Never fear, Shelby, Batman is here! Or he soon will be, anyway. Batman of Lake Wylie will join the Carolina Tardis and hundreds of costumed fans to participate in Shelby Comic Con, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the LeGrand Center in Shelby. A special fundraiser will be held for the family of Officer Tim Brackeen.
"You don't have to be into comic books to enjoy this event," says organizer Sherry Deel. "We will have vendors and artists working in the fields of comics, anime, toys, science fiction, steam punk, and all kinds of pop culture."
Deel urges attendees to participate in the show's costume contest, which will also reflect the vendors' and attendees' wide range of interests.
"You can come as your favorite character, or do a group costume - it's just a lot of fun," she says. Cash prizes will be offered for the best costumes.
Another highlight of the event will be a Pokémon Tournament, which, along with the costume contest, is included in the entry fee.
"We try to keep it as affordable as possible," says Deel. "In bigger cities these kinds of events can cost $25 or more per person, but we want whoever wants to attend to be able to come with their whole family."
The cost to attend is $5 for adults and $2 for ages 4-12. Children 3 and under are free. The first 100 people through the door will receive a swag bag (one bag per family).
The first-ever Shelby Comic Con, which was held last July, attracted 50 vendors and around 1,500 attendees. "We have doubled in size for this time, with 100 vendors," says Deel. "We actually had to turn away vendors this time." Eventually, Deel would like Shelby Comic Con to grow into a two-day event. With the one-day schedule, Deel plans to continue to offer the event every six months. "We have already booked the LeGrand Center for July 15, so we plan to be back in the summer."
For more information, search for "Shelby Comic Con" on Facebook, or contact Sherry Deel by email at Believer_25_99@yahoo.com or call her at 828-675-8943.

By April Hoyle Shauf

Special to Shelby Shopper & Info