Octocon 2023 The Irish National Science Fiction Convention
Gibson Hotel, Dublin
October 7-8, 2023   

By James Bacon: Octocon has moved to a new venue, The Gibson Hotel, in Dublin city, and it felt really nice, and with 321 people attending it was a good amount present. The convention sold over 65 young adult memberships, and there was a youthful vibrancy and excitement that was really very welcome. The team attributed much of this younger attendance to promotional work and a table at Dublin Comic Con which saw many younger fans welcomed.

Sarah Rees Brennan was the Guest of Honour and she has an incredible way about her, so friendly and engaging but also encouraging with a wry insightfulness. I often find listening to her brilliant fun, and given how much Sarah has had published, and her success, her view as an established author can be refreshing, a real presence on panels and also engaging at the social aspects of the convention.

The Glasgow 2024 team turned up in purple and tartan and were a welcome presence as they offered a gin tasting session that saw a fabulous crowd gather, while Funcon 1: Space Leopards will Eat your Face (funcon1.lol) filled the workshop room with 25 people, all keen to make crochet Space Leopard coasters. The Eastercon Belfast reported strong uptake, exceeding expectations with 20 new members.

The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall is a book that I have been looking forward to, a mixture of World War II historical fiction and a time travelling mystery that links to modern war and relationships, with a hint of the fantastic by Jessica Thorne/ Ruth Long. I was delighted to see Ruth after a very good panel and get this one signed. 

I was pleased to pick up Dave Green’s first book in the Empire of Ruin series. The second book in the series, Path of War was nominated for best novel 2023 for the British Fantasy Award as described: “David Green is a neurodivergent writer of the epic and the urban, the fantastical and the mysterious….  Hailing from the north-west of England, David now lives in County Galway on the west coast of Ireland with his wife and train-obsessed son.” Dave was great in person, and very engaging, and it was great to get a start on this series.

Jog Brogzin is a cartographic genius! He is a fantasy artist and mapmaker from Dublin and when his pen touches paper he becomes an intrepid explorer of worlds who has vowed to map the entire multi-verse in search of his long-lost immortal love. His clients include RPG publishers, boardgame designers and fantasy authors. He is also accomplished at drawing real world locations, often with a fantasy twist, including Dublin, Cork, London and various buildings on the Old Kent Road. Top-down maps, elevated maps, isometric maps, side view maps, hex maps, even made a few star maps.  His map of the Octocon site was an instant hit and everyone got one, which was amazing and also he helped with some fun mapping activities.  www.instagram.com/jogbrogzin and https://www.patreon.com/jogbrogzin

Local comic artist Leeann Hamilton had some really lovely new items available including a fun looking publication Eggy! and I was well impressed with her Edge of Spiderverse fusion print, which brought together a selection of characters that Leeann had sketched in a beautiful distinct piece. There is a history of comics being an active and integral part of Octocon and this was represented both by panels, but also the Trade Hall.  

I got the chance to chat with Michael Carroll. I am loving his work on Dreadnoughts and Proteus Vex for the Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD respectively. I have been enjoying them as they develop with each new series and am hopeful that as the current run of Dreadnoughts comes to a close, and gosh is it wonderful in its near future insightfulness of law enforcement, that another installment of Proteus Vex will not be far away.

I took the opportunity during the day to go over to the Dublin Comic Arts Festival, which was taking place at the Richmond Barracks, which is now a lovely community cultural centre and library, and the Luas (tram) stop outside the con, led directly to DCAF, which was very handy. A full report on DCAF can be found shortly on Down the Tubes.

Máire Brophy’s second book Between the Sea and the End of the World was released during the convention. Leading on from After The World, this series is fascinating as it looks at what it is to be on the losing side of a war. As it describes itself, “An orc general struggles to come to terms with his role in the destruction of his people. Running and hiding from the humans and elves that hunt him down, he searches for other orc survivors.” (Strangefictionpress.com)

Paul Carroll, the Octocon chair, and his team did a lovely job. Paul is also a writer and the editor of comic collections from Limit Break Comics. His previous titles include Turning Roads, which looked at Irish folklore stories, and Down Below comics based on Greek Myth noir. Next is Fractured Realms which is a Nordic Horror anthology and is on Kickstarter.

As Octocon came to a close, some time was given to Marguerite Smith and Brian Nisbet, co-chairs of the bid to bring Worldcon back to Dublin in 2029, who took the opportunity to update hundreds of fans present with their hopes and plans.

They said that pre-supports would be opening up in the future, and they called for support, demonstrating the international and national enthusiasm for the bid. They have a sneak peek of potential venues planned in the future and overall, this was met with great enthusiasm and excitement by all present.  

Paul has steered the convention well, the whole team worked well, the Pub Quiz and raffle had raised a fine amount for charity, there was a good vibe about the programme, and the move to this new venue while no small undertaking seems to have been appreciated by all concerned. There was much appreciation as the convention then came to a close and deservedly so, the team worked hard, to do things they feel are fun and many fans had really appreciated it. 

A very good Octocon.

Next year’s Octocon date was announced as the 5th and 6th of October 2024, and there are plans to come back to this successful venue.