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Magnum Opus Con (MOC) was an annual
multigenre convention Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...
which generally took place each spring in various cities in the U.S. states of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...
and
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...
from 1986 to 2001. Organized by comics retailer Roland Castle, the convention was designed to attract science fiction fans of all stripes. Over its 16-year run, MOC featured hundreds of celebrity guests and ran hundreds of hours of programming for fans of
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
,
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...
,
comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
,
gaming Gaming may refer to: Games and sports The act of playing games, as in: * Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming" * Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles * Playing ...
, and other elements of
fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significan ...
. Most MOCs took place over three days, from Friday to Sunday. The convention featured a large floorspace for exhibitors, including
collectibles A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms ...
merchants and comic book dealers. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with industry professionals, MOC often featured previews of upcoming films and even a celebrity
softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
game. Magnum Opus Con worked on a "membership" basis, which enabled attendees to gain admittance to the convention for the entire weekend."Memberships,"
Magnum Opus Con official website (2000)
Archived at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Accessed June 20, 2015.
Attendees were required to be 18 years or older, or accompanied by an adult. By the early 1990s, the show became known for its parties and risqué
cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subcultur ...
events such as the "Bimbo Pageant," the "Slave Auction," and the "Mr. Macho Contest." Other late-night activities included the "MOC-Alympics,"
belly dancing Belly dance (Egyptian Arabic: رقص بلدي, translated: Dance of the Country/Folk Dance, romanized: Raks/Raas Baladi) is a dance that originates in Egypt. It features movements of the hips and torso. It has evolved to take many different f ...
, "MOC(k) Marriages," and "Casino Night." These events gradually became more of the focus of the convention, to the detriment of the panels and workshops.Rice, Sharon
"SOUTH CAROLINA: Magnum Opus Con,"
1997 ''Southern Fandom Confederation Handbook & History, Part III: Regional Survey''. Accessed June 19, 2015.
Magnum Opus Con petered out by the early 2000s due to bad feelings


