Unmasking the Real Superheroes of Denver Comic Con
AS WITH MOST THINGS, if you take a deeper look, Denver Comic Con isn’t all that simple. I don’t necessarily mean the logistics of the event, although Programming Director Bruce MacIntosh will attest to what a beast that can be. More so, I mean that the convention isn’t as cut and dried as selling tickets to people who then attend in costume, meet celebs, have a blast, and go back to their lives leaving the organizers of the annual event to roll in dough until next year. Rather, Denver Comic Con is a nonprofit with a few missions of its own, most notably two involving literacy — one for children, the other for Denver County inmates.
Unlike the more corporatized Cons around the nation, Bruce says Denver’s version doesn’t operate solely to line its organizers’ pockets. One could even think of our Con — the third-largest in the nation, just behind NYC and San Diego — as a giant philanthropic throwdown. A raucous, wildly popular, big-on-heart throwdown.
“With celebrities and their agents, we constantly have to deal with the misconception that we’re this little cow-town,” Bruce says. “And don’t get me wrong — I’ve lived here since the Broncos were a laughingstock of the NFL. But now we’re a major city for those into pop culture. We have such a diverse constituency here in Denver, and it’s truly a shame we didn’t start sooner.”
And he’s right. The very first Denver Comic Con (back in 2012) had a mild but decent turnout of roughly 27k people, most of them locals. Then, two years later, Denver more than tripled the crowd, ridin’ nerdy with roughly 87k revelers. This year, the organizers expect more than 100k lovers of all things pop culture to converge on the Colorado Convention Center.
Perhaps the popularity is owed to the style in which Denver holds the event. While the more corporate Cons focus on celebs — you’re charged $89 or more for the privilege to stand in a line that allows you to pay another $50 to $100 per autograph — Denver Comic Con offers famous folks on panels, taking questions, talking about their foundations and what’s important to them, and being interactive with their fans. The cow-town misconception has made it more of a challenge to secure the more prominent names in today’s pop culture, but that’s not to say that the celebs who do agree to engage the Denver crowd are bit players — think Star Trek’s William Shatner, for instance.
So where does most of the money go?
Front and center is Pop Culture Classroom, a children’s literacy project that uses pop culture literature (think kid-friendly graphic novels and comic books) to bolster the kiddos’ love of reading. “This year, we’ve added more schools, have gone nationwide, and have an online program,” says Bruce.
But there’s a new mission underway and that’s LEAD with Comics. (LEAD stands for Literacy Education Adult Detention.) “We asked ourselves, ‘Where are our services needed most?’” The nonprofit turned itsattention toward an unlikely focus: Colorado inmates. Living in cells with little hope for their future, inmates — much like Pop Culture Classroom’s young learners — can turn to a program where learning new vocabulary and building language proficiency is fun again. In a three-hour session with members of LEAD’s staff, inmates create a character, draw the character, create a villain, create a situation, and find the story therein. “Inmates at our local correctional institutions need educational engagement and lifelong learning just like the primary school students we help,” says Bruce. “As many of us who learned to read with comics know, or learned to love reading in general, being creative increases vocabulary and teaches positive interpersonal skills. Our LEAD program gives these men and women the creative and critical thinking skills to succeed upon their release.”
Bruce also attests: “Another one of our fundamental missions is to support local artists. The Artist Valley at our Con will be comprised of mostly locals who are making waves in the industry.” Bruce touts the importance of having huge draws, but says that ultimately, people want more than just an autograph.
“Our Con is an event with substance,” he says. “All of us are really, really proud of the content we bring. This is more about the people than it is about us. We’re the anti-corporate Con, you could say.”
So let’s take a look at some of the programming this year.
“There’s something for everyone,” Bruce promises.
Panel Discussions
“There are roughly 400 panels and events for kids, adults, and anyone who wants to be entertained and educated,” says Bruce. Among two our readers might enjoy:
“Is there discrimination in pop culture?”
Though the industry has gotten a lot better, women, minorities, and the LGBT crowd still endure advancement and creativity hurdles. DCC is bringing in experts from the world of pop culture to share experiences and propose solutions in a roundtable discussion. Slated: TV Director Vince Gonzales (of The Walking Dead), Musician Stephen Brackett (of Flobots), playwright Crystal Skillman (of King Kirby), and comics historians Jackie Estrada and Trina Robbins (from She Makes Comics).
“The Great Gaming Paradigm”
Let’s talk about what the typical hero in a game/comic book looks like, then take a look at the lack of representation for minorities, women, and LGBT people. After that, let’s check out some emerging characters that rep these groups. The panel also aims to talk about the over-sexualization of women in comics/video games, unrealistic beauty standards for both men and women, and women supervillains being portrayed as seductresses.
The Festivities
Friday (Opening Ceremonies): Expected to easily fill the Main Events Hall (~2100 seats) and the overflow simulcast room (~1400), the opener for Denver Comic Con is going to be huge. (It even needs an intermission.) Two bands will be on hand for partygoers who want to relish the energy of live music.
Protomen will be performing a live rock-opera of music and story from Megaman 2, widely considered one of the best original video games.
MC Lars will bring his cerebral flow. No, really: He’s a Ph.D who doubles as a well-spoken and dangerously literate rapper.
“Con isn’t all about comic lovers,” Bruce reminds. “Gamers and music lovers get into it, too! We’re going all out for the opening ceremony.”
Heads Up! It’s free for anyone with any DCC badge (or a receipt from a recent purchase of a badge). But it’s first-come, first-served, so you line up early along the Stout Street side of the convention center!
Saturday: The Weird Science Reunion is a special evening event that features the cast of the 1985 classic. Anthony Michael Hall (Gary Wallace) and Ilan Mitchell-Smith (Wyatt Donnelly) will be in attendance. Additional guest surprises to be announced!
“We’ve done something that no one has ever done, and that’s bring the cast of one of the classic John Hughes movies that symbolizes the 80s for a 30th reunion,” says Bruce. “The actors swear this particular group will never appear together in public again, so this is your only chance to see it happen.”
Sunday: Sunday Funday, Denver Comic Con style, features the Cosplay Shindig, where competitors vie for cash prizes for their stellar, highly original costumes. “People spend all year creating their look,” says Bruce. Last year’s top prize went to one man’s rendition of Mr. Freeze.
Monday: Are you Team Batman or Team Daenerys? (Wait. What?) Because they’re getting married. (Wait, what?!) A local couple is tying the knot with Stormtrooper ushers and a throng of costumed observers in Denver Comic Con’s first-ever wedding. Should be pretty cool, actually.
Tip: There’s not gonna be much parking because of multiple Memorial Day Weekend events, so plan on getting a drop off, or using light rail and/or buses.
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