The Nerd Herd: Spurgeon family embraces fandoms

For what is now their 11th year, the "Incredibles Family" will be taking on Cape Comic Con with their troupe as "Robin Hood: Men in Tights."

In 2008, Jay and Laura Spurgeon moved their family into a quaint little home set back off a county highway in New Hamburg in order to give their children a "great, healthy area" to grow up in, according to Laura Spurgeon.

That same year, the family stumbled upon Cape Comic Con in West Park Mall.

"We started off dressing as The Incredibles," Laura Spurgeon said. "We actually had those costumes because we did it as a Christmas card one year, and then from there we kind of grew."

Jay, from Alton, Illinois, and Laura, whose family is from St. Louis, both grew up with a love of science fiction and fantasy-style movies and television shows. Laura said her favorite shows growing up were "Star Trek" and "Doctor Who," since her dad introduced her to the shows when she was little. And Jay said he's always enjoyed the more inventive side of science fiction and fantasy movies.

Anya Spurgeon, 15, wears a felt hat as she tries on her "merrymen" costume at her family's home Tuesday in New Hamburg.

"I've always been a nerd," he said. "But when you're six-foot-eight [inches] and 300 pounds, you get to be a nerd and nobody gets to say anything to you."

The Spurgeons have three children: Lexi, 17, Anya, 15, and Jack, 12, who the couple has encouraged to practice what they're fanatical about on a healthy level.

"We've always told them whatever [they're] fanatical about is fine," Jay said. "Just take it to a healthy place and make sure you're learning and finding people who appreciate it."

Each member of the Spurgeon family, including their "Austrian daughter" Lena Somas -- a foreign exchange student from Austria, have their own "nerd-dom," according to Jay Spurgeon.

Lexi's fandoms are "Stargate" and "Doctor Who," while Anya is a fan of supernatural TV shows and Jack finds his interests in video games. Lena said she enjoys the "Harry Potter" movies and teenage rom-coms.

Laura Spurgeon's "Broom Hilda" costume hangs in the door frame between the family's living room and their dining room, while their daughters Lena Somos, left, and Lexi Spurling, right, do homework at the kitchen counter.

Lexi, a senior at Jackson High School, said she had a comic book collection growing up, but maneuvering high school is different when being able to express fandoms.

"Kids who enjoy that kind of thing, they kind of have their own little clique of people that enjoy it, but the people around them don't enjoy it so much," she said. "So when they actually get to go to Comic Con, it's like everybody around you enjoys it, so it's pretty cool."

From painting masks on to their faces to 3D printing wirework and custom painting Death Eater masks (from the Harry Potter universe), as the years have gone by the Spurgeons have continued to be more involved and more elaborate in their costumes for Comic Con.

In 2017, the family brought to life the board game "Clue" and took second place overall in the costume contest as a group. Going 100 percent vintage attire from the 1940s and 50s, the costumes took months to compile together and included scavenging thrift stores all over Missouri and even Illinois.

This year, the crew has been working on their costumes for roughly two weeks, making everything from scratch and by hand, preparing for a troupe of 14 people this year. Felt tunics and hats sit in small stacks in their living room and kitchen.

ABOVE: Laura Spurgeon cuts fabric held by her husband, Jay, while their daughters Lexi and Anya laugh with them at the kitchen counter at their home. RIGHT: Jay Spurgeon sews a handmade sash for his son Jack's "Sheriff of Rottingham" costume.

"It's almost our little family reunion time," Jay said. "So we have all the people come; we all stay at the house, we stay up late playing cards and watching movies and eating way too much food that I make."

Neither Jay nor Laura have any formal training in sewing, they said. It's all trial and error, seeing what does and doesn't work each year.

Jay taught himself in recent years how to use the sewing machine, so he could pass that knowledge on to Jack and give him the opportunity to create his own costumes from scratch.

"It's kind of nice because I know a lot of the contests and stuff like that, it's not so much of what people buy and wear, but it kind of encourages the whole creativity thing -- make everything from scratch," Lexi said.

"It's almost like there's a camaraderie," Laura added. She said the people who participate in the costume contest are almost the same every year, aside from some new faces as the contest grows.

Jay Spurgeon sews a handmade sash for his son Jack's "Sheriff of Rottingham" costume at their home Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in New Hamburg. The Spurgeons have been attending Comic Con since 2008, where they quickly became known as "The Incredibles family" for their recognizable costumes that has stuck with them for years. This year, the family and their friends are going as "Robin Hood: Men in Tights."KASSI JACKSON

Jay said each year there's fun competition between the returning families, each trying to outdo the next, while still cheering each other on and grabbing ice cream after the contest.

"It's really open. Everybody's welcome," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're a little anime kid who just is getting into this stuff, or if you're an old fart like us."

The family looks forward to Comic Con every year, saying that it's something fun to participate in and be a part of. They said they appreciate the way the vendors treat everyone, and said it's been cool to build friendships with them and others throughout the years.

"There's just a lot of good people and you can go and have a lot of fun," Jay said.

kjackson@semissourian.com

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com Lexi Spurgeon, 17, helps her mom, Laura, fold a piece of fabric so her dad, Jay, can sew it together as a sash for her brother Jack s Sheriff of Rottingham costume at their home Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in New Hamburg. The Spurgeons have been attending Comic Con since 2008, where they quickly became known as The Incredibles family for their recognizable costumes that has stuck with them for years. This year, the family and their friends are going as Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

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