SCA members Chance Hektor (left) and Samantha Kaludjer take to the field outside the Medicine Hat Public Library as part of a heavy armoured fighting demonstration on Saturday.--News Photo-Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Residents were lined up outside the doors of the Medicine Hat Public Library on Saturday to take part in their second annual Comic Con, which delivered on an even grander, geekier occasion than the year before.
Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, this free, family friendly event featured a wide variety of activities centred around interests such as comics, card games and popular TV shows, including a fandom-themed escape room as put on by a representative from the Doctor Who Society of Canada.
Though the group is primarily based in Ontario, Phil Strange was from Medicine Hat originally, and was happy to make the journey out to be a part of this year’s Free Comic Book Day and surrounding convention.
“We have two goals, one, to promote Doctor Who as fans of the show, as well as fundraising opportunities. So at the show today, we’re raising money for the honeycomb house here at the Medicine Hat Public Library,” said Strange.
He was impressed with the level of enthusiasm and participation from the community, and was pleased with the beginnings of the funds they had managed to collect through the sale of various pieces of Doctor Who collectables.
The event also offered a costume contest early in the morning, fighting demonstrations from the local incipient shire of the Society of Creative Anachronisms, drawing workshops, a Pokemon card tournament hosted by the Cardboard Casket and the opportunity to learn a few Marvel-themed board games, among others.
For younger children, there was a Star Wars-themed scavenger hunt, ensuring there was an activity for nerds of all ages.
Steven Durk, Medicine Hat’s own Board Game Guy, spent the day teaching all interested how to play Marvel Splendor, something he considers a “gateway board game.”
Durk explained that he does plenty of similar events, helping to get potential players past the initial phase of trying to learn the rules of various board games and actually playing, to help them reconnect with each other. MHPL Comic Con was far from his first time doing just that in the library, and he was thrilled to be a part of the action.
“Today has been just fantastic; the amount of people, the costumes, the energy that people are bringing, the free comic books, seeing kids excited to jump into with their favourite characters,” said Durk. “I just love how the library really supports a community like this, too, and opens their doors for not just myself, but for other vendors, to display their things and kind of let people know that we’re out here.”
