The Eisenhower Public Library is putting on its annual Mini Comic Con on June 10.
The event has something for anyone interested in comics, toys, video gaming, television, original art, collectibles, anime and manga.
The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is free and open to people of all ages. Activities for the Mini Comic Con include superhero trivia, a crafting station to make your own bookmarks and a costume contest.
Steve Jenner, the organizer for the event, said that they expect 300-400 people to come. This is the fifth year putting on Mini Comic Con.
“We have people of all ages ask if we could do this more than once a year. … It’s just a way to come and hang out with people that like what they like and have a good time,” Jenner said.
Penny Blubaugh, the teen services coordinator and a planner for the event, said that each year the teens get excited for this event. She explained some people seem to like it better than the national Comic Con event.
“I personally like the fact that it’s small and contained,” Blubaugh said. “You come to Comic Con or Wizard World, and it’s almost overwhelming. It’s so huge, and you don’t know [what] you’re going to do and you just get so exhausted.”
Jenner also said that a large reason why the convention is so popular every year is because it appeals to so many different kinds of people.
“So much stuff that’s out there in entertainment started by comic books,” Jenner said. “There’s the obvious stuff like superhero movies, but people don’t realize that even a lot of the stuff like ‘Men in Black’ or ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ … there’s literally something for everyone.”
Another big part of the event is a costume party, in which participants dress up to win prizes like graphic novels, figurines, plushies and more.
Jenner and Blubaugh said that the winning costumes in past years have been extremely detailed. They recalled one costume where somebody dressed up as a “tree-spirit” and walked on stilts throughout the library. Another participant wore a Batman costume so realistic that it could be in a movie.
Many artists are also coming to Mini Comic Con to sell their comic books in print, including Mitch O’Connell, Frank Fosco and Russell Lissau.
Kurt Wood, one of the artists who will be at the event, is the creator of the comic Rumpuss and Wunderwear.
He explained how he has been creating comic books for 12 years, and that this is his third year attending the event. He sets up a stand at the convention to sell his books.
Wood said that he loves coming to this event every year because he gets to meet new people.
“I love the smaller, local shows like that where it gives a spotlight to local, independent talent, people that self publish their own stuff,” he said. “You get to see the wide variety of types of comics, storytellers and artwork. It’s all out there for people to check out.”
Wood said that one of big reasons why he makes kid-friendly comics is so that they feel encouraged to get into reading.
“When I was kid, you didn’t get to take comics to reading time,” he said. “It was taken away or wasn’t allowed. Nowadays, comics are used as a way to get kids interested in reading.”
“Kids get very distracted with what’s on TV and video games, and that’s great,” he added. “But there’s just something reading that really grows kids’ confidence and gets them more interested in other things.”
Wood also said that his favorite part of creating comics is inspiring young kids to do what he does.
“I’ve had kids come up with drawings of my characters. It’s cool seeing not just interpretations of my characters but they’ll come up with their own piece,” Wood said, “I try to encourage that, because at the end of the day it’s all about doing, that’s how I started creating my own characters.”
