Omaha provides local ComicCon for area fans

During one of the last weeks of summer, many fans come together at one of the most well known events in the fan community, the San Diego Comic Con. While many people are happily enjoying themselves at one of the biggest events, others are sad that they did not get to go to such a far away place to enjoy Comic Con. However, now there is an Omaha event working to provide more people with the chance to go to one of these events. During one of the first weeks of July there is now an event for different people and fans to go to, The Omaha Comic Con.

Comic Cons are becoming much more popular in the United States. They are a convention for people in different fandoms to meet up and obsess about different things happening in the fan community. Fandoms are a group of fans that are usually found on social media, which are extreme fans of different television shows, movies, books, comic books, games, and other popular things. One of the most popular comic cons is the San Diego Comic Con that is held yearly and attracts many people. However smaller cons are held throughout the year. One of these newer events is the Omaha Comic Con that is held in Omaha. Matt Fujan, one of the directors of the event, said, “[The event was started] because there wasn’t anything similar to The Omaha Comic Con going on here in Omaha. I also wanted to provide a place for nerds and non-nerds to get together and do their things.”

This new event taking which took place in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is a place for members of different fictional communities to get together and talk about different things. There are many different activities that happen during the three day convention. One of the three main things to do is go to different educational programs, and celebrity question and answers. Different programs will come and host educational talks about how these communities are incorporated to their companies. For example, The Omaha Public Library hosted a panel talking about how comic books are improving literacy rates around the United States. “Two of the biggest events that happen are the cosplay or costume contest. A close second is the celebrity question and answers,” Fujan said.

Aside from just the scheduled events there are also many interesting events that happen throughout the event. On a larger scale, this year at the Comic Con a couple from Omaha that met at the event last year, married each other during the event this year. Many different people from all over the community come together and can talk and on occasion obsess about what they are passionate about. People at Omaha Comic Con have many chances to meet each other at programs such as Doctor Who Bingo. Jaden Cheloha, one of the many people who went to the event said, “If [a person] was into Doctor Who, I would recommend Doctor Who Bingo. It was just like regular bingo, but with Doctor Who characters.”

This event is a great way to find new interests, meet new people, and even buy new fandom merchandise. On the expo floor there are over 130 vendors selling different items, such as t-shirts, posters, and other merchandise. Last year on this floor a large group of storm troopers came and over took the floor. Many different events happen on this floor, and it is also a great place to meet new people who have similar interests. Jaden Cheloha said, “My favorite thing [at the Comic Con] was all the stuff that a person could buy, like old and new comics. They had the issue of Captain America where he said ‘heil hydra’.”

This event brings attracts many different people to enjoy the different opportunities it brings. Last year more then 8,000 people came to the event to see the different panels, costume contests, and vendors. With so many different events to go to the Comic Con has something for everyone to enjoy. In upcoming years there are plans for the event t continue improving Omaha Comic Con. Many people are looking forward to enjoying this event again next year, and many more look forward to experiencing it in the coming future.