Why Attending Niagara Falls Comic Con Could Save Your Soul [by Robert Hookey]

A bold proclamation, to be sure, but fortune favors the foolish, so here goes…

1) Cons can be the lighthouse guiding you to shore.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had to navigate some pretty choppy waters lately and as the young people say, it sucks. I’m looking forward to losing myself in a sea of brightly colored nerds, overpriced swag, celebrities – some of whom haven’t been culturally relevant for twenty years, but are still cool – and various cool attractions like the General Lee and the Batcopter. All for a ticket that costs less than a trip to a big city convention that can’t compete with our region’s natural beauty and charm.

I want to leave my worries behind and drift from table to table, attraction to attraction and just be a geek for a day. And the best part? At a con no one will dare stuff you in a locker.

2) Adulthood has its perks, but being a kid rules!

How many times did you utter the phrase, “When I grow up, I’m going to (Fill in the blank)” during childhood? Growing up, we simply cannot wait to leave childhood things behind. Yes, there are those who hang onto the joys of youth with a death-grip, but sadly, those individuals are in the minority. Most of us find a mate, sign our names to a mortgage, grow a gut and wait for death to claim us while exclaiming “If only I had more time!”

But when you pass the threshold of a con, everything changes. You regress, but in a positive way. You’ll still have the receding hairline and the love handles, but the air smells a little fresher – although that changes after a few hours in an enclosed space jam packed with thousands of people, some of whom have low priorities when it comes to personal hygiene – the colors your eyes drink in seem more vibrant and the world just seems to contain more magic than you’ve detected in years.

There are no mortgage payments at Comic Con. No work related drama. No marital strife. (Although, I have seen a few brawls occur when a husband lingers too long at the table of a female celebrity he had a crush on when he was a kid.)

If you’re really lucky you’ll spot a toy or trinket that casts your mind back to a cherished childhood memory. In my case, the 1966 Batmobile is sure to take me back to my parents rec room where the Hookey clan gathered to watch the family-friendly version of the Dark Knight conquer evil while doing the Batusi.

(For those of you who have no idea what the Batusi is, we’ll wait for you while you click over to Google.)

Back already? Good for you! As I was saying, I’ve seen middle-aged three-hundred-pound bikers reduced to nine-year-old quivering fanboys upon discovering that Buck Rogers lunchbox their dead mother used to pack their lunch in back in the day.

Never underestimate the power of nostalgia, my friends.

3) Adam West.

Half of you are smiling right now. The other half are groaning. Love him or hate him, West has a cultural appeal that only William Shatner can touch. He’s inspired untold millions of young souls to pursue their dreams and while some consider him a joke, I’ll always respect any man who could don that outfit and say those lines with full authenticity and passion.

Plus, he’s willing to laugh at himself on Family Guy and he’s from Walla Walla, Washington. How cool is that?

4) Meeting the people behind your dreams is an experience you can’t put into words.

But I’m going to try anyway.

Admittedly, this one is directed at hardcore, lifelong comic book fans like myself, but you’ll forgive the indulgence, right? Thanks, you’re great.

Comic book creators are a special breed; they are the chosen few who are blessed with the ability to tap into mankind’s collective unconscious and relate their experiences to paper. They see our dreams and bring them to life. They stare into the abyss containing our nightmares and help us move past them. If you don’t believe me just pick up a copy of Art Spiegelman’s 1991 graphic novel Maus and prepare to be amazed and moved simultaneously.

Maus depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. The book uses postmodern techniques – Jews are mice, Germans are cats and non-Jewish Poles are pigs – to illustrate the ultimate example of man’s inhumanity to man. In 1992 it became the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Personally, I can’t wait to meet comic industry legend George Perez, whose work got me through more than one wave of seemingly-relentless bullying. His work is clean, crisp and powerful. The man could draw the phone book and I’d enthralled.

5) Cons are fun for the whole family!

Any parent who has exhausted their last nerve attempting to select a movie that appeals to every member of the family, only to lose their mind upon arriving at the multiplex and being forced to spend twenty minutes in line at the concession stand and an additional fifteen arguing over which ridiculously overpriced snacks to purchase, will see the value in events that hold a little something for everyone.

Gaming. Video games. Wrestling. Models. Celebrities. Toys. Cool cars. Maybe even an actual comic book or two. You’ll find everything under the sun – or, since we’re talking about a comic con, everything under the dim florescent lights of your parents’ basement – at a con.

If your kids complain of boredom while attending a con, get new kids.

6) Cons bring in some serious coin.

The premiere comic book convention, the San Diego Comic-Con, draws thousands of comic book fans