This Weekend: Capital City Comic Con

Six months after filming for “Batman vs. Superman” took over East Lansing, the comic world is again poised to take over the Lansing area with the start of Capital City Comic Con.

Starting Saturday morning at Haslett High School, Capital City Comic Con is bringing together artists, writers, collectors, vendors and fans for a celebration of all things comic, science fiction and game. Unlike the larger national events that inspired it, Capital City Comic Con has a decidedly local flavor.

When founders Dennis Louney and Malinda Barr decided to bring a comic event to Lansing, they didn’t have to look far to fill their schedule. Saturday’s keynote speaker, Rick Chambers, is a Portage-based author and screenwriter best known for his work on the Star Trek: New Voyages web series. Chambers’ talk will be immediately followed by a screening of the most recent New Voyages episode “Mind Sifter,” which he wrote.

Joining Chambers as featured guests for the event are Michigan artists Sherief AbouElSeoud, Kait Mayne and K. Lynn Smith, who will be displaying their comics and talking to fans in the C4 Artists Gallery.

In addition to the local cartoonists and writers displaying their art on Saturday and Sunday, work from the MSU Comic Art Collection will also be on display. Randall W. Scott, a comic art bibliography and steward of the world famous collection, will be showing off some of the 200,000 pieces that make up the Comic Art Collection. This display offers a rare glimpse, as the collection rarely leaves its home in the basement of MSU’s main library.

While local artists are the headliners for Capital City Comic Con, the wider community will also be playing a major part in the event. High School students from Haslett, Okemos and East Lansing take center stage on Sunday morning, hosting an hour long panel on fan fiction. Students from the Haslett Robotics Club will be giving demonstrations and volunteering at the event throughout the weekend, while the Haslett Athletic Boosters will be providing concessions inside the school.

With the Thursday opening of Marvel’s latest Avengers film, and National Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, event organizers hope to capitalize on the additional attention being paid to the industry to introduce a new generation to comics.

To help facilitate that, a family-friendly atmosphere became one of the key goals of Capital City Comic Con, according to Christina DeJong, a member of the Phantom Five, who serve as organizers of the event. There will be a caricature artist, demonstrations of tabletop and card games, a sanctioned tournaments for Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!. For younger guests, Impression 5 Science Center plans to provide a Lego creativity space.

The event runs from 10:00AM – 5:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday, and will be spread out across Haslett High School. Tickets are $15 for a single day, or $20 for a weekend pass, with a $5 discount for preordering.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Haslett Robotics Club, the Haslett Athletic Boosters, and the Haslett Band Booster. “We want to support organizations that are too often in need of additional support,” said DeJong, who also serves as the sponsor for the Women’s Robotics Club. Parking will be available for free at Haslett High School, with a shuttle service, provided free by Graff Chevrolet, will service overflow lots, if necessary.

Haslett High School is located at 5450 Marsh Rd, in Haslett.