Cape Comic Con draws about 900 enthusiasts

Boba Fett paced at the entrance with his blaster rifle while a sand-colored Tusken Raider lurked around the tables of comic books and figurines inside the Southeast Missouri State University Rec Center South, where the Cape Comic Con 2008 was held this weekend.

The two Star Wars characters were only a few of the stars of the third annual comic convention. Dozens of vendors, artists and a few other stars — including Tony Moran, who played Michael Myers and Feedback, the star of SciFi Channel's "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" — came to speak on panels or sell merchandise.

More than 600 people turned out for Saturday's events and almost 300 came Sunday — not including the tickets sold to the Central States Wrestling match Sunday night.

"Cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, don't do numbers like that," said event organizer Ken Murphy, who owns Marvels and Legends Comics in Cape Girardeau.

He started the Cape Comic Con in 2006 with 400 people attending and hopes to one day host 2,500 guests. Murphy said his goal might be realized in about 10 years. For now, he's happy with the nearly 900 people he received this year.

Vendors didn't come from a galaxy far, far away, but Harley Anton did drive to Cape Girardeau from Louisiana with more than 14,000 comic books to sell. He said last year's experience was so good, he had to return this year.

"I think this convention has a lot of potential," Anton said. "It has room to grow."

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Enthusiasts of the game "Warhammer 40,000" fought their opponents Sunday on a futuristic battlefield at Cape Comic Con.

Anton used to organize the Atlanta Fantasy Fair before it ended in 1988, drawing 10,000 people in its last year. He now teaches at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., and gets to one or two conventions a year.

"This is a hobby for me," Anton said.

But comic books can be more than a hobby; they can be a tool. Anton also works as a reading instructor. He said when he asks clients if their child liked to read comic books, they would say yes, but that they took "that trash" away.

"And now they're paying me $50 an hour to teach their kid to read," he said. "I'm a firm believer in kids reading comic books."

Grant Schaefer, 4, of Jackson received Spider-Man face paint Sunday from artist Bill Baunach at Cape Comic Con.

Daniel Wilson's mother never took away his comics.

"To put it simple, I'm dyslexic. So my mom always bought me comic books as a kid to encourage me to read," Wilson said Sunday as he stood surrounded by short, colorful story books. "I guess I should have grown out of it."

Instead, Wilson grew into the comic world. He is now a senior graphic design major at Southeast. The department just accepted his idea for a comic book as a senior project. In search of the unconventional, his book focuses on a villain.

"He's going to kill off parodies of other heroes," Wilson said.

Not everyone has to profit from comics. Some just like to read them.

As a two-foot tall Spider-Man ran past him, Don Gillett of Perryville, Mo., sat in a folding chair going through box after box of comic books, picking out and laying aside any Justice League books he could find.

"I'm just looking for something to read," he said. After a stroke left him unable to do much physical activity, Gillett said, "I picked up my hobbies again."

He bought 100 comic books Saturday and planned on buying about a hundred Sunday.

"That'll last me a month or so," he said.

He said he would order online or directly from dealers until he could come to the Cape Comic Con 2009, which Murphy has already started thinking about with "plans for expansion."

charris@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246

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