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We're three episodes deep into spooky month and this week I got to do one of my favorite things: Watch Alex talk shop with a fellow spooky creator. Over the years we've had a variety of actors and artists on and usually at some point the conversation will develop into Alex and our guest trading secrets, comparing notes, and admiring each other's work.  It's fascinating. A few years ago our friend Bil dropped the phrase on us and every year we find out just how right he was. With that said, today we have a rad episode for you because we were joined by Bay Area-based special effects makeup artist Nina Zepeda. A Fright Fest veteran and student of Face Off winner Nicole Chilelli, Nina is an insanely talented artist creating monsters and demons out west alongside our good friend and OMV alum Will. A quick glance over her page and you'll see what we're talking about: Nina is very good at making terrifying things. Check out this week's episode as we learn about chance encounters at Barnes & Noble bookstores, t

Ok. Yes. We're late. Just gonna call it out, own it, provide excuses and move on. Remember last week how I was bragging about watching Toy Story and drinking tea after NYCC? Yeah, that came right around and got the best of me because it turns out the entire time I was watching Toy Story and drinking tea there was a sickness festering inside of my body only to reveal itself the following day and torture me throughout the rest of the week. Alex, being the merciful man he is (don't tell him I said that), let me take it easy for a few days to recover which sadly meant that last week's episode was delayed until....now. But there is good news because we have a rad new episode for you featuring author David Kann and to sweeten the pot you're going to get another episode at the end of the week. How rad is that? Anyway, let's not get ahead of ourselves. David Kann joined us this week. He's a veteran filmmaker, producer, and prop master who also authored the Kickstarter-funded "Lovecraft P.I." graphic novel. Alex met D

NYCC was yesterday and even though we just did the one day my entire body hurts down to its core. I spent the vast majority of my Saturday watching all three Toy Story movies in a row while sipping on tea and I have to admit it was pretty great. Everything still hurts and I have aches in places that I didn't know could ache but my Pixar pals helped make things better. With that said, we have a very fun show for you this week. If you've noticed the date recently, it is now October and obviously that means it's time to get spooky. This year we're kicking it off with a couple of the cast members of the upcoming production of Sweeney Todd: Monique and Stephanie! After the incredible success of performances we jumped at the chance to feature some Exit 7 cast members again especially once we heard they were doing another spooky show in Sweeney Todd. For those fortunate enough to be in the area and want to check out a showing, to see about some tickets. A word to the wise, though: Get them sooner rather than late

If you follow us on any of the various social mediums you probably noticed we were spamming you pretty hard with links a few days ago. We apologize for the spam. Just know that it was justified in the fact that we got to try something new with a good friend of ours. If you happened to click on any of those links you'll know what I'm talking about but for those still in the dark here's a rundown: we first talked with artist Tony Moy after tabling a few spots down from him at Boston Comic Con. He came on the show, fun was had, much rejoicing. Seeing as it had been some time since we last talked we thought it would be neat to catch up. Tony agreed and also had the idea of streaming the interview live on his fancy Twitch channel so we figured what the hell. What's the worst that could happen? We say something stupid? Embarrass ourselves live in front of a bunch of people? No way. We've been doing this for too long to make rookie mistakes like that! Famous last words, amirite? Nah we kid. We had a blast and we ca

Ok. Let's talk about Mandy. -Jr

I don't own the largest collection of convention sketches by any means and in recent years getting sketches by artists at conventions has taken a backseat to other "more important" things like "food" and "a mortgage". And after buying a house I had to make some decisions as to what sketches will go up on the walls and what sketches will be archived in my portfolio. Some decisions were harder than others; but one of the easiest ones was the sketch Tom Raney drew for me from Boston Comic Con a few years back. I mean look at this thing: It's beautiful. And it deserves to be displayed.  With all that said we have some exciting stuff for you this week because Tom Raney himself gave us some time out of his busy schedule and let us do what we do best: Ask weird questions and gush over his talents. You can check out Tom and his work on the various and even better there's a good chance you'll be able to see him at a convention near you (Hint: He's going to be at NYCC in a few weeks). Don't miss out! Enjoy! -Jr.

We don't talk politics much. That's intentional for a few reasons: mostly because we like to think our show is an escape from all the terrible things going on in every day life. Also, our brains are small and we (meaning Jayare) don't have the capacity to make good words when it comes to discussing intense political subjects and themes. So we tend to stay away them. This week, though. We're getting political. But not in the way you'd think. We're doing it in a fun way because apparently that can exist. It turns out it can be somewhat entertaining to talk politics when you're discussing fictional characters and events based around those fictional characters. So that's what we did this week. We got political and had a little fun doing it. I think. Enjoy! -Jr.

