The first-ever comic convention is being held in a New Brunswick First Nation.

Activities, including comic book creations, workshops and vendors, will come together in Elsipogtog.

Elsi-con is an exciting new convention that was inspired about seven years ago.

“Our daughter, who is an Anime artist, both digitally and traditionally, wanted to go to a comic convention about seven years ago, and we knew nothing about it. I didn’t know what it was or anything about it. When we walked in, I was blown away. It was a different world, people dressed up in cosplaying characters and characters that you see on TV coming alive,” Co-organizer Susan Levi-Peters told our newsroom.

In June, they were there again and then attended the East Coast Comic Expo in Moncton. Levi-Peters says she spoke to a couple of artists and asked, ” Can you imagine if we had something like this in the First Nation?”

They encouraged her to go for it, and the planning began.

“I came back to our community, and I talked with my government, our Chief and Council, and I asked them if we could hold a comic convention here. I explained to them what it was, and they were excited. They donated the venue, which is our arena, and security and parking,” Levi-Peters added.

She says they managed to put the event together in just two months, and many businesses came forward to offer their support.

Elsi-con will feature twelve guests, made up of First Nation actors and artists. They include Adam Beach, Michael de Adder, Devin Taylor, Glen Gould, Jon Ambrose, and Jason Lawson.

There will also be an IHW wrestling match, which is a first for a comic convention. They’re a group of professional wrestlers from Moncton.

“I would say about 90 per cent of my people in my community have never heard of a comic convention. For them, this is a new experience, and I’m hoping that they’ll get inspired and go out more. These conventions appeal to some kids who are either bullied or quiet and who are artistic. This is a safe haven for them, and we have a lot of kids like that. When you get them together, they just blossom, and have so much fun, and no one is judging them,” Levi-Peters stressed.

She adds that for the adults, this event may bring back childhood memories and the toys they used to play with and the comic books they used to read.

Levi-Peters also discovered that when searching for sponsors, she reached out to the provincial government, but was told they didn’t have programs for funding for things like this.

“Maybe it’s something that needs to be looked at, because there’s a group of kids that we need to empower or motivate their talents in drawing or acting or singing or whatever,” Levi-Peters says.

Elsi-con is being held Saturday, August 23, from 10 am until 5 pm at the Chief Young Eagle Recreation Centre in the Elsipogtog First Nation.