AHOY Comics has released an official preview for the upcoming fifth and final issue of Paul Cornell and Marika Cresta‘s Con & On.
Since its debut, Con & On has lovingly satirized the comic convention experience (as well as the comic book industry as a whole). The decades-spanning story centers on Eddie and Deja, two aspiring comic creators whose ambitions tear their friendship apart. In next week’s series finale, Deja “accepts a prestigious cartooning award and reflects on the often-painful path that brought her success. Meanwhile, Eddie “finds a new level of self-awareness in the ashes of a spent comics career.” The issue features a cover by Daniel Schoeneck.
Check out the five-page preview for Con & On #1 below:
The inspiration for Con & On
Ahead of Con & On’s launch back in July, Cornell opened up about his inspirations for the book’s story. “Across five issues, we cover the tragicomic, satirical trajectories of a large cast whose lives intertwine with those of a major annual comics event. Each issue leaps ahead several years, so we end up covering decades, up to the present day,” the writer told Fanbase Press.
“[I]t’s full of my own real experiences and anecdotes heard from fellow professionals,” the writer continued. “It’s the lore of the enormous conventions made into a comic!” Cornell added that “as well as being a satire,” Con & On is “all about the love of big conventions and of the comics medium … If you love comics, if you map your own life markers onto how comics have changed, or indeed if you just follow pop culture in general, this will have a ton to say to you.”
Cornell and Cresta’s series has garnered praise from the likes of John Constantine: Hellblazer writer Si Spurrier, who called it a “profoundly well-observed waltz through the heart, soul and timeline of a comic convention.”
Con & On #5 goes on sale Wednesday, November 22 from AHOY Comics.
