By day, Lisa Josephs is the National Steinbeck Center’s archivist, and Tara Spada its exhibits and events coordinator. By night they are co-organizers, with Salinas Public Libraries, of the Salinas Valley Comic Con.
“I’m the biggest con nerd,” Josephs says. (A con is a comic book convention.)
She’s been to small, low-key “relaxi-cons” like Duck Con in Schaumburg, Illinois, and she’s been to biggies like Silicon Valley Comic Con, begun by Steve Wozniak and starring Stan Lee in 2018.
She’s learned from them: “This year we wanted to start asserting what the SVCC should be known for.”
They’ve decided on a proprietary blend of unique artist voices, Latino and minority representation, family-friendly and positive messages.
Chunky Girl Comics and the Walt Disney Family Museum are doing drawing workshops of female superheroes that counteract male-fantasy depictions. Latino Comics Expo, a consortium of creatives who reflect Latino culture, are returning. San Jose State University professor Thomas Esmeralda and CSU Monterey Bay professor Sam Robinson are repping the academic side of comics.
Vendors will fill the floor of Hartnell College’s Student Center, including Ray Zepeda and his Tragic Hero Comics, toys and hobbies from Snapdragon, indie comics and zines from PM Press.
“We’re excited about James Burks,” Josephs says of the animator who’s worked on The Iron Giant and Powerpuff Girls (see the Weekly’s interview, p. 10).
Tara Spada has assembled a gaming room for Santa Cruz Gamers’ old-school video game consoles, a Super Smash Brothers tournament, and Magic: the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.
“Last year a couple of girls wanted to see more cosplay,” Josephs says.
So enter Carmel High alum Kevin “Mighty Thorcules” Jasper, and Vietnamese-American Hana “Bunny” Dinh, cosplayers who replicate their favorite characters. They will also judge costume contests for kids, teens, adults and groups to do their best make-believe.
As in year’s past, a new Star Wars movie opens the same weekend as SVCC – this time The Last Jedi opens Dec. 15. In tribute, Star Wars cosplay fans The Mandelorian Mercs and CSUMB’s Saber Society will be at the con.
There are artists and writers and speakers all day. But comic books are sharing space with diverse forms like lowbrow art from Salinas’ Somos Gallery and hands-on tinkering by the Naval Postgraduate School’s Makers Club. Comics are sometimes the starting point (see 831 story, pg. 8).
The unbroken strand is that it’s imaginary stuff made tangible.
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