Virginia Comic Con was a blast! This past weekend, the two-day con took over part of the Richmond Raceway. The second major comic convention to come to Richmond this season, Virginia Comic Con proved itself a con to be reckoned with.
Virginia Comic Con was a blast! This past weekend, the two-day con took over part of the Richmond Raceway. The second major comic convention to come to Richmond this season, Virginia Comic Con proved itself a con to be reckoned with.
Throughout my brief time there I met a variety of vendors, a slew of creators, and cosplayers dressed as every character you could imagine.
The biggest guest of the convention was definitely Jae Lee, one of the most prolific artists in the industry. His star has never been higher thanks to his recent works with DC Comics, and the line at the convention proved it. Stretching down half of the floor, the line showed just how excited the attendees were to meet this man.
As is always the case at any good con, the vendors were everywhere, selling every nerd-related item you could imagine. If you’re ever looking for a specific issue, just stop into a convention. You may have to shell out a couple hundred dollars, but you’ll be able to find everything from the first Avengers appearance of Captain America, to the first issue of The Flash.
One of the vendors there was from Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find, a North Carolina based comic business which annually puts on its own con, Heroes Con, one of largest conventions in the mid-Atlantic.
Seth Peggler, the man running the Heroes booth, spoke about how he noticed Virginia Comicon grow through the years and how the facility had gotten larger. Previous VA Cons were held at hotel meeting spaces, but this years journey to the Raceway’s warehouse space was a huge upgrade.
Haveing been on the convention circuit for years, Peggler likened it to working in the circus. “You travel from town to town, set up your stuff, and hope you make money.”
Another vendor we talked to, Mario Russo of Mario’s Comics, was up from Atlanta, GA.
Russo told us about how he used to own a shop in Richmond – The Realm of Fantasy, during the almost two decades ago, which he eventually had to leave when the comics industry went through a rough patch in the mid 90’s. “This is my old stomping ground. I see old customers, people I’ve known forever, stores in the area, vendors,” said Russo.
Thankfully the industry is on the rise, Russo said. “There are worse jobs to have,” he said, despite being on the road 48 weekends a year.
Russo and other vendors we spoke to attributed to the return of comic book popularity to the gaggle of superhero movies released in recent years. “There are people who aren’t interested in comics coming to cons, that don’t even read comics,” said Russo. “An interest in the characters and the industry, it’s a wonderful thing.”
Russo’s booth was lined with four-color pulp-era comics, from what Russo called the “Bronze Age” of comic books – mostly 60’s or 70’s. He had a first Thor comic, a first Wolverine comic–his collection was impressive.
I asked him if there was real money in these comics or if it was more of a passion. He answered with an all encompassing “Yes!”
“It’s like buying and selling anything else…” he joked. Russo’s collection was pretty large, and in today’s modern internet climate, you’d figure he’d make most of his money online. But you’d be wrong.
“It’s more fun to touch the books,” he said. “We’re still a hands-on society, no matter how much you see stuff online. I love looking at women on the internet online all the time, but seeing them in real in life and touching them is a lot more fun.”
I ask him if comparing comic books to women is a fair comparison. “For some of us, yes… the geek runs strong with this one.”
By far the coolest objects on Russo’s racks, and what he said was the most valuable, were original inked pages from some Bronze Age comics.
“Someone wrote it, someone penciled it, someone inked it,” he said excitedly. When artists work on a comic book page, the original art is significantly larger, allowing them to create more detailed work. Depending on what company you worked for, comic companies would give half the original art to the artist, and half to the inker. And from there, this hand-drawn art would trade hands between artist and collector.
“These are one-of-a-kind pieces of art,” Russo said. “You can get one for $15, or $1500.”
One of the creators I met was Dan Parent, the Archie Comics artist responsible for the creation of Kevin Keller, the title’s first openly gay character.
According to Parent, the character made quite a splash back when Keller first premiered but has since become just one of the gang. Parent spoke about the the early difficulties and slight pushback he got after introducing a gay character in a children’s publication, but also mentioned he didn’t think he’d get the same reaction today.
“You want people to take notice of it, but it shouldn’t have to be a news event,” said Parent.
Over the last decade, comic cons have become more and more open to cosplayers, and Virginia Comic Con was no exception. Everyone from Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon to Gangsta Deadpool, complete with a bright red boombox playing “Turn Down For What,” was represented.
Cosplay has truly become a staple of of conventions, and the vendors show it.
Gary Watts, from Lynchville, VA, runs a high-end wig booth with his wife Ashley. Watts spoke about how the cosplay scene has really exploded in Virginia thanks to national conventions such as Otakon and Katsucon, where the entire focus is cosplay.
Because of conventions like these, the demand for higher quality cosplay materials has grown.
The intention of the Watts’ booth is to make high quality wigs more readily available. Working more than 20 cons in the last year, Watts noted that conventions have become a lot less comic book-elitist, and tend to be more fun as more people participate.
“We’re getting to a point where we’re losing a lot of that elitism, which has been a big separator in the past,” said Watts. “Now you’re not just a comic book geek, you’re playing games… and with American animation emulating Japanese animation… it really brought a lot of crossover.”
To Watts, the appeal of cosplay is how it wraps up nostalgia with artistic expression in a socially acceptable way. Cosplayers have “turned Halloween into something that’s not just once a year,” he said.
Among the droves of cosplayers, two really stood out – a couple dressed as Justice League member Aquaman and his wife Mera.
Under the spandex were Corey Procise and Tess Bankey, veterans to the cosplay game. Going to about four cons a year, the couple always wears corresponding outfits. Procise discussed the processing of cosplaying, saying how it usually takes him two months to put together a costume, and how he shells out between $250-$550 to do it.
“I can go, not worry, meet new people, and get to be someone else,” Procise said, calling his caped trips to conventions an escape from his normal life.
There’s no denying there’s a sort of energy at a con which defines whether the con is good or not. Virginia Comic Con has an energy which seems to burn more brightly each year. Here was a convention that tried to give something for all groups, and in the end succeeded. The atmosphere seem to get better each year and I’m personally looking forward to next year’s event.
The only way nerd culture in Richmond will thrive is if we stand together to support events like this. Stay nerdy, Richmond.
