Gaming, art and collectible fans gather for Cape Comic Con

For many Cape Girardeau comic and pop culture fans, the Cape Comic Con has been an event to look forward to every year.

Returning for its ninth year, Comic Con is a three-day convention where locals can enjoy viewing fan art, collectibles, guest speakers, gaming and dressing up in elaborate character costumes, or Cosplay as it is better known.

Although Cape Comic Con is considered small scale compared to other Comic Cons held across the county, it has drawn in hundreds of people from the Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois areas.

"Last year we sold over 1,000 tickets and are planning to reach that and more this year," Cape Comic Con director Ken Murphy said. "We've been promoting like crazy with every local business and school we can. We want people to see that there's a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy."

Cape Comic Con has brought back many traditions done every year and has two new events starting this year. One new addition is what Murphy described as a "red carpet Cosplay Photo Op" for those that want to take pictures with people dressed in costumes.

"Cosplay is already a huge part of Comic Con every year, but this time we are adding a little more fun to it by having a professional photographer there," Murphy said. "The pictures taken by this photographer will be available free for people to take home or print out on the Facebook page."

Anyone that attends the conference can dress in costume to take part in the photo op. Comic Con will also have a costume contest as it has in the past with awards in various categories, including overall best costume with a $100 check as the prize.

The second new event is a fan art opportunity that is open to the public for any age and skill level. More than 3,500 small art boards were sent out across the Cape Girardeau area with flyers promoting the art competition.

"It doesn't matter what you put on the boards, what medium you use or even the skill level of the art. We want to promote art throughout the community and bring people together with it," Murphy said.

All art boards submitted will be on display at Comic Con for the entire weekend of the conference with various awards going to some of the best and most creative pieces. Children who are interested in doing artwork can also get into the conference free with their submitted piece and a paying adult.

Guest speakers and question-and-answer sessions also will be a big part of the conference this year. Several new speakers including Shane Davis of Superman Earth 2, Doug Paszkiewicz of Arsenic Lullaby and Brian Koschak of Naroleptic Sunday will be speaking. A returning guest speaker is Jerry "The King" Lawler, a WWE hall of famer, who will have another Q&A session along with his merchandise being sold.

Cape Comic Con will also have many vendors to buy merchandise and food from, with most of them being local.

Cape Comic Con will be March 21-23 at the Arena Building in Arena Park from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Information about tickets can be found on their Cape Comic Con Facebook page or cape-con.com.