Comics, Celebrities & A Million Jokers: An Adventure At Oz Comic-Con

If you want to hang out with a superhero, villain or your favourite Game Of Thrones character (perhaps Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons) for the weekend, then Oz Comic-Con is the place to go.

Cosplay has never been as popular – or as eye-popping. But, then again, fans might even spot some real-life legends – a cult TV or movie actor, or comic or animation artist. This year Melbourne's Oz Comic-Con – a celebration of TV and film, comics, anime, manga, gaming and Lego – happens in the spacious surrounds of the Convention & Exhibition Centre on South Wharf. The organisation is excellent. Thousands attend. Nerds R Us.

The pop culture expo – unconnected to the San Diego Comic-Con International that originated in the '70s – has an impressive array of guest actors from such franchises as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sam Raimi's pioneering horror-com The Evil Dead (Bruce Campbell, aka Ash Williams) and The Lord Of The Rings (Billy Boyd and Aussie David Wenham). The CW's recent phenom Arrow is repped by Paul Blackthorne (Detective Quentin Lance) and Rila Fukushima (Tatsu Yamashiro). Oz Comic-Con privileges the horror, sci-fi, supernatural and fantasy genres, but also present is Wilson Bethel from the just-cancelled comedy drama Hart Of Dixie (oh, and Bates Motel). Many stars have appeared in successive cult productions.

Oddly, Jason Momoa, among the weekend's biggest draws, is billed for his upcoming role as DC Comics' Aquaman, not Khal Drogo in GOT (or, ahem, Stargate Atlantis' dreadlocked Ronon Dex). Word is that Momoa has declined interview requests, but Keisha Castle-Hughes, who plays the Sand Snakes' Obara in GOT, is less slippery. The Kiwi, who garnered an Academy Award 'Best Actress' nom for 2002's Whale Rider, is on the comeback at 25 (!), likewise popping up in The Walking Dead. Oz Comic-Con also has voice actors – three from the shōjo (young girls) manga Sailor Moon. They're all fronting Q&A sessions – plus signing autographs and doing photographs (for a fee). And there are comics galore, with homegrown publisher Gestalt. The convention has even secured professional cosplayers (that's legit, careers advisors).

In the past Oz Comic-Con has been criticised for its male-centric bookings. In 2015 they've commendably paid heed… The event has a giant hall of stalls for the merch hunter/collector, Pop! Vinyl toys ubiquitous. Cooler again are those local creatives (we drool over Ella Mobbs' gothic Creep Heart jewellery). Con-goers dig, too, the interactive Walking Dead Green Screen Experience installation. Elsewhere, Red Bull hosts a Silent Disco. Awesomely, Berocca is offering free samples.

The media is granted access to visiting celebrities the day before Oz Comic-Con in a swish hotel. We catch up with the Californian Emma Caulfield, who portrayed the human/demon Anyanka "Anya" Jenkins in Joss Whedon's enduring TV show Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She's unexpectedly joined by her more extrovert co-star (and friend) Amber Benson – aka Tara Maclay, the iconic lesbian witch in Buffy's Scooby Gang. Both are old-timers on the convention circuit (besides, Caulfield's flick Darkness Falls was filmed locally). Over time Buffy… has actually acquired greater critical prestige.

"I think the writing's just really, really good," Benson, herself a novelist, posits. Buffy… was "one person's vision" – Whedon didn't have to deal with network interference. "And he was very smart in his casting," she laughs. Buffy… became the benchmark for a feminist vampire genre, being sharp and subversive. Twilight was unfavourably compared. Yet True Blood's Sookie could be Buffy's relative. Notes Benson, "Any time you have a project that has a female protagonist who is multi-layered, who gets to go on that great old hero's journey where they discover who they are, that's really important – I think we need more of it. Buffy… was at the forefront of that – or maybe it was a watershed sort of show."

The Buffyverse fandom has expanded. "I think nerd culture in general has overtaken pop culture," Benson says. "Before, saying you liked Star Wars or Star Trek got you labelled as a loser. Now it's like, Oh, no, everybody loves Star Trek and Star Wars – so you're among a giant majority." Caulfield chimes in, suggesting that the "cult" descriptor is "antiquated" – Buffy…is "mainstream". Proving they're not typecast, Caulfield has since depicted the blind witch from Hansel & Gretel in Once Upon A Time, while Benson was a vampire in Supernatural. 

Next it's our turn with American Horror Story's charming Naomi Grossman, in Australia for the first time. The glam actor looks nothing like the beloved microcephalic Pepper – introduced in Asylum, only to resurface in Freak Show as the hit anthology series' inaugural recurring figure.

Prior to AHS, Grossman was "a total unknown", albeit long active in Hollywood. With a background in theatre and comedy, she's written her own one-woman shows and produced comedic shorts for YouTube. "If I wasn't getting cast, I could cast myself," Grossman laughs. AHS has meant that she finally qualified for SAG's health insurance – a relief. Created by Glee's Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, AHS has significantly attracted silver-screen stars like two-time Oscar winner Jessica Lange. However, Grossman, who'd not previously watched the program, found that the usual on-set "hierarchy" collapsed, her famous cast members fascinated by Pepper:

"People were curious – they looked at me and they wanted to know more. In fact, they couldn't even believe it was make-up… I oftentimes was engaged in conversation with someone who [says drolly] I wouldn't have normally and yet they wanted to know, Was that make-up? How long was I in the make-up chair?"

Grossman based Pepper on the '20s' side-show performer Schlitzie, building the part "from the outside in". The actor revelled in her exchanges with Lange. "She's a legend," Grossman enthuses. "It was like being in a master acting class every time I worked with her. I never stopped learning – and she never became passé. It was always thrilling!"

Next Grossman will appear in A Zombie Named Ted – a "zombedy". Could she return to AHS? "It's so hard for me to say. I know just a little bit more than the average Joe. But, sure, there's always a chance. I mean, let's face it, the way the show's set up, they recycle actors, not necessarily characters – I've been the one anomaly in that regard. But, yeah, I would think you could see more of me. I don't know that, though."

On Saturday we first tour the Oz Comic-Con site to admire the cosplayers. There are countless Jokers. A young girl is outfitted as a Dalek crossed with My Little Pony, her skirt, fashioned from cardboard, spray-painted in fairyland gold. Gender rebellion genius. Most scary is The Grim Reaper, the villain of villains – looking very The Seventh Seal. Oz Comic-Con's ultimate mash-up moment occurs when a stunning Maleficent nonchalantly seats herself on a replica Iron Throne. 

The day's buzziest Q&A, with Momoa, is scheduled late in the day – he's in a hat, Keith Richards T-shirt and holey pants. The Hawaiian, who arrived in Melbourne at 6 am, has slept for only two-hours, requiring an on-stage coffee drop. But, while jetlagged, he's in top comic form. "I feel like I'm in a fucked-up dream right now," Momoa drawls. "I feel like I should be naked right now – but we've all seen that show."

Questions are vetted – mercifully, tedious birthday shout-outs are prohibited – but no one's being precious. Early, a dude asks Momoa about his GOT sex scenes with Emilia "Khaleesi" Clarke… The actor says that he knew the warlord Drogo wouldn't survive season one – he'd read the books, duh. As for his favourite character? Tyrion Lannister. Momoa even speaks some Dothraki. Ironically, he avoids prematurely discussing his playing Aquaman in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (and beyond) – but pointedly addresses the debate over his casting, admitting that with his Samoan heritage, it's "a different look". Nevertheless, Momoa's biggest reveal is that, after meeting an Aussie girl, he once lived for a year in South Australia's Barossa Valley with a blue heeler. Back to earth.