Mondo's Justin Ishmael Explains And Answers MondoCon Burning Questions

There are many things wrong with mega-conventions, and the team behind MondoCon is going to try and fix them. At many conventions the food sucks, it's too crowded, and the lines are too long. These are problems Mondo knows about, and seeks to improve upon for the company's first con. The stuff they won't be able to fix — in fact, what Mondo might make worse — are the many geek Sophie's Choices fans constantly have to make.

MondoCon, the first Mondo-centric pop culture convention, takes place September 20-21 in Austin, Texas. (That's during the opening weekend of Fantastic Fest.) Tickets go on sale Wednesday June 4. An initial press release giving some general idea about the convention came online Monday but it raised many more questions than it answered. I got on the phone with Mondo's Creative Director Justin Ishmael to get more answers. We talked about questions such as, how Mondo will handle the lines, what kind of events will be at the con, which artists are attending, and exactly how big the event will be.

Ishmael was able to answer some of those questions, as well as others. The prevailing feeling I got speaking to him is that, much like Comic-Con, MondoCon is going to have so much excellent stuff happening simultaneously that fans will have to make some really tough decisions on what they want to do over the course of the two days. Read more about MondoCon below.

Much of the specific schedule and releases aren't ready yet, but will be made public before the convention. For example, the names of attendees revealed in the initial press release are just handful of names – both familiar and unfamiliar – who'll be at the convention. Ishmael confirmed at least some, if not all, of the major Mondo artists – names like Tyler Stout, Olly Moss and Aaron Horkey – would either be at the convention in person or be represented with some new work. He wouldn't say which specifically or in what capacity but he did say the idea for MondoCon was "Let's have as many people we work with come as possible. We're definitely going to ask everyone, now it's just a matter of who can come." As of right now, between 40 and 50 people/companies/booths are confirmed with more still on the way.

While the majority of retailers at the The Marchesa Hall & Theater will be on a large convention floor, Mondo itself will have a massive booth in a separate outdoor space. There, a veritable army of volunteers will make sure the lines to buy Mondo posters (and other exclusives that aren't posters) moves as quickly as possible. Also, by keeping Mondo outside, it'll keep their long lines away from the rest of the convention floor...and their long lines. Plus, this is Mondo's event so they make the rules. They might walk up and down the line selling posters to expedite the process. The procedures could change on the fly depending on crowds or general mood. And while most of the time only one or two people are able to check out customers, that number will be much larger at MondoCon, hopefully making things move smoother.

Ishmael didn't say how many posters they'd be releasing at the event, but confirmed they would try and be as open an upfront about revealing what they are, and when they go on sale, as possible. They haven't yet ruled out online pre-orders either, though it didn't seem likely. There's also a chance of some new announcements/new products/licenses at the event. All things are in play, but lots of it is going to come down to timing between MondoCon and Comic-Con. Yes, Mondo will also once again have a booth at Comic-Con where they'll reveal some new products. He also teased that because the ability to surprise with new properties is so hard now, Mondo was turning to a lot of new movies, some anniversary stuff and even some new anime properties.

There will be outdoors games, some specifically tied to Mondo merchandise, and surprises everywhere there can be. Ishmael described possibly doing a panel where fans would get to watch the creation of a poster or vinyl, and then offer input on which final design would be printed. Another broad example was having filmmakers who tried to get a film made, but couldn't, bring concept art and story boards to take people through their film. And, if there's a limited edition poster or something to go along with that, then that would happen. "We're trying to have stuff that keeps you more involved because hopefully you'll end up spending two days there," he said. "Instead of waiting on line and leaving."

Each night there will be movies screened and, yes, there will likely be posters for all of them. These movies, however, will be a separate admission from your regular wristband, and the theater only seats 300 people. Those wristbands, though, can be picked up either at the Marchesa or Drafthouse South Lamar where Fantastic Fest will be happening simultaneously. The hope is that will alleviate some of the waiting in line to get your ticket which happens at so many conventions.