May the Force (be with you) on May the Fourth at Langley’s Machine Shop.
Cosplay will be encouraged and Princess Peach might be seen at the pinball machine, Mushroom World.
If you have any idea what any of that means, then South Whidbey’s “First Ever comic book con,” aka SoWhidCon, might be your sort of Friday happening.
“It’s the first time a Comic Book Con will be in South Whidbey,” enthused Tim Leonard, owner of the Machine Shop, a place where kids and adults play on vintage pinball machines and disappear into virtual reality. “It’s really exciting.”
Oak Harbor just held its Comicon April 7.
The Facebook page for Langley’s Con encourages people to “come in cosplay and bring your comic books to show off, swap or come to scout for collectibles.” The event is from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Organizer Raquel Jensen translated.
“They get to dress up like the characters,” she said. “It’s a time for like-minded people to come and enjoy each other and maybe learn about the subcultures — lots of different fandoms come together.”
Comic books, cartoons, anime, sci/fi, video games, Star Wars, the Avengers, avatars, even Disney characters can show up at a ComiCon.
“It’s something that includes so many different people, from comic book enthusiasts to cartoon lovers, to gamers and people who just enjoy pop culture,” Jensen said. “I hope this type of event will let people bring out their inner child and not be judged for it.”
Jensen, who gleefully admits to being a geek, plans to do “crossover cosplay.”
“I’m going to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast but a punk version.”
Merchant vendors and a Mexican food truck will be on hand from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Additionally, professional make-up artists will lead a Cosplay Workshop from 2 to 6 p.m., cost is $25 for the workshop.
“We’re not exactly sure what to expect,” she said. “This actually started with people getting together to swap comic books.”
Jensen encouraged people to stop by if they’re curious or if the aromas from Cocina Buena’s food truck lure them in.
She called the Machine Shop a perfect ComiCon venue because of its arcade full of vintage pinball machines and the futuristic virtual reality booth.
“It ties the old with the new,” Jensen said. “It’s like a geek kingdom.”
• South Whidbey ComiCon, 4 -10 p.m., May 4 at the Machine Shop, 630 Second Street, Langley. Suggested donation: $10-$20.
