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Weekend Comics Events to Spotlight Creators, Benefit Arts
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Five years and one trampled rose bush after Chris Yambar staged his first Lawn-Con, the pop artist and comic-book writer is moving his free comic-book show from his front yard.
This year, Lawn-Con 5 will take place Sunday -- one of two such local events being staged in the Mahoning Valley this weekend -- at the B&O Station in conjunction with the Artists of the Rust Belt Autumn Market. The event will run noon-6 p.m. and will raise funds for the Students Motivated by the Arts program, popularly known as SMARTS.
Yambar, who writes for the comic book based on “The Simpsons” series that airs on FOX, was inspired to start the free comic show five years ago. He travels to sometimes 30 comic shows a year to meet fans and sell books, and found that many independent creators were having to pay exorbitant prices for table space and getting stuck in poorly trafficked spaces.
“I said if I had my way I would just throw a comic convention on my front lawn, and I did,” he recalled. His contract with guests was for them to bring their own table and chairs, make their own change, “be nice to the public and make a donation to the charity of our choice,”
The first Lawn-Con drew about 120 fans to his lawn and the event grew from there -- literally, spreading to other lawns in the neighborhood – and attendance approached 300 the event’s third year. “Last year we got to a place where we knew it had to end on my front yard,” he said. “Somebody trampled the rose bush. There are certain things you don’t do in a Yambar house.”
Tony Nicholas, chief organizer of the Artists of the Rust Belt market, approached his friend, Yambar, who has done a few of the shows, and suggested it would be “fun to combine the two shows and just have a good time.” The Rust Belt event features a variety of vendors offering works from painting, pottery and photography to jewelry and chocolates.
The fine arts who will be held inside the B&O while the comics show will take place outside. “The marriage is perfect,” Yambar remarked. “They’ll do the indoors of the B&O and we take over the entire outside. So it’s like a weird festival you have to go through to get inside to see the fine artists. You have the fun artists and the fine artists.”
Guests include Pittsburgh area artist Ron Frenz, who had extended runs on The Amazing Spider-Man and Thor for Marvel Comics and Superman for DC Comics. “Frenz has been die hard since day one. He knows what we’re trying to do,” Yambar said.
In addition to vendors and mainstream and independent comic guests, Lawn-Con will feature music, comedians, side-show performers and a costume contest. For a minimum donation of $10, guests will receive a special “mystery comic.” Proceeds from those sales and other donations at the event will support SMARTS, which was formerly associated with Youngstown State University and which Yambar has worked with.
“That program’s been going on for 15 years. I think it’s a jewel in the crown of what’s great about Youngstown,” he said.
Yambar will also mark the 20th anniversary of his creation, Mr. Beat. The character caught the attention of Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who subsequently wanted Yambar to write for the comic books based on the animated series.
Also taking place this weekend, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, is the KinCon science fiction convention at Joseph Badger Local Schools in Kinsman. Sponsored by the Kinsman Historical Society, the convention grew out of period events celebrating the late Edmund Hamilton and his wife, Leigh Brackett.
Hamilton was a science fiction writer who also wrote stories for Superman and Batman comics. Brackett, another science fiction writer, also wrote the screenplays for films including Rio Bravo, El Dorado and, shortly before her death, The Empire Strikes Back, the sequel to the original Star Wars.
Hamilton and Brackett lived in Kinsman the later half of their lives, recalled Don Sutton, owner of Market Square in Kinsman, the couple’s neighbor and the show’s organizer. As a boy, he recalled seeing Hamilton’s Stingray pull up in front of the Kinsman Pharmacy, which his family owned back then, and was told, “Superman bought him this car.”
Admission to Kincon is $5 for adults, $3 for children under 12 and free for under age 6. The event will feature art and costume contests, vendors and a play based on one of Hamilton’s short stories at 4 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit fine and performing arts programs at Badger.
Information about both shows is available on their respective Facebook pages.
Pictured: Chris Yambar.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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