Venom, Skeletor, Elsa, Catwoman and a Jedi all walk into a room. No, this isn’t the start of a joke, that’s just a few of the cosplayers in attendance of Saturday’s Comicon, where over a 1,000 video game, art and pop culture fans gathered to browse Saturday Oct 20.
The convention had over a hundred vendors selling art, comics, collectables and more.
“There’s a lot of energy,” said Mike Dwyer, an artist from Sandpoint who ran a booth with his wife Serafina selling their art. “People seem to
Mike Dwyer, an artist out of Sandpoint, runs a table with purchasable merchandise during the event. Photo by Alec Smith.
be really happy, and are buying a ton of stuff.”
The convention was organized by Nathan O’ Brien, the coordinator for Spokane’s popular Lilac City Comicon. While the Coeur d’Alene event wasn’t as large in scale as the Spokane event, some people thought that the size was a positive.
“It’s smaller, but there are lots of friendly people,” said Michael Bolton, an NIC student who cosplayed as the character Maes Hughes from the anime “Fullmetal Alchemist. I enjoy the big {conventions}, but the smaller ones are a little more personal and sociable.”
Michael Bolton, a general studies major poses as Maes Hughes from “Full Metal Alchemist.” Photo by Alec Smith.
The convention also featured multiple events attendees could participate in including a table where you could trade Funko Pops, a “Force Academy”, in which kids could train to become Jedi, enamel pin trading and a cosplay contest.
“It’s a lot of fun, and everyone has been super nice,” said Kim Mahlen, an artist exhibiting for only her second time. “Just being able to talk to kids about drawing is super fun.”
Kathryn Sweeny, an artist out of Seattle, said that she enjoyed the convention, and was looking forward to next year’s outing.
“I’m definitely coming back,” Sweeney said. “It’s cool to be able see a convention grow from the ground up.”