Those OMV boys are at it again. And by "at it again" I mean "There's an artist we admire who currently has a live Kickstarter for their latest project and they were kind enough to let us ask them questions about it and the rest of their work for the better part of an hour". Classic. This week we're here to talk about Agnimu Rehpot's Scribes and Scribbles. Unaware of Agnimu Rehpot's Scribes and Scribbles? Well it's pretty simple: Agnimu Rehpot's Scribes and Scribbles is a universe of wonder and imagination created by artist Mike Maydak and is (currently) set to be a 36 page book full of over 300 original drawings. I say "currently" because as of right now, the Kickstarter is still live with some tasty, newly-announced stretch goals so honestly the sky is the limit for Mike and his book. Be sure to check out the project or find Mike on the various social medias and let him know how rad his work is. Until then, enjoy our chat with Mr. Maydak and his fantastical world of Agnimu Rehpot's Scribes and Scribbles. -J

I apologize for the delay in getting this week's episode up. You see, I was busy protecting Metro City from the Skull Cross Gang. Luckily, despite being an elected official and mayor of the city I was blessed with bulging muscles and an incredible mustache. There wasn't a single member of the Skull Cross Gang that was safe from my piledriver. And after all was said and done my beautiful city was saved once more....with the help of this guy named Dean who had electric fists. That was cool, too. Ok, yeah. I was playing Final Fight 3 all night with a friend of mine. But that doesn't make the previous paragraph any less true. Metro City can rest easy knowing Mike Haggar and Dean....Electric Fists(?) saved the day. Anyways. Back in real life we do have an episode for you and it's a continuation of something we recorded a couple months ago. Back in June we talked about some comic shops that Alex had recently visited but we also discussed his fancy new CGC membership and his upcoming plans for some of his books. (Ch

We learned something yesterday. We learned that when Kyle from Decimated Designs hits you up saying he has some spare table space at TerrifiCon and is wondering if you and your best pals would be interested in putting your stuff on their tables for a day...you take him up on that offer. Because the end result is going to include some or all of the following: A fun experience at a new convention. The opportunity to settle a debate of enormous magnitude. Throwing all your money at artists and creators. Meeting comic legends and witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Finding out if you were spared or sacrificed by Thanos. I could go on but you get the idea. We had a blast down at Mohegan Sun and we can't thank Kyle and the Decimated crew enough for letting us be up in their space for 10 hours. Be on the lookout for some insane photos from Babs Who Takes Pictures and keep your eyes peeled if you're ever at TerrifiCon in the future because there's a good chance we might be back. Enjoy! -Jr.

In what could be considered one of the largest upsets of the last decade the unthinkable has happened. For the first time since 2010 we failed to make an appearance at the Boston Comic Con. We know. This is both extremely shocking and upsetting. But we're working through it and we're moving on. Since we weren't going to be able to partake in the annual Boston festivities we decided to make it a learning opportunity. A few weeks ago our friend and OMV veteran Colen ventured down to Virginia to attend the 2nd edition of Blerdcon. Being two old men who rarely venture outside of the New England area for conventions Alex and I were eager to hear about Colen's experiences at a show that runs for 72 straight hours without stopping for rest. If listening to us ramble for the next hour has you interested in the show, be sure to check out their for updates or even take a look at made by our old pal Micah for a more visual representation of Blerdcon to go along with Colen's review. Enjoy! -Jr.

So I'm venting this week. I went to a concert last Saturday with my wonderful wife and my wonderful Colin and while we had an amazing time...there are some things I need to get off my chest. I've had a few days to think it over and I figured I could use my festering rage as an opportunity to educate others on what I believe to be proper concert etiquette. So I grabbed Jon and Alex, sat them down in front of some microphones, and forced them to listen to my rant. While I do a decent amount of whining and complaining this week it shouldn't take away from the fact that I got to witness one of the best concerts I've ever seen and overall I feel fortunate to be able to say I was there. Next step is getting them on the show....maybe another 600 episodes and we'll get there. For now I'm just going to vent. -Jr.

If you're into extremely long episodes featuring multiple guests having a great time talking about a local convention in Hartford, Connecticut boy howdy do we have a treat for you. The last few weeks have been full of ConnectiCon chatter as we had some amazing opportunities to chat with and . Now it's time to review. Joining us for our recap extravaganza are our good friends Vicky (of ) and niece Megan in what could be considered the greatest team-up in the history of podcasting. Tune in for stories, thoughts, reflections and most importantly: Arbitrary Letter Grades (Note: Megan gave the show an A-/B+ but we were dumb and forgot to ask during her segment). There's a ton to get to so I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. Huge thanks to Vicky and Megan for giving us many hours of their time and as always a shout-out to the folks at ConnectiCon for giving us yet another opportunity to check out their show. Enjoy! -Jr.

