by Jayden Leggett, Editor

That glorious time of year for Melbournians has come and gone again: Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2014 has blown through the Royal Exhibition Building even more fiercely than the harsh winter climate that Victoria is famous for.

Taking place over the fifth and sixth of this very month, Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building played host to a whole slew of talented people, treasure troves of geek loot, and stacks of things to see and do. So, besides our Melbourne crew (which consisted of “Aussie Dave” Lobato, Gavin Milne, guest reporter Jevan Leggett, and of course yours truly), just who exactly was there? Great question, let’s check out the lineup.

MacGyver himself, Richard Dean Anderson, was making dreams come true for hundreds of convention attendees, while the dreams of hundreds more were being invaded by none other than Robert Englund aka Freddy Kreuger himself! Celebs from all walks of geek life were present over the weekend: Yvette Nicole Brown was keeping Community fans thoroughly entertained, while Alien aficionados were spoiled with a panel featuring Tom Skerritt. ­X-Men Shawn Ashmore and Daniel Cudmore were representing mutants everywhere, while Game of Thrones was also in the spotlight with the presence of Daniel Portman and Kristian Nairn.

Screen and sound actors weren’t the only talent available to punters. True comic geeks were absolutely spoiled by a wealth of comic book writing and illustrating talent: Tim Molloy (Mr. Unpronounceable Adventures), Jason Franks (McBlack), Colin Wilson (2000 AD, Dark Horse), Paul Bedford (The List – check out our review), Nicola Scott (DC Comics) and so many more, including the legendary Tom Taylor, who I was ever so lucky to get the chance to have an in-depth chat with (stay tuned for the audio interview in an upcoming podcast, coming soon!)

If rubbing shoulders with the geek elite isn’t your thing, Melbourne’s Oz Comic-Con also provided hours of entertainment in two other important ways: cosplay and loot. Characters from just about every creative medium could be seen brought to life via devoted (and talented) fans, and those who wanted to accessorize had the chance to purchase loads of replica props and weapons, as well as action figures, posters, artwork, clothing and of course, comics.

Just for a bit of fun, and in the spirit of trying something new, here are a few of our staff favorites from the event:

Favorite guest in attendance?
Gavin: Olivia Hack, voice actor extraordinaire!
Jayden: Tom Taylor, top Aussie writer. Injustice or Earth 2, anybody? Stay tuned for our interview…
Aussie Dave: MacGyver. Huh? No, not Richard Dean Anderson, I mean MacGyver!!!
Jevan: Kristian Nairn, because not only is he from Game of Thrones, but he also rocks a manly beard.

Favourite costume of the show?
Jayden: Lady Kratos – super awesome attention to detail, stellar work!
Gavin: The red bunny costume. No idea who the character was, but I admired it all the same!
Jevan: While Mortal Kombat’s Mileena was great (bonus points for the makeup), I loved the father and son Halo combo. The dad even had heavy metal blasting from his suit!
Aussie Dave: Obviously, the epic Transformer, that suit was huge, and came complete with flashing lights. Respect.

Coolest piece of loot available for purchase?
Aussie Dave: I love the sh*t out of the Death Star ice cube mold I got. It freezes clear, so that’s cool as balls. Also, the ice lasts for ages.
Gavin: Clearly my awesome print of Poison Ivy from the talented Lauren Marshall. PS: Her work is amazing, check it out – www.the-marshall-arts.com
Jevan: So very many weapons to choose from, but what? The Blades of Chaos from God of War? Link’s iconic shield from The Legend of Zelda? Decisions, decisions…
Jayden: Those Kidrobot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures that managed to be cute and badass at the same time!

The moral of the story, in case it isn’t obvious, is that Melbourne’s Oz Comic-Con was totally radballs. I mean, just check out the photos (seriously, go check ’em out!). If you were one of the many lucky ones who made it to the con, then good on you – obviously, you had an amazing time. If, however, for some crazy Bizarro-world reason, you couldn’t be in attendance, may this article serve as an almighty suggestion to get your butt into action for next year. I assure you, you’ll love me for it…

Don’t miss out on your tickets to ComicsOnline.com and be sure to line up nice and early at our Facebook and Twitter pages for more convention news, coverage and everything geek pop culture!