Santa Clara’s libraries are back again with one of the most popular city events of the year. Comic Con returns to Santa Clara’s Central Park Library on Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s the seventh year of the event.
“It’s really for all ages. It’s really both families, young children, older adults, young adults. Everybody finds something at Comic Con,” said City Librarian Patty Wong. “It’s one of the biggest free cons that we have in the entire area.”
The library staff has embraced the popularity of the event, striving to go a little bigger each time. There will be some big names, including Santa Clara University Professor Emeritus and author Francisco Jimenez, Michael Eisner Award winner Thien Pham and musician, singer and actor DJ Lance Rock of “Yo Gabba Gabba!” fame.
There will also be representatives from the Charles Schultz Museum and the Cartoon Art Museum.
“It has something a little bit for everybody,” said Wong. “We have an artist alley where we have a number of Manga and anime artists are coming to showcase their work. We have lots of panels of authors and illustrators. People are going to be signing. We have lots of vendors who represent so many different parts of comics and fantasy. Comic Con is really … it’s an entry to the love of reading, and it just offers a different kind of connection with literacy.”
That connection to literacy is something that Wong and the rest of the city library staff strive for, and they recognize that anything that gets people reading is a plus.
“It is [comics] a nice entree for people of all ages. But remember that not only young people like comic books or graphic novels, some of our older adults actually don’t read as well, so it’s accessible to a wide range of audience members,” said Wong. “It also draws in young adults and people in their 30s and 40s who actually really enjoy that comic, graphic novel genre.
“Our Manga, anime, graphic novel collection is one of the fastest growing, but it also is one of the highest circulating,” continued Wong. “It’s also translated in lots of different languages so that even includes the breadth of the experience that we have with community and access. We serve many, many different groups of people whose first language is not English. So that’s actually another bonus.”
Wong anticipates anywhere from six thousand to ten thousand attendees at this year’s event. She says it’s the only thing happening at Central Park that day, so there will be plenty of parking. St. Justin’s has also graciously volunteered to let people use its parking lot.
Comic Con will also feature story times, a video game tournament, a cosplay contest, K-Pop dancers, an escape room and a Quidditch tournament.
The format of Santa Clara’s Comic Con changed from every year to every other year a few years ago after Wong says community members asked for smaller events at other city branches. This year, the Mission Branch will close so staff can help on the day of Comic Con. However, the Northside Branch will remain open.
To find out more details about the event visit sclibrary.org.
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