REVIEW: ‘The Long Con,’ Issue #6

The Long Con #6 is published by Oni Press, written by Dylan Meconis and Ben Coleman, illustrated by EA Denich, colored by Fred C. Stresing, flatted by M. Cody Wiley, and lettered by Aditya Bidikar.

The Long Con #6 picks up with Dez and Victor having arrived face to face with Helvetica Caslan, who runs Captown, and proceeds to dive deeper into the past as we are given some big reveals about the world as well as what happened to it as the vast majority of this issue takes place in the past with little forward progress being made in the present story. But that’s ok as what we get is well worth the delay in the current day story.

Not only are we once again taken back to when the Con was running, but we are also given a look into the writer’s room of one of the old Skylarks tv shows. This is where the story takes another look at an aspect of pop culture, and even though the look is dated as 1987, I can’t help feeling like many of the tribulations being pointed out would still be on display in many writing rooms today, from the stealing of credit by the big “creative mastermind,” to the struggle of allowing characters to represent non-traditional gender orientations, these frustrations are just as relevant today as ever.

But the star of The Long Con #6 has to be the clever juxtaposition used between the show and past events which create a clever way to narrate a scene and keep the tone of the book where it seems to want to be, even as the story shifts around it.

The final little world building touch is an excellent little ending spread that has bios of some of the characters done like a magazine spread. Getting more lore into a world that already feels so realized is always welcome. Particularly when it is done with the humor and style I have come to associate with this book.

Meconis and Coleman continue to keep the writing punchy and fun. Vic’s fish out of water routine is handled well, as it is used just enough so he’s never comfortable, but not to the point that he ever feels like an idiot. The same careful crafting continues to go into our other protagonist Dez. Her strength is presented in every line, and I like that, even though she is headstrong and intelligent, she gets caught off guard sometimes and is able to concede to others’ points, managing to avoid falling into the “able to solve everything” character trope.

All of this wouldn’t work half as well if it was for the equally polished job done by the art team on The Long Con #6. The characters always have that slight exaggeration to their movements, pose, and expressions, giving them a memorable quality that I don’t think I will ever tire of.

When it is all brought together these elements continue the books excellent balance of wonderful humor, memorable characters, solid storytelling, and that dash of social commentary I have come to associate with the title.