Wichita’s Air Capital Comic Con on the rise in its third year (+video)

They’re not famous yet, but local creative types in the comic book business are a big part of the draw at this weekend’s Air Capital Comic Con.

And that’s good news for them since the convention seems to be growing – as one well-known comic book puts it – faster than a speeding bullet. First held two years ago, Air Capital Comic Con doubled in attendance last year and has been moved to a bigger venue this year and is expanding to two days.

“It’s really cool to see how it’s grown,” said John Osborne, who grew up Augusta and is the creator of a comic book called “Blackbird.” “The first one was kind of quiet, but people in Wichita wanted this. This year, they’re doing it at Century II. That’s exciting.”

Osborne is one of about 40 artists and writers who will exhibit, sell, sign and discuss their work during the two-day event. About half come from Kansas or have some other local connection. The gathering also features gaming, cosplay, vendors and pre- and after-parties.

Chip Reece, a Wichitan who wrote the comic “Metaphase,” credits organizers Don and Drew Woodworth with welcoming local talent. The two brothers have run an online comic book operation called “Evil Squid” for several years, although Don Woodworth said they are phasing that out.

“They really care a lot about what we’re doing,” Reece said. “I don’t think all places have that. These guys really want to help and promote the local people. They’re not just there to schmooze with famous people.”

Don Woodworth said the brothers intend to keep the convention focused first and foremost on comic books, rather than all the off-shoots – from movies and TV shows to video and board games – that have sprung from them in recent years.

“I know a lot of the bigger conventions have gone to media guests, movie stars and TV stars,” Woodworth said. “All of that is great and good. We’re from comics. Our roots are in comics.”

‘Blackbird’

If you see a delivery man suddenly pound his steering wheel and shout “Shazam!” while driving down the road, it’s probably Osborne. He dreams up ideas for his comic books while delivering medication to towns in the Wichita area.

“I listen to movie soundtracks; that’s always good for inspiration,” he said.

Osborne has produced two “Blackbird” comic books and is at work on a third called “Frankenaut.”

“I write it, I draw it, color it, letter it, pay to have it printed and then take it to conventions,” he said.

The only thing he doesn’t do is proofread it, relying on his girlfriend and mother for that. “They’re very grammatically inclined,” he said.

“Blackbird” is a character who’s an amalgam of human and extraterrestrial life discovered on a distant planet. “Frankenaut” is a monstrously tall astronaut who works as a living crash test dummy for an alien maker of spacecraft.

“I’d say the genre would be like superhero/sci-fi,” Osborne said.

Osborne sells his comic books for $3 and $5 each, just enough to cover production costs. He recently got his first job illustrating a comic book for another writer. To promote his work, he maintains a Facebook page, The John Osborne Art Bazaar, where people can suggest subjects for his drawings.

Osborne said he was “blown away” by his reception at last year’s convention. “I figured most people care about Batman and Superman and Iron Man and Thor. I wasn’t going to be too hurt if people weren’t immediately snatching (my books) up.”

But they did – at least enough to bring him back for this year’s event.

‘Metaphase’

Reece conceived of the idea for a comic book starring a character with Down Syndrome after his son, Oliver, was born with the disorder five years ago.

“It’s my belief that whoever you are, you look for characters who are like you or who have experienced things like you,” Reece said. “I wanted something that my kid could relate to, and there was absolutely nothing out there.”

In “Metaphase,” the main character’s dad is a “Superman type” who “ends up having a child with Down Syndome and heart defects.”

“The dad is dealing with that as well as the kid wanting to be like the dad,” Reece said. The child finds a way to get a superpower – phasing, or the ability to open up “portals of travel” – but that has unintended consequences that lead to “your typical superpower fights” with a villain.

After coming up with the story, Reece, a social worker, held a Kickstarter campaign to raise $9,600 to hire an artist and cover other production costs.

Reece said he’s sold about 1,200 issues of the comic book, which came out earlier this year and is available on Amazon.

Reece said he thinks his comic book is unique, or at least unusual, because other comic books featuring characters with disabilities usually give those characters a power to compensate. In “Metaphase,” he said, “The disability is still a disability. A person is living their life around that. I would like to see in general where there are more disabled characters.”

Oliver, he said, “has seen the book, but I would say that he puts it with any other book. He loves books. He really doesn’t understand that this book is about him yet.”

One new event surrounding this year’s convention is a free pre-party, “Drink and Draw,” that will be held at Headshots Bar & Grill, 6140 E. 21st St., Friday starting at 8 p.m. It will feature artists making drawings that will be auctioned off during the convention. Half of the proceeds will go toward staging next year’s convention, with the rest going to the Down Syndrome Society of Wichita.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 9:37 AM with the headline "Wichita’s Air Capital Comic Con on the rise in its third year (+video)."