GRAND CROSSING — The spotlight will be on Spawn, Blade, Power Man, Steel, Falcon, Cyborg and Black Panther — as well as other black comic book characters — at the third annual Pocket Con convention next month.
The free event runs from noon-6 p.m. July 12 at the Gary Comer Youth Center, 7200 S. Ingleside Ave. The Grand Crossing branch of the Chicago Public Library is co-sponsoring the event with Elgin Bokari, the creator of the event and a Columbia College Chicago art instructor.
Participants will not only learn about black characters from black artists, Bokari said, but will also be able to sketch their favorite character to take home and learn about black authors like Maya Angelou.
"Children grow up learning about traditional comic book characters like Spider-Man, Batman, Hulk, and Captain America, who were all created from a white character," Bokari said. "But what about all the black characters? Where are all the cartoons featuring them? Conventions like these help youth spread the knowledge about characters of color."
While the one-day event targets youths between 12-18 years old, Bokari said children as young as 8 and adults as old as 26 have attended.
"Last year about 250 people attended and this year we hope to see twice as many people," he added. "That's why I label it a convention because there's a lot that goes on in a short amount of time."
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