Steven Prince of Monster Matador fame hit me up recently, retelling an encounter and experience which occurred at LACC last November where a major streaming service was recruiting comic creators to take part in an upcoming episode of one of their tv series. I couldn’t help but be impressed and intrigued. Hollywood, baby!
The HBO Max hit series, ‘Hacks,’ recently returned for its fifth and final season. During the show’s off-season, they descended upon the Los Angeles Convention Center seeking extras for an upcoming episode. At last year’s Los Angeles Comic Con, production assistants from the popular series went on the hunt for comic creators in LACC’s Artist Alley to possibly appear in the background of the show’s ficticious ‘Day of 100 Stars – Vegas’ autograph convention.
As typical with Hollywood, there were no guarantees if any of those chosen would appear or if they’d be cut from scenes. Background appearances are often “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moments. But on the second episode of season five, which aired Thursday, April 16th, the time came for the comic book industry talent to make their debut on the streaming service.
The writer of the recently-funded MERCY: IN PRISON Kickstarter campaign admitted it was a great experience and shared some details of what transpired, as well as what to look for once the episode aired. Prince, upon viewing the episode as it aired, shared some screenshots as well as pointed out a moment worth catching…
“If you squint hard enough you can see me in the background in a white Monster Matador t-shirt as Deborah Vance (portrayed by lead star Jean Smart) enters the convention and my Monster Matador booth in the background of some shots.”
Here are some screenshots and behind-the-scenes pics:
Who were the fortunate recruits, in addition to Steven, selected to be in this ‘Hacks‘ episode? Here’s the list:
Phil Mucci & Ian Mackay of Diabolik Comics (Professor Dario Bava, Gringo Loco)
Dee Hausner – writer/artist of Kid Nebula
Alden Peters , director of Friends of Sophia,
J.J. Carroll – Bigfoot & Jeff webseries
Akili Damone – Lucid (novel)
Dennis Calloway – Return to Earth (novel)
Jamaal A. Harley — Red Oaks Comics LLC
For those with HBO Max, you can view the second episode of ‘Hacks‘ any time and see if you can spot the creators for yourself! And be sure to check out the above-named creators’ social media for shots they may have grabbed. Congrats to them all for being chosen to take part in the ‘Hacks‘ episode!
About Steven Prince:
Steven Prince used to make toys, now he makes comics. He’s the Creator and Writer of MONSTER MATADOR, and writer/artist of DESTROYOR, INTERGALACDICK, and unemployANT. He lives in Los Angeles.