It seemed all of Vernon was crammed into the Prestige Vernon Lodge Saturday to take in Comic Con.
Thousands of people from Vernon and beyond attended Comic Con May 6, taking part in a celebration of comics, TV shows, movies, games and much more.
People were decked out in costumes of their favourite characters, including Star Wars characters, Spiderman, Star Trek and countless other costumes.
At noon, there was a youth cosplayer showcase where kids in costumes took the stage, and an adult showcase took place at 3 p.m.
The 501st Legion, from Star Wars, was taking photos with people for a donation of $5 or more, with proceeds going to the North Okanagan Youth and Family Services Society.
“I’m flabbergasted,” said Vernon Comic Con organizer Peter Kaz on the number of people who came out to the event. “I started crying on stage actually when I was giving my thank-yous.”
Kaz organized the first Vernon Comic Con in 2018, and after the event was cancelled for two years due to COVID-19, it made its return last year.
“Comic Con is a pop culture event, so whether you grew up with board games, video games, Pokemon cards, trading hockey cards, comic books obviously, collectibles of any type, cosplaying, there’s just so much to see,” Kaz said. “It’s probably 10 per cent comics and the rest is just games, toys, collectibles, it’s a lot of fun stuff.”
Kaz says next year the Comic Con will be held in a bigger venue, at the Vernon Recreation Centre, and he’s got “a lot of surprises between now and then.” He went on to highlight the effort that many people undertook to make their costumes just right.
“Sometimes people are waiting months to get a certain piece to make it authentic, whether it’s a button, or the right boots or gloves or whatever it might be, so we wanted to showcase them and give them some love,” he said.
Dozens of vendors were selling goods at the event. Among them was Kris Fuller, executive director of the Vernon Winter Carnival Society, who had on offer vintage buttons from all 63 years that the Winter Carnival has run.
Fuller, dressed as Bat Girl, said highlights for her was the cosplayer showcase and the 501st Legion photo booth.
“It is jam packed full, and so many costumes!” she said.
Cory Walton, an independent collector, was one of the vendors at the event. He was selling everything from Pokemon cards to stuffed animals to toys, games and comics.
He said the event was “fantastic, a big turnout this year.”
Walton’s highlight was all of the incredible costumes, “and of course the kids are all big smiles.”
Keighan Davoren came dressed as Soldier Boy from the TV series The Boys. “Just coming here and dressing up” was his favourite aspect of Comic Con.
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