Washington County Free Library Comic Con at Fletcher Library!

Anime loving girls (and No Face! from Spirited Away) pose for a picture. 

This past Saturday, August 8, Art Way Alliance had the privilege to be a part of the Washington County Free Library Comic Con at the Fletcher Library in Hagerstown, MD, and we had an amazing time! 

What set Washington County Free Library (WCFL)’s Comic Con apart from other events were the familial and educational focus that ran throughout the programming and events. People of all ages came out to show their creative cosplay and whole families actually came to the con in coordinated costumes! Two of the most interesting costumes were two children who were dressed as Marty McFly from Back to the Future and a Ghostbuster respectively. The former went above and beyond regular cosplay by recreating the Clock Tower flyer from the movie. It was incredibly clever.

Artists Tyrone Barnes of SycrosD4 hosted a character design class that was full of tweens, teens, and young adults eager to learn how to make their own superheroes. Barnes was an energetic and knowledgeable instructor whose love of pop culture made it easy to engage participants in lively discussion and used the introduction to the 90s cartoon Freakzaoid! to introduce the concept of character design. Throughout the workshop, Barnes spoke about how to draw from multiple influences to create a unique character. An excerpt of his class, where he talks about what makes a superhero, can be found below:

Ray, Tim and Rob of the eponymous podcast were also present with a live event. They interviewed local and showcasing artists such as Liz Staley, the author of Mastering Manga Studio 5 and staffers from Geppi Entertainment Museum were also there to promote their pop culture exhibitions.

The Dealers’ Room/Artists’ Row area was packed with interested con-goers who loved to see the merchandise and art offered throughout the day. In addition, the con had a Minecraft gaming area. Interested patrons could sign up for 30 minutes of play via a monitor at the door. Other activities included comic swap, and creating masks and capes.

Overall, it was an amazing time, and we cannot wait for next year. It was a great event full of great moments, and we thank Tyrone Barnes, Jimmy Horner, Jake Heagy, Kofi Jamal Simmons, and Jordan Clark for all coming out and representing Art Way Alliance.  Also, we must absolutely thank librarian and coordinator Cyndi Powell for her hard work!

Cyndi even cosplayed as the great Ms. Marvel!