The autumn cool means one thing for comic book fans in the Twin Cities: FallCon is here. The annual comic book convention, organized by the Midwest Comic Book Association, invades the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Saturday, bringing a wave of dealers, artists and a few guys in Spider-Man costumes. Here's a look, by the numbers:
- 65,000 square feet of geekdom at the Fairgrounds Education Building.
- The marketplace will be filled with collectors and buyers rifling through everything from brand new graphic novels to toys to vintage comics from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Organizers expect about 100,000 comics in the building.
- About 150 comic creators will be on hand displaying their wares, signing autographs and drawing one-of-a-kind pieces. Favorites include Vertigo's Peter Gross and Green Lantern's Doug Mahnke. Also in attendance: Twin Cities-based luminaries like Kevin Cannon and Sam Hiti.
- First 500 attendees get a gift bag.
Info: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. $8 for adults. Children 9 and under are free. $1 off with canned food shelf donation. Minnesota State Fairgrounds, Education Building, 1265 Snelling Av. N., St. Paul. www.midwestcomicbook.com
Check out this profile of Gross, the artist behind Vertigo's "The Unwritten":
