every corner of geekdom.
More than 100 exhibitors packed the three floors offering a wide array of goods to empty your wallet. One of my favorite booths carried cult classic movies, including hard to find horror, anime and other oddities. There was also a huge focus on vintage toys at the show, especially toy lines from the 90’s for those looking to scratch that nostalgia itch.
I found several frame-worthy pieces at many booths, including rare sci-fi movie posters, high value comics pages and limited run art prints. One print in particular that caught my eye was at the booth of Northern California based artist Justin Orr. His bold, animated art pieces reference Kung fu movies, Hip Hop imagery and Japanese Kaiju monsters. The piece Ichose is Justin’s take on Godzilla and the rest of Toho Studios’ pantheon of city destroying monsters. Check out the finished framed piece below and take a look at Justin’s art at www.jusscope.com.
We picked up Jusscope's Monster Island to frame. Check it:
Triple matted in an in-stock frame, we decided to do something extra and do the specialty cut middle mat to "extend" the action of the image into the framing. We asked our expert co-workers at our sister-store Frame-O-Rama to do the hand cut mats, and it turned out even cooler than expected. Click through the slideshow to see more of the finished piece.
Although this year’s East Bay Comic Con may have passed, there's a schedule of upcoming affiliated shows available at their website. http://www.eastbaycomiccon.com/
