Hundreds of people are expected to dress up and flock to EPIC this weekend for Oz Comic-Con, including the K-Pop Demon Hunters. Photo: Evan Watson.
Get your masks, capes and costumes ready because the ACT’s biggest pop-culture event, Oz Comic-Con, is returning to Exhibition Park this weekend (15 to 16 August).
The comic book-inspired convention brings together fans of comics, anime, gaming, movies, television, cosplay and collectibles while also giving people the chance to interact with some of their favourite authors and artists.
Oz Comic-Con’s event manager, Pete Thompson, said the event is a celebration of creativity that allows pop culture lovers to express themselves and their passions.
“Basically anything you can think of in the world of movies, TV, anime, gaming and comics, you’ll find at Oz Comic-Con.
“These conventions have become a safe place where if you love something, whether that be something huge like Spider-Man or some obscure anime, you’ll find someone else there that loves it as well, even if your family and friends don’t understand why you love that anime or you love that TV show or that movie.
“It’s become an area where people can share the things that they love without the fear of judgment.”
Hundreds of people attended Oz Comic-Con in Canberra last year. Photo: Evan Watson.
This year’s convention has a huge focus on showcasing the talents of cosplayers (people who create and dress up in their own costumes) and performers.
“The cosplay community is a very passionate one,” Mr Thompson said.
“When they cosplay, they put on their second skin, they become that character, and they become a lot more extroverted at the opportunity to get photos with people.”
One of the premier events of the weekend is the cosplay competitions, which will be held across the two days.
Casual competitions will be held on Saturday, while more experienced campaigners will compete on Sunday for the Oz Comic-Con Championships of Cosplay, which is the largest cosplay contest in Australia, with the winner to be given $1500 and be named the champion of the ACT.
Mr Thompson said Canberra has become a real powerhouse for cosplayers and people who love performing at the convention.
“We find a lot of content in Canberra. So many people are so passionate, which actually makes it quite easy to showcase,” he said.
“One example we had is one of the cosplayers who came last year, with their dog Cinnamon, and they performed Supergirl and Krypto. They ended up coming to our Sydney shows because so many people enjoyed it.
“Canberra continues to come out every year, and it is looking like they’re going to again this weekend.”
Oz Comic-Con opens at 10 am on both Saturday and Sunday and runs through to 4 pm. Previews and tickets are available online at Oz Comic-Con.
