Frank Krulicki & Stephanie Kuhn holding Krulicki's graphic novel, The House of Wonders

By Lisa Parent

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For cosplayers, comic book lovers and more, the days of driving to Calgary or Edmonton to get a convention fix are no more.

The Medicine Hat Public Library is hosting it’s first ever Comic Convention on Saturday.

“As they come in the door they are going to probably see Darth Vader or Spider Man, they’re going to make an appearance here at the library,” event coordinator Stephanie Kuhn said.

Medieval demonstrations, a Star Wars scavenger hunt and a visit from well-known superheroes are just some of the things on the agenda.

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“It’s really honestly just a gathering of people of similar interests around comics, graphic novels, movies, pop culture, anime, Japanese culture,” Kuhn said.

“Coming together and just celebrating all of these wonderful arts that are now really mainstream thanks to a lot of the Marvel movies in the past few decades.”

Graphic novel author, Frank Krulicki will be hosting a panel for aspiring comic writers, discussing how to break into the industry.

“How you break in today is different than when I was 16-years-old. When I was 16, I wrote a story, sent it in the mail, it got accepted. You cannot do that today,” Krulicki told CHAT News.

Krulicki grew up a comic book lover and sold his first story to DC comics as a teen.

After stepping back from that world for a bit, he picked it up again after retirement, which is when he wrote his latest graphic novel.

“The House of Wonders is a story of Joshua Davis who grows up in a dysfunctional home. It’s very autobiographical, except for I’m not a space alien and I don’t have superpowers,” Krulicki laughed.

You’ll be able to catch Krulicki, along with his comic distributor at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“I love conventions, so I just can’t wait to see the costumes. I can’t wait to meet people who want to talk to me about my book,” he said.

Kuhn hopes Saturday’s event kickstarts a bright future of conventions in Medicine Hat.

“I want to see it grow, I want to see it get bigger and bigger and bigger that we have to outgrow this building,” Kuhn said.

May the fourth be with you.

Comic Con schedule

Costume Contest (All Ages) – 11:00 .a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Meeples at the Library – 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Comics & Publishing Author Talk – 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Spider-Man Storytime (ages 4-7) – 2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.

Spider-Man Storytime (ages 3-6) – 3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.