By Violet Mayes
On Saturday, April 12th, Lewis and Clark held its inaugural Blazer Con. The event, which was attended by over 700 people, was organized by Jared Smilack, Media Specialist, Marketing & Public Relations.
The event hosted a plethora of local hobbyists selling self-made items themed around pop culture. From Tardis stickers to home printed comic books, t-shirts, mugs, graphic novels, pins, and whatever else a fan would want. A food truck and an ice cream stand were also available.
The event was also the host to a cosplay contest. Participants arrived in a variety of skillfully made costumes, including WWE wrestler The Undertaker and a mom who dressed her and her baby as Susie and Lancer from “DELTARUNE”. The winner of the contest was Kristen, who made elaborate costumes for her children, 13-year-old Tod and 9-year-old Abigail as The Runaway Kid and Mono from “Little Nightmares” using charcoal to give the costumes a hand drawn look.
“The characters are The Runaway Kid from “Little Nightmares” and Mono from “Little Nightmares 2”. For the hood, I made a cage out of wire, then I covered it in yellow duct tape, and colored it with soft pastels,” Kristen said. “This is my very first con. I’ve always wanted to go, I’m a big nerd, but have never been able to.”
In second and third place were Nameless Ghoul from “Ghost” and Xie Lian from “Heaven’s Official Blessing”. The judge’s choice was Maids and Nezuko from “Demon Slayer”.
In the Skybox above the gym, the Lewis and Clark Gaming Club held a trio of gaming tournaments in their usual meeting place. The games included “Mario Kart” and “Super Smash Bros”. The winners of the tournaments were Laeia, Asher and Josh.
The convention also held several panel discussions: “The Adventurous Worlds of Steampunk” with Justilien Landry of the Gateway Steampunk Society, “History of Comic Books/Strips in the Land of Lincoln” with Stephen Harrick, “Business 101 for Freelance Artists, Authors and Filmmakers” with Max Hoven, “Digital Content Creation 101” with Jauzsey, “Ink and Drink Comics: 15 Years of Independent Comics in the STL Area” with Steve Higgins, “Tabletop/Board Gaming” with Ron Wall and David Inlow, “Classic Doctor Who: Where to Start” with Steve Higgins, and “Reject Common Sense to Make the Impossible Possible: Gurren Lagann as a Fictional Representation of the Infinite Spiral Staircase Theory” with Sean Hill.
When asked if the event would be a recurring one, Jared Smilack said that The Blazer Con and Marketing & PR teams still need to meet and discuss feedback, but attendance was great, and they see no reason not to do it again next year.
“The attendees and vendors we spoke with so far had very positive things to say,” said Smilack.
“I’ve seen a lot of former students, a lot of current students. It’s been nice to catch up with folks I had in class several years ago and share our interest in comics,” said Steve Higgins, a teacher at Lewis and Clark. “It’s been fun.”
“I’ve never cosplayed before. This is my first one. I think it’s great!” said Jan Dona, another staff member at LC. “It’s so good to see so many members of the community on campus. I love how it brings the community together. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they have it every year.”
