RKdia Comics

Okay, the post-MAGFest glow is waning, but I have enough in me to pull together one last good blog about the show. This time I’m gonna tell you about the friends who encourage me year after year to get out and go to MAGFest and other conventions!

First and foremost, the biggest, loudest, and most aggressive friend I have in regards to MAGFest is one of my oldest from the VGM remixing and rearrangement community JoeCam.Simply put. JoeCam is a fat bastard. He’ll tell you as much. He’s also got a heart to match and often gives of himself, his home and his time to accommodate many a friend on their journeys. Joe and his wife Ashley are super cool, super funny and don’t miss a beat. They’re just a joy to be around, even if he’s beating your FACE off in Rock Band and calling you a pussy after, he does it out of love. Thanks for being a very cool friend Joe and encouraging me to come out of my little rabbit hole year after year and party. Also thanks for not sitting on me accidentally.

Next I want to thank my table buddy and fellow ink-slinger and game lover, Jesse DuRona. I can be a difficult friend sometimes and his level of patience got us through some pretty rough twists and turns on our MAGFest journey. Jesse has also been my closes advisor in regards to storytelling and my work on Citadel. The entire 5+ hour car road consisted of him breaking down my story and working me through better, more organized and simplified ways of telling the story I want to tell. He’s an invaluable colleague and travelling companion and I hope to have many more future conventions with mah buddeh! Check out his new webcomic, Despondant MegaMan!

Pappy is the name given to one of JoeCam’s oldest friends, real name Taras. Taras, like Joe, is a very giving individual. He’s chosen a life answering to his country’s demands, serving in the USAF. Few years ago Uncle Sam told him to move from his home in NJ alllllll the way down to Mississippi where he and his wife, MAGFest Guest Relations Manager (and all around bubbly/awesome person) Steph now reside and continue to spread their gaming lovez. I met Pappy as a result of Joe inviting me to a personal party at his place in PA many many years ago, and I’m glad to know them both. Pappy will often tell it like it is, but also goes out of his way to say hello to everyone walking in the door, and then direct them to the alcohol.

>Mazedude aka Chris Getman is one of the BAD DUDES and another friend I first met at one of JoeCam’s parties several years back. At the time I did the above drawing of him, which he now frequently uses as an avatar. Mazedude has been one of my favorite people in the world since I moved to VT, attended Cartoon College and started breaking out as a freelancer. Not only do we collaborate often on projects, but the guy is so amazingly talented at so many things, it’s hard to think of what’s next for this guy. He’s one of the most friendly people you’ll meet, and also an inspiring figure in many ways. From his intense work ethic at his web design business, to his Capoiera and stunt-man background, down to his incredible skills as a VGM remixer/re-arranger through an old technique known as Tracking, there’s nothing the Mazedude cannot tackle and find some unique amazing way of going about it. He’s been encouraging, supportive and always seeks me out when there’s artwork to be done. I learn a lot from him and hope we continue to work and drink and rock out together in the far future.

Mustin is a cool dood. That’s all you really need to know bout’ him.

Ian aka Jesus tried to kill me with drinks, failed, got all pissy about it, then was cool the next day. He’s just mother fucking Christ is all. Love the dude.

D-lux is one smooth cat. Voice for Television, face for…well, television. Hope he gets back into the VGM radio scene again someday.

Speaking of VGM Radio, I got to meet a great radio host at MAG: KyleJCRB and re-meet his co-host Larry “Liontamer” Oji (above), hosts of Nitro Game Injection. VGFrequency, Larry’s old late-night college radio show that featured all the latest and greatest from the VGM Remix community, namely OCR, VGMIx and independent albums/projects, got me through college, so now that I’ve entered the work force, it’s nice to have a weekly show to go to again to keep me up to date on the happenings in the community. NGI broadcasts every Sunday at around 5pm EST on Arecibo Radio! Larry also gave me the scoop on the upcoming FF IX OCRemix Project, which I hope to contribute some artwork for. FF IX is still my fave of the franchise and with OCR’s own Head Submission Evaluations and social media guy in my corner is never a bad thing! Here’s the recording of their Live MAGFest show!

Kunal Majmudar is another BAD DUDE and is starting his own gaming company! I hope he needs more than just one character designer in the future and we get to work together as he’s incredibly diverse and an accomplished sound designer, even teaching audio for animation and game design!

I’ve talked plenty about Maximo V. Lorenzo, but that doesn’t make him any less awesome. Go check his stuff out!

I could think of more people to praise and thank, but I think I’ll wrap it here with a tradition from MAGFest: a group of friends hanging out and eating Five Guys burgers on the last day of the show! Cheers all and see you at MAGFest XI!

-RD

P.S.- One last awesome thing: X-STRIKE STUDIOS!!! I never see these guys but man are they fun to party with once a year at MAGFest. See you all soon and keep the film rollin’!