Above: John and Kim Wilson, River City Comic Expo organizers.
Comic conventions are great - the more the merrier, I say! This past Saturday, Louisville added another comic con to its list - the . The good thing about this one? It’s for charity!
The show, which was organized by John and Kim Wilson, took up residence in the Mid-City Mall on Bardstown Road in the Highlands. All of the booth fees, silent auction earnings, and donations went to the , which works to help advocate for and assist visually impaired children (ages 5-21) in Jefferson County. Kim Wilson, a former president of Fund for the Eyes and a current vision teacher, was one half of the organizing team with her husband John.
This was the first year for the River City Comic Expo and John has no doubts that they’ll be back again next year. “We earned $850 in booth fees alone - that’s a great start and that all came in before the expo even started,” he told me. The silent auction featured some impressive prizes as well - a Mark Waid signed Daredevil comic and an original page of “The Dreamer” from illustrator Lora Innes were among the selection.
The booths were equally varied and interesting - from comic artists to collectibles to several steampunk-themed merchandise. There was something for almost everyone - even Doctor Who themed soaps!
It was also good to see people in costumes, of which there were several. After leaving the expo and doing my grocery shopping in Value Market, I saw several people in steampunk garb winding their ways through the aisles. The other patrons eyed them funny, or avoided them altogether, but I for one was glad to see them there - Louisville is weird, but this time it was for a great cause!
