Picture This

Please excuse my wretched cellphone pics from this year's Monsterfest 2010 at the Chesapeake City Public Library, as my regular Canon has gone missing and I couldn't work the snazzy new Kodak I got for Christmas last year. So feel free to lighten up or sharpen what needs to be lightened or sharpened. I took the shot of my signed Bowman Body poster on my mother's back patio table in the bright sunshine (and shady tree) so it turned out far better than the rest.

Pennsylvania native Bowman Body was a popular and very funny late-nite horror movie television host on WXEX (Richmond-Petersburg) starting in the summer of 1970 and there's even a super rare 45 single of his bluegrass theme song out in the local collector's market. Here my friend Hunter poses with the dear man, and later we ran into him over at El Toro Loco when we had just finished dinner and he was just arriving with his much younger entourage. It's wonderful seeing so many young people devoted to something before their time.

The library was HOT and very crowded, but probably one of the best crowds that I've seen in the past three years that I've attended. I didn't see Rose's poster table or the Trilogy table, although I hear they were being represented somewhere. I bought a comic book from a young Richmond artist named Rick Spears called Teenagers From Mars, so I'm looking forward to being introduced to a new talent... or new to ME anyway.

Doctor Madblood pulls up in his sweet new ride. Anybody who remembers Doctor Madblood from the 70's and 80's, who was syndicated all over the state of Virginia as well as parts of upstate New York, he used to drive this beautiful vintage 1930's 3-wheeler Morgan in the opening credits. I sat in on his panel (in celebration of the 35 years on the air) and he told us that the Morgan is considered

such a collectors item that the man who owns it was instructed by his insurance company never to drive it on the road again. But Madblood told us that in those days they used to take it out into the open country roads and get it up to about 100 mph. I mean damn, yo. He also told the story of the Madblood Manor, once an Elk's lodge from the 1880's up to 1970's, it became an apartment building and still stands, and the residents there still refer to their building as "Madblood Manor" (my friend Donna used to live there years ago).

Lots of unique and fun toys, comics, and gruesome things to stop and gawk at.

Gwar lead singer Oderus Urungus crashed the party -- and it looks like he brought a date!

Oderus colors a nice picture of the Wolfman for Monsterfest co-founder Rob, who stands in the background with his wife Phyllis and Doctor Madblood's famous time-traveling Uncle Felonious, looking on.

ARGGH BROCKIE STAYS IN LINES BROCKIE GET GOLD STARRRRR

Dr. Sarcofiguy was the host of a horror movie television show up in Fairfax, VA back in 1995 or so, otherwise known as his show of "movies that make you say 'GOODNESS!'" Absolutely sweet and kind and funny guy. Hunter and I could not pull ourselves away from his table. Directly behind his fez is Donna (the woman who used to live in 'Madhouse Manor') and her young daughter.

Dr. Sarcofiguy poses with Felonious.

More mad mad mad mad mad mad Madblood hilarity.

"Honey, Melissa's here. When are you coming back?" Lee on the horn with his lovely lady trying to get her to come back to the con after she ducked back home for a few hours to pack for her business trip to New Orleans tomorrow. I feel bad that I missed Part Two of his ongoing Godzilla panel from last year's Monsterfest but when I got together with Hunter we both spent so long in the Madblood panel we ducked out for food and by then the day's events were done. There's an all-night movie lock-in this evening but I think I'm going to bow outta that one. I'm actually one of those slugs that works on Sunday mornings!

Rob made all of these statues and they all live in his garage, including the throne below, which he wants to move into the house in some way but maybe his wife overrode that decision. Either way,

the man's got a knack, and great show once again, Rob-mah-friend. I'm already dead tired, but I had a blast. Next year! NEXT YEEEAAR!