Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
ComicFest is back, and ‘better than ever’
Event scheduled for April 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
NORRISTOWN » Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library’s Comic Fest is set to take over the library on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and following its two-year COVID hiatus, organizers believe 2022’s event is shaping up to be “as good as, maybe even better than, ever.”
On tap, workshops, panel discussions and demos for every age group, the gathering’s traditional improv art competition, ongoing open gaming and its annual Smash Bros Ultimate tournament. The familyfriendly event is free and open to the public.
“This will be our fifth Comic Fest, and it has always been a great favorite in the community in the past,” says Sydney Mason, adult services head at MCNPL. “This year, in particular, we hope to bring in a lot of people. Considering the discussions in the media about banning some graphic novels and the general disappointment over the loss of Greater Philadelphia Comic Con, we’re hoping our event can remind people of the fun of celebrating nerd culture.
“Comic Fest will be a fun day where we can all celebrate the astounding and varied worlds of comics and fantasy.”
Those worlds encompass a huge range of characters… not just box office juggernauts like Spiderman and Batman, she notes. In short, the comics universe — including graphic novels and manga — uses a “sequential” visual art format to tell stories that run the genre gamut from fantasy, science fiction and horror to fiction, mystery and memoir. From the playful “Dog Man,” “Cat Kid” and “Captain Underpants” tales popular with early readers to the multitude of mature narratives with complex plotlines geared toward older kids and adults.
And everything in between…
“Our Comic Fest is more than just superheroes and mascots,” Mason says. “Graphic novels, comics and manga have become increasingly popular over the past several years…(touching) on more varied topics and (finding) more readers every year.” Expanding on the latter: From 11 to 11:50 a.m., Keville Bowen’s “Comic Creation Workshop” will give tips for “honing artistic and storytelling skills.” The Delaware County artist is best known for his Lego stop-motion and comic book seminars at area libraries and Rockdale Art Center in Aston as well as his webcomics at kebiru.deviantart.com.
From 12 to 12:50 p.m., a panel of artists, publishers and business owners will discuss “turning fandoms and passions into moneymaking opportunities” as part of “How to Make a Living in the Nerd World.”
Montco Comic Fest’s popular Art Showdown — “the wild improv drawing game (in which) local artists battle head-to-head in roundrobin art competition based on random audience suggestions” — will follow from 1 to 1:50 p.m.
The guest list includes visual artists, writers and designers Shawn Alleyne, Amber Davis, Dirty Diamonds’ Kelly Phillips and Claire Folkman, Joshua Goldstein, Dre Grigoripool, Rose Moran, Steve Peters, Bianca Alu-Marr, Connor Peterson, Josh Toritto and Chris Williams.
AG-Geeks will be on-site with “hand-made accessories that represent the geek culture” and The Brickside will offer “a variety of Lego and pop culture-themed art and entertainment.” Richie’s Island Flava will be selling snack and lunch items on the library patio. And for gamers… “Open gaming is back in the main reading room of the library…(with) an array of consoles to play for gamers of all ages: Nintendo Switches, PlayStation 4’s and Xbox One’s with a variety of different games to try,” Mason says. “At noon, our annual Smash Bros Ultimate tournament will begin… (with) a chance to win your choice of Amiibos.”
Cosplay aficionados are “welcome” to attend in costume “as long as it’s familyappropriate.”
“But we don’t want anyone to feel pressured to do so,” Mason adds. “There will be plenty of people in costume and plenty not in costume. We’re cosplayfriendly … not cosplay-required.”
Montgomery CountyNorristown Public Library is located at 1001 Powell St. Additional information about Comic Fest 2022 is available at 610-278-5100 and www.mc-npl.org.