OK, you've seen "The Avengers," now it's time to go dig up the back issues that tell their true origin stories. The Twin Cities' biggest comic book convention of the year is back at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday. SpringCon, as it's called, nets about 3,000 to 4,000 fans each year, many ready to get on their knees and rifle through bins of dusty comics. While it's no Comic-Con, the annual convention attracts its fair share of costumed fanboys (see above).
In order to comprehend the size of all this geekiness, take a look at the numbers:
80,000: The square footage of the buyers and sellers' marketplace under the fairgrounds' Grand Stand.
225: The number of comic book writers and artists in attendance (signing books and such).
500: The number of grab bags given to the first people who enter on Saturday.
250: The number of grab bags on Sunday morning.
Many of the Twin Cities' most acclaimed comic book creators will be there: Doug Mahnke (Green Lantern), Peter Gross (The Unwritten), Sam Hiti (Death-Day), Gene Ha (Top Ten) and the Cannon boys (Big Time Attic) to name a few.
The big Golden Age guest this year is 87-year-old Allen Bellman, who worked on "Captain America" for Timely Comics (which would later become Marvel Comics). Bellman will talk about his legendary work on a panel at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Make sure you ask him something other than, "What'd you think of 'The Avengers' movie?"
