San Luis hosts 10th annual Comiccon
SAN LUIS, Ariz. – Blazing Desert Comiccon, an annual convention for fans of comics and cosplay, will mark its 10th anniversary in this city on Feb. 18.
Comiccon is slated from noon to 8 p.m. that day in the gymnasium of Southwest Junior High School, 963 8th Ave. in San Luis, and the Yuma County Arts and Cultural Group is selling tickets to the event at $10 a piece.
The event has drawn smaller crowds since the emergence of COVID-19, but its director and founder, Antonio Carrillo, says he expects attendance this year will match pre-pandemic levels.
This convention will feature talks, workshops, contests and other activities relating to famous characters in comic books and other media, as well as cosplay, a type of performance art in which participants wear consumes to represent characters.
Attendees at the convention will also be able to shop for memorabilia and other items from among more than 30 vendor booths.
Gregg Eagles, who lends his voice to the Grim Reaper character in the animated series “Grim and Evil” on the Cartoon Network, is slated to be the special guest for Blazing Desert Comiccon.
Cosplay artists from not only the Yuma area but from Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, El Centro and other cities are also expected to attend.
“This art has been growing in this area,” Carrillo said. “But many (of the artists) are people or groups who move from city to city for the (comiccon) events.
For many of them it’s a life style, it’s a subculture that also takes advantage of social media like Tiktok, which they use the most now to promote themselves.”
A cosplay costume contest, one of the most popular events in Blazing Desert Comiccon, will return this year. The contest is open to people of all ages, with cash prizes between $25 and $100 given to winners.
Films, videogames and magazines will be among topics of group discussions held as part of the convention. Also scheduled are karaoke events and live music.
Tickets can also be purchased on the event’s website, blazingdesert.com, at Lost Empire Games in the Yuma Palms Regional Center or at the office of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, 180 E. 1st St.