Salem, Oregon recently added something refreshingly new to the growing landscape of West Coast comic cons and other fan conventions. The Salem Convention Center was the host venue for the first ever Northwest Comic Fest August 15th & 16th. This epic event was intended to appeal to a wide range of tastes and brought together comic book fans, music fans, artists, superheroes, science fiction lovers, fashionistas, Pop-Culture addicts, wrestling fans, costume players and movie lovers of all ages and backgrounds for one FANtastic weekend this month. Festival organizer Casey Ocupe said his goal was to surpass expectations for all those involved in the inaugural event, and we think he succeeded! Bottom Left Image Courtesy of NorthWest Comic Festival Charlie Robotic Torres Garibo, a 17 year old beat boxer from Salem who later performed at the festival poses with festival attendees and Steve Cardenas who plays Rocky the Red Power Ranger. Photo Source Robotic Torres on Facebook Photo Source:The Walking Beast on Facebook What's different? His idea is to appeal to a broader audience to include kids, adults and even people who don't even like comic books at all with all-inclusive activities and events throughout the weekend. 'We're trying to do programming that's not like anything like a comic con,' Ocupe told the Oregonian. 'Something a little more interactive or considerably more interactive.' The result of all of the work and planning was high praise from festival goers and a great opportunity to meet new and interesting people in costume. There are too many events and special moments from the festival to share in one post, but some of the highlights for festival-goers were Learning martial arts from an actual Power Ranger (Actor Steve Cardenas who plays Rocky the Red Power Ranger) Superhero training and meeting members of the Portland Superhero Coalition Fashion show featuring the latest in princess and superhero couture Checking out the crafts and artwork from the vendors and exhibitors which included renowned regional comic book writers, artists and publishers including Ron Randall, a 30-year veteran comic and graphic novelist, Eisner-nominated comic book painter Brett Weldele and many more. Break dancing demos Meeting the pro-wrestlers of the WCWC Live music festival featuring local bands in the Salem Convention Center courtyard A film festival at Cinebarre The NW Comic Fest Masquerade & Cosplay Contests Watching 'The Walking Beast', a 7 ton, 11 foot tall mechanical robot which has appeared at Burning Man (it even has it's own Facebook Page) Watching members of Dystopia Rising, a post-apocalyptic zombie live-action role play group, roam the expo hall Vagabond Brewing's very own Northwest Comic Beer- created just for the occassion Numerous panel discussions (too many to list) David Liebe Hart and Sword of A Bad Speller performing a comedy hip-hop routine and so much more. To learn more, check out these articles below or visit www.northwestcomicfest.com. You can see more photos and highlights from the 2015 festival by clicking here. Additional Info www.nerdophiles.com www.statesmanjournal.com www.oregonlive.com Fans rejoice at 1st Northwest Comic Fest in Salem www.willamettelive.com