To say we had a productive ConnectiCon would be putting it lightly. After day one we immediately went back to the studio to chat with game designer Jake Given in what turned into . After day two we had maybe a 2 hour break once we left to get ready for another sit down only this time it was with artist and freelance illustrator . Similar to Jake and Lay Waste Games, Christopher had a table showcasing his arts and talents at this year's ConnectiCon. A veteran of over 100 different conventions, Christopher is no stranger to the con life and even uploads in-depth vlogs on his channel chronicling his thoughts and experiences throughout each unique show. It's a really neat look into the world of an artist from the other side of the table and we're a bit excited to see what he puts out for ConnectiCon. Of course, in addition to his video content, Christopher is also a hella talented artist with some absolutely brilliant perspective pieces and character collages. For example: have you ever met anyone who has made a

Day one of ConnectiCon 2018 has come and gone in what felt like a blur of vendors, cosplayers, and food trucks. I'm sure we'll have plenty to say about it soon but for now we need to prepare for day two. Despite only having a few hours to enjoy the show yesterday it was a great opportunity to get my bearings and get a feel for the venue. Now today is going to be all about checking out the vendors, spending the money, and playing the games. Speaking of games: We have a nice treat for you and it's just about as hot-off-the-presses as pre-recorded media can be. Jake Given, co-founder and game designer of Lay Waste Games, is showing their latest creation in the tabletop demo area of ConnectiCon and we had the opportunity to chat with him once the doors closed for the day. Keen listeners may recall we've talked about Lay Waste's games at length in our previous two PAX East recaps with Dragoon being a show-stealer two years ago and Human Era catching our attention this past spring. You can check out their website

Seeing as our annual trip to ConnectiCon is but 5 days away we figured it would be a good time to hype up the show a bit. This is your classic "two birds, one stone" situation here because yeah, we're trying to hype it up for you, the humble listener. But we're also trying to hype it up for ourselves. Seeing as our favorite pals from Super Art Fight won't be in attendance this year; we're going to have to put on our big-boy pants and find other things to entertain us. Like games. Or food trucks. or a combination of the two. We'll make due. In addition to some ConnectiCon hype we thought it would be neat to play a little game of "Where are they now?" in regard to guests of OMV past. It's been quite some time since we've had the pleasure of chatting with a few of our guests so we did some internet searching to find out what they've been up to...and the results might shock you! I hate myself for writing that. Enjoy! -Jr.

Alex is smart. Because unlike myself he knows how to take advantage of being on vacation. At least this week he did because he took a neat trip to states other than Connecticut to visit some friends and, more importantly, comic shops. He also snagged a shiny new membership to CGC (separate events) so now we can get back to sending books in and pray they come back in acceptable grades. I say "we" because I'm absolutely going to piggy back off his hard-spent money and use him for his membership. He probably doesn't mind. We are talking about both of these things this week in a "Justice" episode for the ages. (I don't know if it's ever been explained in writing but when we say we're doing a "Justice" episode it's because there's no guest. It's "just us". We are way too proud of that. ) Anyway, tune in this week to hear tales of Alex's venture into unknown lands and predictions on his first batch of books set to go out to be slabbed eternal. Enjoy! -Jr.

This week we had the pleasure of sitting down for a talk with renowned New England-based cosplayer . Having encountered Raymond multiple times throughout several different conventions over the past few years one thing is evident: This dude knows how to become a character. We've had the opportunity to talk with many cosplayers in the past both on and off of our show and its always an amazing experience when we get to learn about their introduction to the scene, their process, and their mentality when it comes to crafting and designing these outfits and Raymond was no exception. This week we got to learn how a man went from modding a simple leather jacket to crafting complete sets of award winning armor within the span of like, 4 years. While juggling other responsibilities like being a father and martial artist with a day job. No big deal. Check out Raymond's work by clicking the link above or if you're going to be in the New England area next weekend (June 30th) you'll be able to see him in person at at Foxw

we had the pleasure of speaking with Josh and Sarah of the Five Points Festival mere hours before the show was slated to begin. Needless to say it was super rad of them to even give us 5 minutes of time let alone a half hour and the end result was a whole bunch of hype as Jon and Alex prepared to head to New York City to check it out. They've since checked it out, took a little bit of time to compress and get some thoughts together, and now it's time for the end result. This one was exciting for a variety of reasons, too. It's been a while since we've had the opportunity to cover a new show outside of our normal routine plus who better to cover it than our resident toy expert himself? The last time we were at a convention with Jon was around 3 years ago while Alex was recovering from surgery and I was helping a friend experience his first ever NYCC. So it's a bit overdue. Plus, we've never been able to cover a show quite like this one. Yes, we've been to comic cons, steampunk shows, anime conventions etc...bu

I don't mean to brag here, but if I'm being honest it must be acknowledged that Alex is on fire with guests this year. Week after week I'm left practically exhausted after speaking with yet another amazing individual from one of the numerous scenes we try to follow and this week was no exception. This time we're talking with illustrator . A graduate of the Academy of Art University, Livio has some impressive credits to his name such as IDW's "Transformers", Legendary Comics' "Pacific Rim", and designs for Niantic Labs (Ingress, Pokemon GO). A quick peek at will show you that Livio has some unbelievable talent when it comes to both digital and traditional art and now you get the chance to hear two wannabes with minimal artistic talent try to keep up with a master of turning boxes into robots. Plus we talk about Hot Toys, Sketch Prices, and a mutual appreciation for Robot Collection. A little something for everyone this week. Enjoy! -Jr.