CREATIVE CONNECTIONS

Comic Con is more than you might think

Artists are a bigger part of Comic Con than many might think.

Supplied photo

Local artists are gearing up for Central Canada Comic Con like they’re welcoming the arrival of a long-missed friend.

The convention, taking place Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, has garnered a large following in Winnipeg. The 2014 Con saw an attendance of 37,000 for the event.

“It’s actually been a way that I’ve been able to get more involved with other artists as well as be inspired by them,” artist Jennifer Paterson says. 

Paterson has only been to Comic Con as an attendee. This year, she will be a first time vendor and has been preparing prints and materials in anticipation.

The convention is clearly good for those on both sides of the display table. Artists and attendees alike get to experience an event quite unlike anything else. To those involved, it’s an irreplaceable experience that keeps them coming back.

Some artists, like William O’Donnell, have transitioned through artistic phases and continue to grow through their experiences with Comic Con. 

O’Donnell, who will have a table down Artist’s Alley and will be debuting a pope based card game, has continued to find benefits from what the convention has to offer.

“From an artist’s standpoint, it brings us all together. We’ve become friends because of it. You get to experience a lot of things you normally wouldn’t have,” O’Donnell says.

“Also, from a practical side, there’s going to be a guaranteed audience,” O’Donnell says. “Like it’s a store that’s always packed.”

“A lot of people are nervous about checking something out,” artist Nyco Rudolph, who has been vending at Comic Con for six years, says. “They’re like ‘Well, I’m not a part of that, how into this do I have to be to enjoy it?’”

For Comic Con, the answer is in the people.

“There’s so many different influences that exist in the world and so you see all of these influences in all of the other artists who rent tables and show up to sell their stuff and connect with and follow art lovers and artists,” Rudolph says.

Yet, at the end of the day, it’s the unknown that spurs the most resonant feelings that newcomers bring to the event. Rudolph finds this to be one of the biggest rewards for being there. And curiosity seems like reason enough to get down to Comic Con this year and see what these artists have been cooking up.

“The sheer volume of artwork and different styles and stuff that you see, there’s things you didn’t even know you were a fan of until you see it for the first time.”

Published in Volume 70, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 29, 2015)

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