MondoCon Gets Evil

Mondocon gets evil: Here's the cover for the new Army Of Darkness soundtrack vinyl release.

MondoCon: It's not just about finding more prints to fill your walls. There's also vinyl, statues, and panels from some of the Austin-based pop culture mavens' greatest collaborators. Today, there are big announcements about all and everything.

One of the big announcements is a return guest: William Stout was part of a panel of film designers at MondoCon 2014, and the only complaint was that there were so many great talents that they barely had time to scratch the surface of their careers. This year, the seminal film designer will have the stage to himself to talk about his work on movies including the Conan franchise, The Hitcher, and Tobe Hooper's remake of Invaders From Mars.

Coincidentally, Stout also worked on The Masters of the Universe, a franchise with a surprisingly complex history. In their new film Toy Masters, screening as part the convention, documentarian Roger Lay, Jr. and actor Corey Landis attempt to unravel the lies, wild claims, and copyright infringement lawsuits that have surrounded He-Man and his allies and enemies.

That won't be the only screening. Umberto (the nom de guerre of musician Matt Hill) specializes in re-scoring classic horrors. For MondoCon, and to celebrate its upcoming Blu-ray release through Grindhouse, he'll be performing his new soundtrack to classic giallo Pieces: titled The Night Has a Thousand Screams, it hasn't been performed live since Beyondfest in 2013.

Aside from all that (and the ever-growing guest list of artists on display), Mondo staff will have plenty of opportunities to talk about the company's upcoming products, including:
• record label manager Spencer Hickman and production manager Mo Shafeek on the growing stack of vinyl releases (including a new, super-limited soundtrack release of Army of Darkness, with sleeve art by Richey Beckett);
• creative director of toys and collectibles Brock Otterbacher on the knicknacks and doodads that will be filling your shelves, such as a new variant of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 'Lil Mikey figure;
• the Mondo creative team talking about the process of designing their prints, including some never-before-seen abandoned designs; and
• Mondo regulars Aaron Horkey, Brandon Holt, and Mike Sutfin talking about their "international illustration cult," the Vacvvm.

MondoCon 2015 runs Oct. 3-4 at the Marchesa Hall & Theatre, 6405 N. I-35. Tickets are on sale now ($45 for single day, $90 for a two-day pass) via Eventbrite. More details at www.mondo-con.com.