It’s not every week that we have back-to-back interviews with a Mandalorian, a Ghostbuster, The Joker and an Imperial officer from the Dune Sea Garrison of the 501st Legion.
Any other time of year and we might consider having our heads checked.
But it’s par for the course in late August, as Southern Arizona’s cosplay community gears up for the return of Tucson Comic-Con to the Tucson Convention Center, downtown.
The annual pop culture extravaganza is set to take place for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this Friday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 4.
Comic-Con founder Mike Olivares is happy to welcome folks back.
“Like a lot of other conventions, everyone is still re-acclimating as far as organizing and navigating the bumps in the road,” said Olivares, who launched the first Tucson Comic-Con 15 years ago. “A lot of us haven’t had those bumps in the road in two years.”
People are also reading…
For the thousands expected to attend this year, there will be a healthy roster of comic book pros on-site, names such as James O’Barr, creator of “The Crow;” illustrator Rick Leonardi; artist and Arizona Daily Star illustrator Chiara Bautista; and Jim Shooter, editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics from 1978-87.
Scores of vendors, selling everything from original artwork to gaming gear, will be on-hand to help you spend your hard-earned cash.
Perhaps the most entertaining aspect will be the costume fan groups, more than 25 in all, who will bring some of pop culture’s most interesting and intriguing fictional characters to life amid immersive backdrops.
Many of the groups attending this year are nonprofits. When they are not doing conventions, you can find them committing selfless acts like true superheroes, visiting hospitals and bringing attention to charitable causes.
Here are some of the groups you’ll see at this year’s Tucson Comic-Con.
501st Legion Dune Sea Garrison members Jeff Hammond, left, dressed as Boba Fett, and Erik Foehner, dressed as a stormtrooper, pose in front of a Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
Dune Sea Garrison
Sure, you are capable of committing villainous deeds worthy of a pat on the back and a show of appreciation from the likes of Darth Vader.
But can you keep your costume up to spec?
In order to join the 501st Legion, …….