History

The Macon Opus Con was founded in 1986 by comics retailer Roland Castle, owner of Comics Castle in Macon, Georgia.Henry, Scott
"The wizard of Dragon*Con stands trial: The force behind Atlanta's largest sci-fi convention finds himself in his own world of darkness,"
''Creative Loafing'' (Jan. 20, 2002).
Castle was president of the
Bloom County ''Bloom County'' is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which originally ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, wh ...
Fan Club (thus the name "Opus," in honor of the Bloom County
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
); he hoped (and ultimately failed) to get ''
Bloom County ''Bloom County'' is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which originally ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, wh ...
'' creator
Berkeley Breathed Guy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed (; born June 21, 1957) is an American cartoonist, children's book author, director, and screenwriter, known for his comic strips ''Bloom County'', '' Outland'', and ''Opus''. ''Bloom County'' earned Breathed the Pulit ...
as the con's guest of honor. Castle created a nonprofit, the Middle Georgia Society for Fantasy and Science Fiction, under which to run the show, and the first MOC was held April 18–20, 1986, at the Macon Hilton. Official guests included '' Doctor Who'' stars
Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...
and
Louise Jameson Louise Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is an English actress with a wide variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela (Doctor Who), Leela in ''Doctor Who'' (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in ''The Ome ...
, along with
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...
actor
James Doohan James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series ''Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottish ...
, authors
Marion Zimmer Bradley Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an American author of fantasy, historical fantasy, science fiction, and science fantasy novels, and is best known for the Arthurian fiction novel ''The Mists of Avalon'' and ...
and
Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen nam ...
and artist
Phil Foglio Philip Foglio (born May 1, 1956) is an American cartoonist and comic book artist known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy art. Early life and career Foglio was born on May 1, 1956, in Mount Vernon, New York, and moved with his family to ...
. In addition to panels and guests, the convention featured popular activities such as
filk Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s. Etymology and defi ...
singing, two masquerades with the PG version being televised throughout the hotel closed circuit television, 24 hour gaming and gaming tournaments, Japanese anime, a video room, " con suite" and "a large huckster room". The second MOC moved locations 100 miles to
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it o ...
, where it was co-organized by retailer Pat Robinson, owner of Columbus Book Exchange. It took place March 27–29, 1987, at the Columbus Ironworks Convention Center. That edition of MOC became notorious because of the death of '' Doctor Who'' actor
Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...
. Although he had been warned by his doctors before leaving the UK not to exert himself because of his heart condition, Troughton appeared to be in good spirits and participated vigorously in the day's panels, and was looking forward to a belated birthday celebration, which was planned for the Saturday evening, as well as a screening of the ''Doctor Who'' story ''
The Dominators ''The Dominators'' is the first serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which originally aired in five weekly parts from 10 August to 7 September 1968. In the serial, the Second Doctor (Patri ...
'', which Troughton had requested personally, on the Saturday afternoon. Troughton suffered a heart attack at 7:25 AM the next day, just after he had ordered his breakfast from the hotel staff. According to the paramedics who were called, Troughton died instantly. MOC 3, now officially known as Magnum Opus Con was held March 25–27, 1988, at the Columbus Ironworks Convention Center. For MOC 4, held March 17–19, 1989, the convention shifted locations 250 miles to Greenville, South Carolina, and the Hyatt Regency, where it stayed for six years. MOC 5, held March 23–25, 1990, focused on Star Trek, Doctor Who, comics, and film (featuring
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
and a "cinema contest"). The convention included an art show and live role-playing games. MOC 7, held March 26–29, 1992, expanded to four days, from Thursday–Sunday. By this time, organizer Roland Castle felt that the Atlanta-based
Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, ...
(est. 1987) was impinging on his territory, and that DC employees, including organizer
Edward E. Kramer Edward Eliot Kramer (born March 20, 1961) is an American editor and convicted child molester. Kramer lives in Duluth, Georgia, and was a co-founder and part-owner of the Dragon*Con media convention. Kramer has also edited several works in the ...
, were disrupting MOC.
Fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significan ...
'', below.] Castle began a policy of "banning" various individuals from MOC, which eventually included official guests like Tom Deitz. MOC 10 signaled a shift in many ways for Magnum Opus Con. After five years in Greenville, South Carolina, Castle moved MOC 225 miles to
Callaway Gardens Callaway Resort & Gardens is a resort complex located near Pine Mountain in Harris County, Georgia, from LaGrange, Georgia. The world's largest azalea garden, this destination draws over 750,000 visitors annually. Callaway Gardens was ranked ...
, in Pine Mountain, Georgia. As befitting its new location, MOC 10 attempted to become more family-friendly, toning down the revelry and eliminating the "Slave Auction" and the "Bimbo Pageant." Guests included the usual celebrities and science fiction authors, as well as
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...
scientists and former astronauts. That year's show motto was "Bringing you the BEST in science AND science fiction!" In addition, after being held exclusively in March or April every year, MOC 10 was scheduled for July 13–16, 1995, the same weekend as
Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, ...
. MOC 10 was dedicated to author
Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nom ...
, a scheduled guest who died shortly before the show. Despite, or maybe because, of all the changes, MOC 10 was not well attended. To make up for the perceived failures of MOC 10, Castle organized "MOC 10A," which took place February 15–18, 1996, at the Adams Mark Hotel, in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
. By all reports, MOC 10A returned to the debauchery of previous Magnum Opus Cons, with the Slave Auction, Bimbo Pageant, and Mr. Macho Contest all returning to prominence. Total attendance was reported to be around 450 people. MOC 11 was held June 13–16, 1996, at the Downtown Raddison, in Atlanta, Georgia, again in competition with
Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, ...
(which took place the following weekend). MOC 12 returned to its traditional March schedule, staying in Atlanta, and featuring comics guests like
Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography K ...
, Alan Grant, and
Simon Bisley Simon Bisley is a British comic book artist best known for his 1990s work on ''ABC Warriors'', '' Lobo'' and '' Sláine''. Early life Simon Bisley began drawing when he was six years old. He is self-taught, with only a short one-year stay at a ...
. It also downsized a bit, returning to a three-day event. By this time, attendance at MOC was declining, in many ways due to competition from
Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, ...
. (In June of that year, Castle publicly accused Dragon Con of sabotaging his convention and poaching MOC guests.)Castle, Roland
"DC is jealous and scared,"
Alt.fandom.cons / Google Groups (June 14, 1997).
For MOC 13, held March 20–22, 1998, the convention moved 75 miles to
Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the st ...
. and the History Village Inn, where it stayed for the next three years. That year, Castle organized "MOCtoberfest '98," held October 30–November 1, 1998, also at the History Village Inn in Athens. MOC 15, held March 31–April 2, 2000, was Roland Castle's final show as convention chairman; he stepped down early the next yearBell, Greg
"MOC-16 Update,"
alt.fandom.cons newsgroup (Feb. 13, 2001).
due to stress-related health reasons."FAQ,"
Magnum Opus Con official website (2000)
Archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Accessed June 20, 2015.
Magnum Opus Con's new co-chairmen were Monnie Robinson and Greg Bell, who had both been involved in MOC for many years. Robinson and Bell dubbed MOC 16 " The Sweet Sixteen Party," which was held March 15–18, 2001, at the Ramada Plaza Hotel Perimeter North, in Atlanta. Despite the new leadership, the show was not a success, and MOC 16 turned out to be the convention's last hurrah.


