Cape Comic Con held at Lewes library
Milena Owen uses a digital sketchbook to create amazing artwork.
“I painted all of the color shapes, then I do layers on top of layers on top of layers. This is 2,000 layers on my computer,” Owen said showing off a scene from “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Owen drove from Virginia to sell her work at the inaugural Cape Comic Convention, held at the Lewes Public Library Sept. 14. The library hosted 27 vendors selling comic books, caricatures and other original artwork.
There were also cosplay and gaming contests, and a Dungeon and Dragons tutorial.
The show was the brainchild of Mia Dorsch, who is a library circulation and teen services assistant. She pitched the idea to the teen advisory board about 10 months ago.
“I’ve been going to comic cons since I was a kid – larger ones in Dover and Ocean City,” Dorsch said.
She is an author herself, focused on speculative fiction.
“If it can’t happen in the real world, I make it happen, like fantasy and sci-fi,” she said.
Many of the people who came were also trying to fulfill fantasies.
Tisha Rodriguez created her own character named “Nimby.”
“I’m just here to have some fun as well as the cosplay contest,” she said.
Dominic Gaudino came with his mother, Kara Gaudino. They were in search of comic books and action figures.
“We saw Deadpool and Wolverine when we walked in, so that was pretty cool,” Kara said.
Dominic said he is a fan of Spider-Man comics.
Ed Lane of Rehoboth Beach had a table of some serious comic collectibles, some dating back to the 1930s. He said comic books transcend generations.
“I’m 90 years old, and I bought all of these from a newsstand when I was a kid,” Lane said.
Lane’s prized item was an original painting of a wrap-around cover from a novel titled “Spawn,” from the 1960s.
Mandy Chillemi, from Comics & Gaming in Bethany Beach and West Fenwick, was giving away comics.
“These are previews of graphic novels or comic series. For parents on a budget, it’s a great way for kids to read those, and they want to hear the rest of the story,” Chillemi said.
Volunteers from Camp Hope sold concessions to raise money for their programs. The nonprofit operates solely on donations to help disadvantaged children in Sussex County.
“For eight weeks, we provide 30 children two meals a day. We take them on field trips, the water park, the beach,” said Karen Lessey, camp director.
She said Camp Hope is also now running a fall and winter Bible camp on Saturdays.
Dorsch said more than 200 people came to the comic con.
She said next year, she hopes to organize workshops with artists, authors and actors.
