Suzanne Rusher and her 4-year-old son, Cameron, were among the hundreds on hand Saturday for ArlingCon, the city's own comic book and science fiction convention. Dressed as Hiccup and Toothless from 'How to Train your Dragon,' Rusher and her son mingled with Superheroes, built Lego towers and modeled their costumes before crowds.
Growing up, Suzanne Rusher devoured one comic book after another.
So the Arlington woman has happily introduced her 4-year-old son, Cameron, to some of the stories she once loved.
Rusher and her son were among the hundreds on hand Saturday for ArlingCon, the city's own comic book and science fiction convention. Dressed as Hiccup and Toothless from 'How to Train your Dragon,' Rusher and her son mingled with Superheroes, built Lego towers and modeled their costumes before crowds.
'This is about being creative and having fun,' Rusher said. 'It's a great way to get out of the heat and do something a little different for a day.'
In its second year, the annual convention included Cosplay runways for adults and children, a Japanese drumming concert and workshops on costume making, publishing, drawing and more. Families snapped photos with Superheroes, attended anime screenings and browsed art, vintage comics and jewelry sold by dozens of vendors.
Arlington Public Library organized the convention at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Tamera Miller, program specialist for the library, said ArlingCon aims to bring together like-minded people to celebrate the contribution of comics to art and culture. Success of comic books turned movies, like The Avengers, has helped spark a greater interest in these conventions, she added.
'The movies really struck a chord with average Americans,' said Miller, a long-time science fiction fan. 'We still have the diehard fans, but we have also seen a lot of new people exploring the comic book culture.'
That culture is what drew friends Jennifer Powell and Baili Haskins, of North Richland Hills, to ArlingCon. Powell, 18, dressed in a self-made Captain America, costume said she is inspired by the people she meets at comic book conventions.
'Everyone is positive and supportive and kind,' she said. 'You get people from all different backgrounds, but we're all in this together.'
Haskins, also 18, dressed as The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, a little-known Marvel character, added, 'We are nerds, and these are our people.'
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