It isn't every day that Spiderman, R2-D2 and Harry Potter can all be found in the same room. However, at the Indiana Toy and Comic Expo attendees could find all of these characters and more.
The Indiana Toy and Comic Exposition is an annual convention made possible by co-owners Kris Murphy and Billy Cooper, who on Aug. 27 brought the convention to Bloomington for its third year. The ITCE is an event that gives character lovers the chance to display their fandom, to learn more about the toy and comic world and to discover new and old collectibles, Kris Cooper said.
Each year, the exposition brings vendors that carry anything from Pokemon trading cards to a $2000 large-sized Luke Skywalker action figure. The event also includes cosplay contests, with people dressing up as their favorite characters.
Murphy said the ITCE started five years ago after the death of Cooper's father.
"This is kind of an homage to him," Murphy said. "He's the one that taught us about comic books and Jack Kirby and told us, 'You know, this is good and this is bad.' He led us down the right path of comic books. He took us to our first comic book show when we were kids."
Now, Murphy and Cooper pass the favor on to other parents, giving people the opportunity to take their children to the ITCE and to show them the possibilities that exist in the toy and comic world.
Murphy said there are opportunities created throughout the ITCE to specifically help kids get excited about toys and comics. There was a donut and draw, where children had the opportunity to learn how to draw while eating breakfast, as well as a separate cosplay contest for kids.
Matthew Hernandez, a children's cosplay contest judge and a vendor from Spero Studios, an independent toy and comic book company, said that the exposition is a great way of showing kids how to expand their imaginations.
"We love it," Hernandez said. "Reading is awesome. We love comic books and graphic novels. We think action figures are great, too. It really builds imagination and gets kids thinking outside of just technology. We want to support that, and we want to encourage that."
Another judge of the children's cosplay contest, Jackie Brady, said the event creates a friendly environment.
"I think it's awesome because nowadays people can feel comfortable with themselves being who they are," Brady said. "Especially if they want to be into action figures, if they want to be into comic books, or "Doctor Who" or My Little Pony or whatever. Cons like this make it known that it's okay to do that. Be comfortable in your own skin, stick to your guns and, you know, be yourself."
The main event was the adult cosplay contest that was divided into people dressed as villains and heroes. Eric Singer, who was dressed as Hellboy, won best hero, and Billy Patterson, who created his own Krampus costume by hand, won best villain.
While the ITCE brought in 2,100 people in 2016, Murphy said he expected that number to be higher this year, bringing even more people, action figures, comic books and memories.
