Where can you find superheroes, space aliens, costumes, comic books, a TARDIS, and more? Visit the third annual Mesa County Libraries Comic Con, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, at Two Rivers Convention Center in downtown Grand Junction.
This all-ages, family-friendly event will bring together thousands of fans from throughout western Colorado for a day to celebrate their favorite comics, heroes, movies, graphic novels, books, and TV shows. Headlined by Ian Doescher, author of the brilliantly creative “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” book series, Mesa County Libraries Comic Con also will include costume contests for kids, teens, and adults; fan meetups; panel discussions; kids’ activities; and an expo hall.
Admission is free!
Last year, Comic Con attracted 3,100 people to the Central Library. This year’s event has moved to Two Rivers Convention Center to provide adequate space for more visitors, more vendors, and more activities for all ages.
Doors open at 9 a.m., with activities beginning at 10 a.m. Events on the Main Stage during the day include “The Science of Jurassic Park” at noon, Ian Doescher’s “Star Wars Meets Shakespeare” at 1:30 p.m. (with a book-signing to follow), and costume contests.
Panel discussions include “Create Your Own Comic Book” at 10 a.m., “The Marvel Cinematic Universe for Dummies” at 11:30 a.m., “Damsels Not in Distress: The Rise of Strong Women in Fiction” at 1 p.m., “Zomb Squad: The Webseries” at 2:30 p.m., and “Creating Your Own Superhero Series” at 4 p.m.
Kids’ activities will include Superhero Story Time at 10 a.m., a balloon artist at noon, a dinosaur-drawing activity at 2 p.m., and face painting at 3 p.m.
Costume contests are a big attraction for Comic Con. This year, the Kids’ Costume Contest starts at 11 a.m. (please register by 10:30 a.m.); the Teen Costume Contest is at 3 p.m. (please register by 2:30 p.m.); and the Adult Costume Contest is at 4 p.m. (please register by 3:30 p.m.).
An Expo Hall featuring exhibits, merchandise, artwork, and more will be open all day.
Plan to spend the day! Comic-themed concessions will be available for purchase at Two Rivers Convention Center, including Gotham’s Bat Wings — Crispy Fried Bat Wings (chicken chicharones, actually); Yoda Wraps, Jurassic Nachos, and Peter Parker’s Popcorn.
For complete information about these events – and other details about Mesa County Libraries Comic Con – visit mesacountylibraries.org/comiccon