Throw on a cape, warm up your powers and protect your secret superhero identity. It?s time for the Iola Public Library?s Family Reading Festival at the Iola High School Saturday.
The ComicCon-themed event, titled ?Every Hero Has a Story,? promises out-of-this world adventures for everyone with cosplay, superhero training, comic book appraisals, virtual reality expeditions and, of course, opportunities to meet and learn from authors.
Those who participate in cosplay ? dressing up as a superhero, comic book or video game character ? will be entered into a prize drawing.
?The superhero comic theme is one we thought would appeal especially to younger people, and we had the opportunity to get some graphic novelists and illustrators here,? Roger Carswell, director of the Iola Library, said. ?We?re trying to emphasize, even with the superhero theme, that it?s important to get kids excited about reading.?
The event offers even more activities than ever before, geared to all ages from young children to teens to adults. Because of that, this year?s event takes place at the high school from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Keynote speaker is Brian McTavish, a Kansas City-based writer specializing in the arts and pop culture. He wrote about arts and entertainment for The Kansas City Star more than 20 years. He?ll present ?Comic Genius: Masterworks of American Graphic Storytelling,? at 10 a.m. at the IHS Lecture Hall.
Eight other authors or illustrators will give presentations from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. After their presentations, authors will sign books in the commons area. Their books will be for sale, too.
A ?Comics Book Road Show? offers a chance to get your comics collection appraised by Frank Mangiaracina, who owns Be-Bop Comics in Kansas City. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mangiaracina will appraise their value and share information about them.
Another highlight of the festival is a film presentation, ?Batman & Bill.? The Hulu documentary features the story of Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman who received little credit for the work during his lifetime. Author Marc Tyler Nobleman, who is one of the featured authors (via Skype) at Saturday?s festival, wrote ?Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman,? which inspired the documentary and a TED Talk.
Deb Greenwall, who is coordinating the festival, is especially excited about a Comic Book Readers? Theater, presented by the Allen Community College Drama Department under the direction of Tony Piazza. The students will do a dramatic reading of a comic book.
?That will be fun for any age. We told Tony, ?You just take it and run with it.??
EVEN AFTER all that activity, there?s lots more in store for festival goers. Many events are interactive, offering the chance to make an arts and crafts project, have your picture taken with a superhero while creating your own comic scene, take off on a virtual reality adventure or test your superhero skills.
A highlight of the interactive activities will be the Virtual Reality Expeditions, which will require participants to sign up at registration. You must be 8 years old or older and you?ll need to download an app onto an Android smartphone. The phones will be placed inside special goggles to present a unique virtual reality experience for up to 10 people at a time.
?I?m kind of excited to try that myself,? Carswell said.
