GUELPH – The Guelph Public Library’s Comic Con event returns to the Main Library (100 Norfolk Street) on Aug. 9 from 10am to 2pm.
After last year’s success, this year’s event will feature activities and exhibits now spanning both the first and second floors.
This all-ages event is for fans of comics, art, and pop culture.
Meet comic book writers and illustrators, play games, shop local vendors, and snap a photo with costumed heroes.
Visit the second floor from 11am to 12pm for temporary tattoos. and wear your best cosplay outfits for the cosplay contest in the Program Room on the second floor from 12 to 1pm.
Vendors will include:
– Chipsnsprinkles;
– Craft Witching;
– Ichigo Mart;
– Juniemo Stickers;
– Little Shop of Dreamers;
– Simple Wonders; and
– Whispers of Ilum.
“In addition to featuring local graphic novelists, the event also includes fantasy authors, board games, role-playing games, craft vendors, and a cosplay contest, offering a broader range of activities for fans and community members of all ages,” said event organizer, Ben Lorimer, children’s librarian at Guelph Public Library.
Special guests include:
– Paulus Linnaeus, who library officials state is a “multifaceted author, professor, and adventurer with a rich background as a doctor, military instructor, parachutist, and scuba diver.”
They added, “His global experiences and diverse lives infuse his stories with a unique perspective. He is the acclaimed creator of The Demonhuntress, a graphic novel series known for its serious dramatic and literary suspense, reminiscent of classic gothic works like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Paulus is set to debut his latest graphic novella at this year’s Comic Con!;
– Vanessa Ricci-Thode, who is a Nebula Award-winning adult and middle-grade fantasy author. Library officials stated “her books often contain dragons, magic, powerful women, non-traditional moms, queer characters, and hopeful themes.”
They added, “her life as an author is deeply intertwined with the literary world, and she has volunteered for multiple writers’ organizations.”; and
– Emilia Strilchuk, a queer and autistic artist and comic book writer, was born and raised in Ukraine and now resides in Ontario.
Library officials stated “her art delves into the depth and diversity of human experiences. Her first graphic novel Be Yourself! Oh, Not Like That is an autobiographical comic about her challenges throughout life and trying to find who she is. She has two other graphic novels in the works.”
