If you’ve ever attended a Comic Con, especially a major one such as New York City or San Diego, you know that typically they are a dizzying smorgasbord of pop culture experiences. There is a great deal of participant participation, especially with cosplay and meetups centered on a theme or a particular franchise (Star Wars lightsabers, Spiderman, etc.) It’s like a mashup of Halloween, Mardi Gras, an academic conference, and social media hype.
I attended NYCC 2022 on its final day (a Sunday), and as I strolled around slowly, eyeing comic books and artwork, and people dressed up and acting as a myriad of pop culture icons (from superheroes to cartoon characters, anime personalities to TV show roles) I pondered how you could create a small, shoestring version of this in your local school or library. It can be done, with careful planning and a lot of energy!
This article offers basic ideas and goals for creating and staging a small-scale comic con event at your school or a local library.
Your library or school can create and hold a hyper-local Comic Con. In a school, it can spur the creativity of your students, as well as literacy initiatives and research projects. At a library, it can bring in locals and promote literacy and community growth. Fandom can be a fun way to bring together students and members of the community.
The Schomburg branch of the New York Public Library has hosted a Black Comic Con, that has drawn a wide variety of kindred spirits who want to celebrate cartoon and comic art, and related creative outlets, created by African American artists and fans.
Boundless: 10 Years of Seeding Black Comic Futures | The New York Public Library (nypl.org)
Comic Books, Cartooning, AfroFuturism and Women Cartoonists (routes-mag.com)
SPACE (backporchcomics.com) Their experiences can help you to see a small-scale con.
What are the features typical of a Comic Con that you could recreate (albeit on a modest scale) at your school or library?
- Activities and panels. People can focus on a topic, a film or TV series, book or comic series, etc.
- Displays for favorite TV shows, movies, and fiction series (Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Tolkien, Harry Potter, The Twilight Zone, sci-fi and fantasy themes, comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, and more)
- One or more celebrities or someone working in the industry can speak to audiences
- Small presses and indie publishers
- Live podcasts devoted to a particular artist, writer, genre
- Artist Alley, including students or community members who dabble in arts and crafts
- Reps from related industries
- Contests, auctions, awards
- Game rooms (role-playing, Minecraft, Animal Crossing, cards, etc.)
- Theme areas
What would be the goals of a small-scale comic con at a school?
- School spirit
- Literacy: encourage students to read popular culture works and more traditional works that are tangentially related to pop culture. For example, you can encourage students who enjoy reading superhero comics to read ancient myths and legends that have influenced these more modern works. You can entice students who enjoy anime and manga to read about Japanese culture or animation.
- Employ research skills: students can engage in individual or group projects that relate to the comic con. These could be about famous cartoonists and comic book writers/artists, the differences between book and film versions of cherished series, or compare-contrast reports for the Harry Potter books and films or Tolkien books and Lord of the Rings films, etc.
- Engagement with art and design: students can cosplay, create posters, design “business cards” for their favorite comic book personalities, etc.
- Teachers who are fans can put together panel discussions, invite professionals or amateurs to speak on certain topics, and lead contests (especially trivia contests).
- Teachers can devise grade-appropriate assignments that are related to the school con. Some (or many) of the student’s work can be part of the school's con.
- In certain ways, a school con can be like a traditional science fair or history fair, crossed with a Halloween party with performing arts and public speaking components.
What would be the goals of a small-scale con at a library?
- Engagement within the community, especially with people who rarely interact with the local library branch
- Staff members who are enthusiastic about certain related topics can show
- If there is anyone in the greater community employed in one of these fields, they can take part.
- A library con can be like that in a school, but also tailor it to the interests of adults, not just children. There can be activities and components that appeal to different age groups, as well as some that appeal to an all-ages group.
A few suggestions: be clear about NOT allowing real weapons to be used (and for fake weapons, set guidelines). Also, be adamant about how cosplay doesn’t mean automatic consent: if someone is cosplaying, others should ask for permission to take their photographs or videotape them, and everyone should be respectful about touch and language.
A good school or library comic con should be planned out over time, and it's helpful to elicit suggestions and participation during the planning stage. Advertise it and try to get some press coverage.
After your school or library holds its con, think about what worked well, what needs improvement, and how it can be presented in future years. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just spontaneous and fun!