Fayetteville Comic Con returns to the Crown Coliseum this April 27 and 28 jam packed with a series of special events for attendees. For the community, by the community and always a fun time for everyone, the Fayetteville Comic Con is a local staple that’s been running for 10 years. 
“What I can tell you about where we are today and in terms of coming about, the show is really all about Fayetteville,” said Tony Mendez, assistant showrunner for Fayetteville Comic Con. Mendez has served in his position for the past four years and is glad to see the event continue. “The idea is really about affording some level of experiential convention or event that everyone can attend at a low cost, that also supports our military so that’s really the function of the event itself. Our goal follows this 4 Cs environment: comic books, collectibles, cosplay and celebrities. The idea is making sure we’re bringing everyone back to the comic books, and we’re trying to marry those ideas.”

Held twice yearly, once in April and once in October, the Fayetteville Comic Con brings a unique experience that locals usually would have to travel for, right to their hometown.
With an absolute knockout lineup of celebrities, big names and locals alike, the special guest lineup includes but is not limited to members of the cast from the Power Rangers television show, Scott Innes (the voice of Scooby-Doo), Marvel and DC comic writer Jim Shooter, and following the G.I. Joe theme, “Sergeant Slaughter” will be joining the Fayetteville Comic-Con. There will be a showing of ‘Black Hawk Down’ as part of the film festival on Friday night, with actor Richard Tyson attending to sign autographs. 

A special treat for guests this year, Mendez shared that a 3D printing team assisting with Nostalgia Toys will be on site to offer a unique 3D-printing service. 
“If you had a toy from your childhood that got broken, or somehow you’re missing pieces and you can’t locate them, our team will be able to scan that toy onsite and recreate and 3D print it and repair it for you while you’re there,” said Mendez. “That same team is going to be able to scan you! So let’s say you came in cosplay and you’d like a statue of yourself, we can actually print out a statue of you in your cosplay. We’ve also got them printing props for cosplays, some universal pieces that will work across many different cosplay types.”

That same 3D printing team will be assisting with a “Shark Tank” style game show which will be filming on site of the Fayetteville Comic Con. The winner will be featured on The Sculpt and get a statue made of their character along with other prizes. 
“You take the comic, the competing digital artist takes a look at the reference and they create a model file that will be 3D printed at the con! Then our high level judges in the toy industry are going to judge which statue wins,” explained Mendez. 

In addition to these special events, the Fayetteville Comic Con will have their cosplay contest, vendors and classes offering specialized skills for aspiring creators. The Fayetteville Comic Con never disappoints with their highly anticipated special guest features and event lineup. 
“It’s really about providing an experiential environment for everybody, there should be something there for everyone to enjoy. So if you’re not directly into the comic books, maybe you’re into the cosplay and if you’re not into the cosplay and you’re more a toy collector, we get into the collectibles. And of course if you want to meet the people from your fandom,” said Mendez. “We are definitely providing something for everybody to enjoy when they get there.”
Bringing in a consistent crowd of 5,000-7,000 people twice a year offers an ever-valuable ground for small businesses and creators to boost their visibility. The event is fully volunteer run, and sponsorships are still available for local businesses to support their mission.

“The business community’s support is extremely important to us. Supporting this event helps us support your business,” said Mendez, “None of us get paid, we do it for the love, our nerd-dom and we’re doing it for the community so that they have a place to go.”
This synthesizing of a myriad of subcultures, local talent, big names and passion projects makes for an unforgettable, unique community event. 

“I think we want to make sure that it's all-inclusive, we’re championing no bullies, we’re championing you being yourself and the big 4 Cs we talked about,” said Mendez. “But ultimately what I hope they leave with is ‘Man, they put on one heck of a show! It wasn’t too expensive and I was able to come for two days, get everything I wanted, see everyone I wanted and have an excellent time within the cosplay community!’ [Come] learn something new, or meet one of these characters you’ve never been able to meet before. Hopefully guests know this is the place they can come and feel safe at and ultimately that we’re here for them.” 
The Fayetteville Comic Con always delivers, and with that classic overarching nostalgia that keeps us all coming back again and again.

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Find out more about this year’s event and get tickets at www.fayettevillecomiccon.com.