For entertainers and cartoon-lovers like Bruce Purdy, Ed Catto and Tom Peyer, the weekend of July 6 and 7 is reserved for this year’s Salt City Comic-Con.

Unlike previous years when the pop culture convention was hosted in partnership with the Embassy Suites Hotel and Destiny USA, this version of Comic-Con is an alliance with the New York State Fairgrounds and will be held in the Exposition Center, according to the Salt City Comic-Con website. 

Because of the move, there won’t be the “non-conventional” fun there was in the past, as the combination of Embassy and Destiny provided some excitement besides what the Comic-Con offered, said Catto, who will be a guest artist at the event, in an email.

However, there will be more opportunities for fans to get their comic fix, as the convention will allow attendees to expand outside of comic book fandoms into movies and other mediums, according to its website. 

Moreover, it provides a chance for people to come together, said Peyer, who is the editor-in-chief of AHOY Comics and a former cartoonist for the Syracuse New Times, in an email. The event features a group of people who share their interests in stories, art, and mythic characters and a place to interact with people they may not have met without the convention, he said.

Comic conventions are “magnets for fans,” said Catto. This will attract comic-lovers not only to the Syracuse area, but also to the Finger Lakes region, he said.

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Interacting with fans is one of the best parts of the weekend, Peyer said. Having the instant bond and talking about interesting comics is highly enjoyable, he said, and added that being able to relate to rising artists — with certain aspects and the ins-and-outs of the art — is satisfying.

The countless hours at the drawing table, configuring obstacles like perspective and anatomy, he said, allows him to constructively critique rising cartoonists’ work from his experienced point of view.

Other artists will be doing the same. From noon until 2 p.m. both days, artists will be looking at portfolios and will provide advice on how they should be improved, according to the Comic-Con website.

Catto said he looks forward to introducing comic book writer Mark Waid to the central New York’s comic fans because he has worked on comics with established characters such as The Flash, Doc Savage, Daredevil and Doctor Spektor.

Peyer added that Waid will also have his own table following the release of “Steel Cage,” a short comic series in which “Steel Cage #1” features work of Waid, Peyer and other writers and artists.

The Salt City Magic Club, a group of both professional and amateur magicians, is different from some of the other groups and individuals who will be at the Comic-Con. Unlike others who will have their work for display, the organization will perform magic, club member Bruce Purdy said in an email.

Throughout the weekend, the magic club will have a lot to offer, Purdy said, and will be presenting five stage shows, three on Saturday and two on Sunday.  

“Our involvement … will include maintaining an information booth, where occasionally members will perform some close-up magic,” he said.

Reflecting on his experiences, Purdy said magic is about creating fantasy and a sense that the impossible is possible. Doing so becomes a lifetime passion for some, a small hobby for others, but most importantly, unites many at the Comic-Con.

“It used to be that these fans felt isolated, but we’ve been assembling like Avengers for the last several decades to share our enthusiasm in comic shops and at conventions,” Peyer said. “Times are tough right now, and it’s refreshing — nourishing, even — to gather in support of something that’s just fun.”

Published on July 1, 2019 at 11:15 pm

gfpagano@syr.edu