2024 Northeast Comic Con Fall Edition Wrap-Up
For many years now I’ve been lucky enough to cover the Northeast Comic Con (read my coverage here), a fun cool convention for lovers of comics, pop culture, and collectibles. Most recently I attended the Spring NECC in March.
Here are some of the highlights of some of the guests I got to speak with at this season’s NECC:
Actress Anne Dudek has appeared in a great deal of film, TV and theater in the last 20+ years. A Newton, MA native, she has had recurring roles on House and Big Love. But I asked her about her role as Francine Hanson, Betty Draper’s friend and neighbor on AMC’s Mad Men (I worked at AMC Networks when Mad Men was capturing the zeitgeist) and the experience of working on that show? She says “It was an incredible experience. Matthew Weiner, the creator, is a genius and I loved every second of it. I was in every season except for one. I loved the writing. I loved the directors.”
Speaking of AMC, the channel’s unscripted Comic Book Men was a sleeper hit when it aired from 2012-2018. Built around Kevin Smith and his comic savvy friends at his comic book store, the show brought comic book culture to mainstream TV. One of those friends on the show was Ming Chen, who was the webmaster for View Askew and is also a SModcast podcaster. I asked about his experience of being on the show? “Listen, I’m just a nerd who grew up loving Star Wars and G.I. Joe and James Cameron movies. It used to be such a solitary thing being a geek. There weren’t many out there or if you were, you didn’t tell anybody about it. I’m glad I stuck to my fandom. Some people tell you not to read comic books. I’m glad I did not listen to them. But it was just cool to be on a show that celebrated all the stuff that I love and I was able to bring it to other people. It awakened a lot of people’s inner-nerdom. The other thing I loved about it is that a lot of the show was just me and my friends asking a lot of ‘What If?’ questions. I didn’t realize people would relate to it as much as they did. Then I realized in every dead end job there’s all kinds of people sitting around having those same conversations.” The series had a great run of 7 seasons / 96 episodes!
Oh and speaking of Kevin Smith and the View Askew-niverse, one of Smith’s most frequent collaborators is actor Brian O’Halloran. After playing Dante Hicks in Clerks, he returned for the sequels and numerous other Smith films as Dante or another Hicks. I have met O’Halloran many times over the years beginning at the 1998 Vulgarthon in Red Bank, NJ. Since then I’ve run into him and talked at many conventions. In 2022 I interviewed him and Clerks III co-star Jeff Anderson via zoom. When I spoke with him then, I asked if he had any plans to direct sometime soon. He said “I’ve been working on a script for a while so I will hopefully at some point be like “alright, that’s it I’m making this movie”. I followed up to see if there was any news? He said “No news, but I have a script I’ve been working on for a couple years now that I’m pretty particular about. It’s a comedy and comedy is something that I think is a lot of work to write for, it’s not as simple as people think. But I’ve been working on that for a while, which would be the thing that I’d want to direct. I helped assistant direct other peoples’ projects over the years. So the world is not new to me for that. Obviously working with Kevin [Smith], M. Night Shyamalan, and James L. Brooks watching really great directors work is a lesson and a treat that no film school can teach you. When you get out there and work with these people it’s the best experience. I hope to in the next few years – when this absolutely pretty face is no longer pretty enough to look at, I’ll jump behind the camera.” I also asked if he was able to say anything about the sequel to Mallrats. He says it “had to be put on the shelf after the passing of Shannen Doherty. She had a big part in that film and the loss of her puts a hold on that project. Kevin is pivoting to his two favorite characters Jay and Silent Bob. Next up is Jay and Silent Bob: Store Wars. Hopefully that begins shooting next year.”
Speaking of NECC guests who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the past, I got to meet actress Kelli Maroney at the 2018 Rock and Shock. I got to talk to her about Night of the Comet, which just recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. I asked about one of my all-time favorite movies Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which she played Cindy the cheerleader in. “Well, I had auditioned for Stacy, but I don’t know if they had already cast Jennifer Jason Leigh at the time. I know there was at least one day where me, Phoebe Cates and Brian Backer auditioned all day long and read the whole script over and over again for the producer, Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe. Then they called me up and asked me to play the cheerleader. You don’t really know how other people see you. Up until then I had played a juvenile delinquent and an awful human being and to myself I thought ‘where are they getting this cheerleader thing?’ [laughs] Cause we don’t see ourselves as other people see us. It took me ten or twenty years to finally see why they saw me as the cheerleader. But it was phenomenal. I didn’t drive so for my first time out to California, my choices were the teamsters could pick me up at the crack of dawn or I could get myself there somehow. But I got to watch Universal City come to life. It’s just like that commercial on Turner Classic Movies only better. It exceeded my expectations!” And then after we chatted for a minute, Kelli came out from behind her booth and gave me a big hug. This has to be one of the rare occasions where a celebrity guest was truly that gracious and appreciative. Thank you Kelli!
I didn’t get the chance to speak with musician / actor /podcaster Michael Des Barres, but I briefly caught some of his panel. I talked with him last year at the NECC’s 2023 MusicCon. Just a few weeks ago I actually talked to his ex-wife Pamela Des Barres as well. I had hoped to chat with him about Power Station, Seinfeld, or MacGyver. Maybe next time!
The big theme this NECC was The Monkees. They had Zilch!, a Monkees tribute band performing. They had appearances by Coco Dolenz, the sister and musical collaborator of Mickey, and also Bill Chadwick, a songwriter and musical collaborator of The Monkees. I asked him if he had a favorite Monkees song? “Well I’d have to say something like ‘Zor and Zam’ because I wrote it.” Alright, how about his favorite Monkee song he didn’t write that’s his favorite? “I’d say ‘Won’t Be the Same Without Her’.” I also stopped by and talked with the good folks at Monkee Mania Radio, where I recorded a station ID, which will be airing sometime next weekend!
…And the big star of this NECC was Micky Dolenz of The Monkees. After the passings of Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith, he is now the last Monkee standing. Over the years I’ve seen him around at other cons, but never got the chance to talk to him because the lines were too long, including last year’s MusicCon. Unfortunately Mr. Dolenz was not doing press so I couldn’t ask him a question for my coverage, but I did purchase an autograph and he signed my vinyl record of More of The Monkees and shook my hand. He is a gentleman and a scholar!
Big thanks to Gary Sohmers and the NECC team for another fun-filled con!
For info on Northeast Comic Con and its other events: https://necomiccons.com/
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Attention all vendors! Are you looking for a platform to showcase your products and connect with passionate fans? Then the NorthEast ComicCon & Collectibles Extravaganza is the perfect event for you!
NorthEast ComicCon: March 7, 8, 9
MusicCon: June 27, 28, 2025 (2 days)
Collectibles Extravaganza: June 29, 2025 (1 day)
Exhibit Hall
Collectibles Extravaganza: October 4, 5, 2025 (2 days)
NorthEast ComicCon: November 28, 29, 30, 2025