“Batman” producer Michael Uslan shows off his new book “The Boy Who Loved Batman.” Photo by Christopher Morgan
This last weekend, anyone near the Colorado Convention Center, probably had an unexpected encounter with a superhero, comic book star, or someone dressed completely outlandishly. That’s because, for the first time ever, Denver hosted a Comic Convention.
The Comic Con was a three-day event that featured local shops, artists and celebrities, such as “True Blood” star Kristin Bauer, “Futurama” voice actor Billy West, and “30 Days of Night” artist Ben Templesmith.
The convention began on Friday June 15, with fewer attendees than Saturday June 16, but plenty of fans eager to check out the hundreds of booths around the exhibition hall.
Saturday attracted the biggest crowd of the weekend with thousands of attendees packing the center and taking part in the jam-packed itinerary, which included workshops, celebrity panels, and events, such as Sci-Fi speed dating, Jedi Training with Nick Gillard, a costume contest, and Khary Payton and Eric Hayden screening of their emotional space journey “The Last Push.”
“This was the first time we screened the film in Denver,” said Hayden. “We were so excited to see people attending the screening and excited about the film.”
By Sunday June 17 the convention was winding down, but there were still fans exploring the festivities and plenty still sporting their costumes. Attendees were played a special pre-recorded message of Spider-man and X-men creator, Stan Lee, announcing his appearance at the 2013 Denver Comic Con, which confirmed the convention’s return next year. The crowd responded to the announcement with booming cheers and applause, excited that although the last day was coming to a close, there would be another convention.
The best part about the convention was not the celebrities-it was about the acceptance of all personalities. Whether you’re decked out in a costume that took months of preparation or if you’re just with the family carrying a camera and bag full of really awesome swag you discovered; no one judges.
“Denver Comic Con was one of the most awesomely crazy weekends I have ever experienced,” said attendee and Metro student Charlie Hanson. “I believe a big part of the awesome was due to wearing a costume. Nothing beats walking down the street as Mario and Luigi with your friend in the middle of June.”
Everyone is just a fan of something they deem awesome, whether it’s totally nerdy (such as Fez-o-Rama’s 20-sided die fez), something artistic (like Mother Mind’s comics and movies), or something completely random (such as Geek Chic’s Mustache Monocles).
Comic Con is an open display for all sorts of artistic presentations-comic books, action figures, Steampunk items, movies, trading cards, clothes, and so goes on. With hundreds of booths placed throughout the centers, there is plenty to satisfy any geek desires.
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