Library Comic Con Returns to Origins

Saturday, May 19

If the devastating juggernaut known as Avengers: Infinity War didn't get you all riled up last month, here comes the Erie Library Comic Con (ELCC), back for its fourth year and, happily, back to its original location at the Raymond M. Blasco Memorial Library right on Erie's beautiful bayfront.

This nerd-tastic event is described as a celebration of "geek culture and literacy," a joint effort by the Geek ERIE, a nonprofit literacy organization, and the Erie Public Library. While the ELCC proper is held Saturday, the hosts are kicking things off on Friday with the Cos-Prom, a family-friendly, free event which will be held for the first time in the same location as the convention itself. Guests are invited to dress up in their favorite pop culture costume and boogie the night away.

The main event, of course, is the ELCC on Saturday, upon which the Marketing Director for the Geek ERIE and all-around Erie Amazon — known far and wide by her alias, Diana Prince — remarked, "We are also opening up to other avenues of pop culture and having a lot of interactive demos and games." Her enthusiasm for this event began during its inaugural run in 2015, when she hosted a panel, and has grown exponentially with each passing year.

"The evolution has been so much fun to witness and participate in… [it] supports our core message of literacy. Our free and inclusive event promotes healthy relationships with local vendors and artists as well as young people and families," Prince said.

In addition to all the activities event-goers have come to know and expect, such as the Retrocade in the Admiral room, tons of vendors throughout, panels, lectures and films, and intense gaming, this year will feature miniature painting workshops, a staged reading of Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman script (with commentary) and even more food trucks than ever before, with The 'Que Abides, The Big Cheese and the SorcERIE pulling up and dishing out to the hungry masses. — Cara Suppa

Cos-prom: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday; ELCC main event: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday // 160 E Front Street // Free // thegeekerie.org