By Emily Petrovski

Oblivious to the dull roar of chat-ter surrounding her, a woman in a golden Star Trek uniform sits on the floor by a vendor’s booth, searching through thousands of comic books. Focused on her task, her fingers flip through comic books including Spi-der-Man, The Avengers and Batman. She is one thousands of excited fans at the fifth annual Bellingham ComiCon on Saturday, Oct. 12.

The event greeted attendees with a sea of comic book sellers, games and puzzles, graphic novels, memorabilia, custom jewelry and costume weapons.

Unconventional developmentEric Burris started Bellingham

ComiCon in 2009 and 260 fans attended its first year. In 2012, ComiCon moved to the Ferndale Events Center and had 1,400 fans come through its doors.

Burris started in the comic business in his 20s as a comic book dealer at con-ventions. He has organized the Belling-ham ComiCon for five years.

“This is my creative outlet because I can’t draw, I can’t write, I can’t sing and I don’t play an instrument,” Burris said.

The convention has sparked a posi-tive response since its inception. Burris has received support from the media, merchants, artists and the community, he said.

Bellingham ComiCon is more af-fordable for families because admission is $7, Burris said. Other conventions such as Emerald City ComiCon in Seattle cost as much as $75, according to the Emer-ald City ComiCon website.

Instead of worrying about park-ing or lines, attendees at Bellingham’s ComiCon can actually enjoy the event, Burris said.

Changing trendsRoman Stadtler, a Western alum-

nus, is the manager of The Comics

Place in downtown Bellingham. The shop sells comics, graphic novels, games, action figures and accesso-ries. The comic community has taken off in Bellingham in the past decade, Stadtler said.

Senior Liam Cohoe, president of Western’s Button Mashers club, said gaming and comic culture has grown in popularity. This might be because people are becoming more comfort-able with themselves, he said.

At the Bellingham ComiCon Sat-urday, half of The Comics Place’s core business came from local col-lege students, Stadtler said. With each new school year, the store gets

an influx of new and returning stu-dents, Stadtler said.

College students are drawn to The Manhattan Projects comic book series by Jonathan Hickman, Stadtler said.

Costumes are popular at comic conventions and were highly encour-aged by Bellingham ComiCon orga-nizers. Bellingham ComiCon held a costume contest for children and adults. Event-goers cast votes for the best costumes.

Convention eventsVendors sold custom jewelry,

games, puzzles, illustrations, cloth-ing, costume weapons, action figures, graphic novels and of course, comic books. Many of the exhibitors were from the Bellingham area.

In addition to the costume contest, Bellingham ComiCon offered other events. The “Bleedingham” panel in-vited attendees and special guests to talk about horror films. It also adver-tised for the Bleedingham Film Festi-val at the Pickford Film Center on Sat-urday, Oct. 26.

Event-goers took pictures with volunteers from the 501st Legion dressed as Stormtroopers, Darth Va-der, Jawas, Jedis and rebel admirals for a $5 donation. All donations went to the Alternative Humane Society, a non-profit animal foster and adoption organization.

Comic communityWestern sophomore Jon Pacher

attended the Bellingham ComiCon. He likes the atmosphere of Comi-

Cons, he said.“It is geekery from every side,”

Pacher said. “It’s definitely a change, and it’s good.”

Conventions are about being around like-minded people, Cohoe said.

“You have been an outcast your whole life and you go to this place and everyone is the same and everyone is really nice to you,” Cohoe said.

The ComiCon community has grown, and thanks to movies and Com-iCon enthusiasts, parents are introduc-ing comics to their children, now mul-tiple generations are involved in the community, he said.

Bellingham’s comic community is tightly knit, something Stadtler loves, he said. The community is like a huge extended family that loves “geeky stuff,” he said.

Western alumnus Jeff Figley at-tended the event as an employee for The Comics Place and said comic books are the coolest things to get involved in right now.

“Comic books are the most in-spiring and creative art form com-ing out right now for the wealth of ideas and the type of ideas,” Figley said. “They are not bound by any sort of restraints in mass media these days.”

Bellingham’s growing comic com-munity came out in force on Saturday, celebrating the culture, history and love of comics. Despite slightly broken costumes and smeared face paint, at-tendees left Bellingham ComiCon with smiles on their faces and purchases in their hands.

Batman, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more: Bellingham ComiCon attracts thousands

Western freshman Peter Biethan competes in a costume contest on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Fifth annual Bellingham ComicCon in Ferndale, Wash. Biethen dressed as Ness from the Nintendo Entertainment System game Earthbound. // Photo by Evan Abell

Misty Buxwin, 35, from Seattle, walks down a crowded aisle on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Fifth annual Bellingham ComiCon in Ferndale, Wash. Buxwin attended the convention dressed as a "jawa" from the Star Wars movies. // Photo by Evan Abell

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