Dates and locations


Guests

Over the years, MOC guests included '' Doctor Who'' actors like
Colin Baker Colin Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor who played Paul Merroney in the BBC drama series '' The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series '' Doct ...
,
Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. ( ...
,
Louise Jameson Louise Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is an English actress with a wide variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela (Doctor Who), Leela in ''Doctor Who'' (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in ''The Ome ...
,
Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...
, and
Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...
; ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...
'' actors
James Doohan James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series ''Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottish ...
,
DeForest Kelley Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999), known to colleagues as "Dee", was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer. He was known for his roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the in the televisi ...
,
George Takei George Takei (; ja, ジョージ・タケイ; born Hosato Takei (武井 穂郷), April 20, 1937) is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS ''Enterprise'' in the telev ...
and
Grace Lee Whitney Grace Lee Whitney (born Mary Ann Chase; April 1, 1930 – May 1, 2015) was an American actress and singer. She played Janice Rand on the original ''Star Trek'' television series and subsequent ''Star Trek'' films. Early life Whitney was born on ...
, celebrities like
Bruce Boxleitner Bruce William Boxleitner (born May 12, 1950) is an American actor and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series '' How the West Was Won'', '' Bring 'Em Back Alive'', ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King ...
,
Bruce Campbell Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is known for portraying Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' franchise, beginning with the 1978 short film '' Within the Woods''. He has starred in many low- ...
,
Phyllis Coates Phyllis Coates (born Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell; January 15, 1927) is an American former actress, with a career spanning over fifty years. She is best known for her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in the 1951 film '' Superman and the Mole Men'' an ...
,
Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress and ballerina, who was renowned for her role as Batgirl in the 1960s television series ''Batman''. Other notable roles in her career include Dorothy Johnson in the 1963 ...
, Chris Potter, and
Tom Savini Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including '' Marti ...
, science fiction authors Robert Aspirin,
Ben Bova Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of ''Analog Science Fiction and Fac ...
,
Marion Zimmer Bradley Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an American author of fantasy, historical fantasy, science fiction, and science fantasy novels, and is best known for the Arthurian fiction novel ''The Mists of Avalon'' and ...
,
Lois McMaster Bujold Lois McMaster Bujold ( ; born November 2, 1949) is an American speculative fiction writer. She is an acclaimed writer, having won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record (not counting his Retro Hugos). Her no ...
,
Brad Strickland William Bradley Strickland (born October 27, 1947) is an American writer known primarily for fantasy and science fiction. His speculative fiction is published under the name Brad Strickland except for one novel written as Will Bradley. By a wide ...
,
David Weber David Mark Weber (born October 24, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, the best known of which is the Honor Harrington science-fiction series. His first nove ...
,
Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn (born September 1, 1951) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. He is known best for his prolific collection of '' Star Wars'' books, chiefly the ''Thrawn'' series, and has published several other series of sci-fi and ...
, and
Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nom ...
; comics creators like
Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography K ...
, Alan Grant,
Simon Bisley Simon Bisley is a British comic book artist best known for his 1990s work on ''ABC Warriors'', '' Lobo'' and '' Sláine''. Early life Simon Bisley began drawing when he was six years old. He is self-taught, with only a short one-year stay at a ...
,
Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and ''The Boys'' with artist Dari ...
,
John McCrea John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
; and former astronauts
Bruce McCandless II Bruce McCandless II (born Byron Willis McCandless; June 8, 1937 – December 21, 2017) was a United States Navy officer and aviator, electrical engineer, and NASA astronaut. In 1984, during the first of his two Space Shuttle missions, he c ...
,
Story Musgrave Franklin Story Musgrave (born August 19, 1935) is an American physician and a retired NASA astronaut. He is a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California. In 1996, he became only the second a ...
, and
Robert C. Springer Robert Clyde "Bob" Springer (born May 21, 1942) is a retired American astronaut and test pilot who flew as a mission specialist on two NASA Space Shuttle missions in 1989 and 1990. A decorated aviator in the United States Marine Corps, Springer a ...
.


''Fandom''

To promote the Magnum Opus Con, organizer Roland Castle published a 48-72 p. black-and-white
fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...
called ''Fandom.'' The 'zine highlighted guests and events, showcased cosplay
cheesecake Cheesecake is a sweet dessert consisting of one or more layers. The main, and thickest, layer consists of a mixture of a soft, fresh cheese (typically cottage cheese, cream cheese or ricotta), eggs, and sugar. If there is a bottom layer, ...
photos, and served as a forum for Castle and MOC attendees to communicate. In later years, Castle used ''Fandom'' to detail his grievances against Dragon Con, which he claimed was attempting to squash his smaller-scaled convention.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Magnum Opus Con history
Atlanta Fantasy Fair tribute site
Magnum Opus Con Memorial Yahoo Group
Defunct multigenre conventions Defunct science fiction conventions in the United States Defunct gaming conventions Defunct comics conventions Recurring events established in 1986 Conventions in Georgia (U.S. state) Conventions in South Carolina