TW Meets V’s Ham Tyler and Captain of the Seaquest Michael Ironside

By and copyright Owen Quinn author

Saturday 24th August 2024 was truly a bucket list day for me.

The minute I heard Michael ironside was coming to Dublin Comic Con Summer 2024 edition I had to be crutches or not.

Ever since V where he played the antihero and Donovan’s pain in the ass ally, Ham Tyler, I became an instant fan. I watched everything he was in as he turned up in show after show and movie after movie. Watchers, Total Recall, Starship Troopers and more are on my list. He was joining his fellow cast from Starship Troopers for a reunion for all the fans that turned up to Dublin. And there he was. Older, bearded but e very inch the cheeky chappie who signed for hours. He took time to speak to everyone about his career.

Michael was always the cast member I wanted to meet most of all and here it was finally happening. I brought the first issue of the V comic for him to sign and had always wanted to ask him two questions.

He appeared as the grotesque Overlord in Space Hunter Adventures In The Forbidden Zone. He was an unique villain who was sealed within a sort of machinery with claw arms and had a thing for nubile virgins. it looked uncomfortable and he said it took hours to get in and out of it. One day he met the director who didn’t recognise him until he did the voice.

I always wondered why he had such a low key exit from V the weekly series and he told me the bosses wanted rid of him. This was insane given like Trek, Ham is one of the key multicast components to the success of the show.

We had a great chat and got what I wanted. My son was a volunteer for the con and was assigned to Michael on Sunday and they had a great time together.

Michael ironside is the best. I came away so happy I had finally met Ham Tyler. He wants to come back again so the guys at Dublin Comic Con please make it happen.

Forgotten Villains: Shocker’s Horace Pinker

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Photos copyright Universal Pictures

I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.

Horace Pinker is absolutely insane and there’s no two ways about it. In 1989 the world was introduced to Pinker in the horror comedy and totally over the top movie; Shocker.

Known as the Family Killer due to his penchant for murdering entire families, Pinker is totally devoid of compassion or a soul. He is driven to constantly kill. No man, woman or child is safe from him as he continues his murder spree. He drags his left leg due to an injury.

Jonathan Parker, foster son of the cop in charge of the hunt for Pinker, sees his family being slaughtered by Pinker in his dreams. Jonathan has a link to Pinker that he only understands when the callous Pinker tells him that he is his father at his execution. The reason he limps is because Jonathan shot him in the knee while Pinker was pummeling his mother. Rescued, the kid was fostered and raised by police officer Parker and his wife.

That is why Jonathan can follow him in his dreams. They are linked which allows Pinker to be captured. On the day of his execution, he is practicing a black magic ceremony. He is run through with electrical bolts from an entity in the television which then explodes. Thanks to his dark magic, Pinker can now jump bodies and travel through electrical sockets giving him easy access to peoples’ homes. Escape is easier now and literally no one is safe.

It is conceivable Pinker is a cannibal as he bites off the lower lip of a prison guard and the fingers off another. Pinker’s execution goes wrong as he suffers severe burns to his scalp but his husk is found then bursts into flame. When he jumps bodies Pinker still has to drag his left leg but his less than charming personality gives him away. A digital version of Pinker now exists. Pinker and Jonathan battle across a television landscape in a last ditch attempt to stop Pinker but it is all a distraction to allow Jonathan’s friends to cause a blackout. Using a remote control to control Pinker’s movements, Jonathan barely escapes before the power fails and traps the madman in a television set.

We all know Mitch Pileggi as the cool, calm Skinner from The X-Files and Steven Caldwell from Stargate Atlantis. Horace is OTT and played with such relish that he steals every scene Pileggi is in. It remains unclear if Pinker is locked away forever in TV land or wiped when Jonathan switches the television off with the remote. But given his background with dark magic, be careful the next time you turn on the television Just hope you’re watching Skinner in an episode of The X-Files.

Aliens At Dublin Comic Con Summer Edition 2024

By and photos copyright Owen Quinn author

Who knew you could enjoy reading a Time Warriors book while being gummed up and waiting for an alien embryo to burst from your chest?                                      You can’t have a convention without having Aliens about the place. DCC Summer 2024 had a great interactive Alien set to delight fans. Another testament to the effort and imagination the lads and ladies pur in to deliver something to remember. Enjoy.

Dublin Comic Con’s 2024 Starship Troopers Arachnid

By and photos copyright Owen Quinn author

One of the best things about Dublin Comic Con is their sets. These guys do not get enough credit for their imagination and hard work in bringing movies and television shows to life. This year’s Summer Edition 2024 brought together the cast of Starship Troopers which also saw the debut of the life size Arachnid that killed thousands of soldiers in the movies.

If you haven’t seen it yet get down to the Convention Centre and see it for yourself. I have to say The Arachnid is stunning. We also have to mention Shauna who built the back walls. The Arachnid stands as a prime example of the devotion of the people at Dublin Comic Con have to bring you an experience you’ll never forget. I know I certainly won’t. Just brilliant.

Gremlins At Dublin Comic Con Summer 2024

By and photos copyright of Owen Quinn author

Now I have like many others been a life long fan of the Gremlins so this year at Dublin Comic Con Summer 2024, I was delighted to see a new set where the Gremlins ruled. made by the lads from Dublin Comic Con, you had the chance to stand and have a drink with some classic characters while you could have a popcorn with Great and others at another table. But be beware, lurking just out of sight was the Flasher gremlin, trench coat open to the world!

These guys at Comic Con don’t get enough credit for the work they do and the Gremlin set is one of the best they have done simply because it calls to the kid in all of us and for a moment you can be part of the movie face to face with the Gremlins! I even got the chance to read part of The Time Warriors: The Voalox Horror book to them. Brilliant job folks!

Kreepy Clowns At Dublin Comic Con Summer 2024

By and photos copyeight of Owen Quinn author

This year’s summer edition of Dublin Comic Con saw again a ton of great cosplayers, some old, some new. The effort these people put into their costumes is phenomenal. You never know who or what you are going to meet. This year I was delighted to see Art The Terrifier, the silent killer clown with the persistent smile of a shark. Additionally we had the mad trio of the Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Both evoked great memories and I had to get a photo with them.

Mandalorians at Dublin Comic Con Summer 2024

By and photos copyright of Owen Quinn author

Once upon a time there was only Boba Fett but now we have an entire legion of Mandalorians gracing our screens and figure collections. And more power to them. At Dublin Comic Con Summer 2024 there were quite a few walking about entertaining the crowds.