Photos by Garrett Colburn
On Saturday, Aug. 8, fans, superheroes and villains alike converged on the Senior Center for the first Saugerties Comic Con, organized by the Saugerties Public Library.
When asked about the reason for creating such an event, librarian Christine Pacuk explained that the teens she works with wanted to emulate the popular comic conventions seen in many large cities.
From the start of the day, various activities were held around the theme of comic books and the culture that surrounds them. The sword-fighting activity, led by The Wayfinder Experience, demonstrated the theatrical performance aspect of this role-playing type of game. It’s more about the performance than the actual use of the foam weaponry.
A panel discussion was conducted by Santos Lopez. This involved Linda Zimmermann, Shane Moore, and Peter Sefcik answering various questions in regard to how and why they create, as well as what it is like to work in the comic industry. The major takeaway was that being a creator is a passion and you’re not going to get rich by being an artist or writer of comics. This is something you have to be in love with, and the willingness to spend your free time and sacrificing yourself to create and improve your skillset must be there.
Members from the group Super Geeked Up joined in the fun by having participants play a game of fictional character charades to win prizes. A good time was had by all.
The Comic Con also showcased the work of several people who created graphic novels. Novels were submitted by Hector Cantres, Abby Hacker, Jacob Lang, Aubrey Masters, Cora Masters, Remy Masters and Starllie Swonyoung. All were very creative, complete with fantastic artwork. Lastly, there was the costume contest with many colorful and creative entries.