It wasn’t quite the Batcave, but Schine Underground played host to legions of superheroes in comic book form on Saturday afternoon, marking the first time a comic book convention has taken place on the Syracuse University campus. 

 

The Underground transformed into a secret lair for superhero fans, with vibrant pop art plastering the walls as hunched-over comic book fans flipped through endless rows of comic books in worn-out boxes.

 

The event was super-powered by Mike Sagert, a Syracuse resident who holds a comic book convention in the downtown area once a year. 

 

Despite drawing interest from local collectors, the student turnout for the comic book show was lower than expected. The show featured booths from local artists and comic book retailers.

 

‘Business has been good, and we’ve had a good reception from collectors,’ said Peter Callari, a local comic book enthusiast, ‘but there haven’t been many students coming. We had this event on campus to generate student interest, but it doesn’t look like it worked.’

 

The $5 entry fee gave students the opportunity to meet local artists at sessions instructing students how to write and illustrate comic books. Guest speakers included Dan Reynolds, known for his humorous greeting cards, Tom Peyer, who has edited for DC Comics, and Randy Elliott, who has illustrated for both DC and Marvel comics.

 

‘It’s too bad not many more students are here,’ said Sarah Sterns, a sophomore communications design major. ‘It’s a cool, low-key atmosphere. Comic books are coming back in popularity, too. It’s kind of a hipster thing now.’

 

Sterns and sophomore advertising and marketing major Faith Zaki came to the comic book show to pick out select comic book covers to use as wall art.

 

‘It’s a neat idea,’ Zaki said. ‘I heard about the event from reading a flier and thought it would be worth it to come. All of the art is vintage, and I thought it would be cool to use to decorate my room with.’

 

Randy Harris, owner of Bullseye Comics and a local comic book retailer who sold vintage comics at the convention, said low prices for most comic books — excluding collectors’ edition comics on display — and childhood memories were part of what brought students to the event.

 

‘Plenty of students have stopped by to pick up comics of their favorite superheroes when they were young. It has a nostalgia factor that reminds them of the idols they had,’ Harris said. ‘The biggest draws today have been Spiderman and Batman duking it out for the most issues sold.’

 

Despite a sluggish economy, the comic book industry has stayed strong. Callari said strong comic book sales in foreign markets and the availability of websites like eBay and Craigslist have made comic books an investment opportunity.

 

‘If you go onto eBay and see what some of these classic editions are selling for, you wouldn’t say that the comic book business is outdated. Not even close,’ Callari said. ‘People are quick to say that comic books are dead, but that isn’t necessarily true.’

 

Many of the retailers at the convention said the recent Hollywood trend of blockbuster superhero movies has also boosted interest in comic books among college-age students. Pete Smith, a sales representative for Bullseye Comics, said the success of movies like ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Iron Man’ has helped keep the comic book industry alive. 

 

Sagert said although student reception was not as strong as he would have preferred, he already has plans for the next show, which he hopes to bring to campus again. However, he said it was good to see local comic book retailers collaborating under the same roof. He said he hopes next year’s show will have bigger guest appearances, but he wouldn’t disclose their secret identities.

 

‘Having some more well-known people affiliated with comic books coming to an event will probably draw more students, though,’ said Sagert. ‘People who like comic books will still come out to events like these, and who doesn’t like superheroes?’

 

ervanrhe@syr.edu