Northeast Comic Con in Wilmington offers smorgasboard of holiday fun for geeks, freaks and pop culture buffs

Northeast Comic Con in Wilmington offers smorgasboard of holiday fun for geeks, freaks and pop culture buffs

By Susie Davidson

“Whether you are a holiday shopper for the geek on your list, a collector, video game junkie, cosplayer, illustrator, anime fan, or sci-fi geek, there’s something unique for you to discover at Northeast Comic Con,” promises pop culture expert Gary Sohmers, CEO of Image Meet and Greet.

The Dec. 6 and 7 holiday convention will be held at the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington.

Sohmers, who has produced similarly-themed events and conventions for 30 years, operates Wex Rex Collectibles of Hudson, produces and hosts the syndicated talk radio show “Calling All Collectors,” and is an appraiser of toys and collectibles on the PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

In a statement, he guarantees an extravaganza offering “the best of all worlds to fans of contemporary and retro pop culture [who include] families, cosplayers, collectors, actors, gamers, nerds, geeks and the people who love them.”

They can all enjoy script readings, film screenings, video and arcade games, tournaments, and comic genres such as Japanese anime and manga.

“Cosplay” (literally, “costume play”), will be enhanced by “Create-A-Hero/Villain/Character” contests and performances.

For seasonal sentimentals, Santa will be there, but not for just any Santa photo op. “For guests seeking a holiday photo with Santa in cosplay attire who don’t want to go to the mall dressed to impress, a Santa photo station with a green screen backdrop will offer a wide range of imaginative backdrops,” Sohmers explains.

Tributes marking the 25th anniversary of the release of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” the Oscar-winning and top-grossing film directed by Stephen Spielberg, have been held around the country, but the only Boston celebration will be in Wilmington.

And true to wacky Toontown form, Roger and Jessica Rabbit lookalike contests will be judged by Gary K. Wolf, who authored the book the simultaneously cartoon-and-real-life caper was based on, as well as other Rabbit tomes (the film’s sequel is due out next year, according to IMDb). “Who Wacked (sic) Roger Rabbit?,” his newest Rabbit novel, will soon become a print-on-demand book that fans can order directly from Amazon.com.

Joining Wolf will be Charles Fleischer, who voiced Roger Rabbit, Benny the Cab, Greasy and Psycho in the movie, as well as charcters in A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Polar Express, Rango and We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story. Fleischer also held acting roles in Back to the Future Part II and Gridlock’d.

Fleischer will join Billy West, of Futurama and Nickelodeon’s Ren & Stimpy Show; and Leah Cevoli of Robot Chicken and Deadwood, in a Voice Over Actors Workshop to be held on both days. Presiding over the sessions will be Mike Pollock of Sonic the Hedgehog and Tom Wayland of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Autograph hounds can add Marky Ramone of the Ramones’ John Hancock to their collections, as well as the signatures of over 50 authors and illustrators who will include MacKenzie Lintz of Hunger Games and Under the Dome; Christopher Judge of Stargate SG-1 and X-Men: Evolution; Paris Themmen (Mike TV) of Willie Wonka; Mike Zohn, Evan Michelson and Ryan Matthew from Oddities, Obscura; Kayli Mills and Peter Bernard from Those American Girls.

Those seeking spooking can check out a panel entitled “50 Years of Horror on TV,” with Eddie Munster, Xander of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Pepper of American Horror Story (Butch Patrick, Nicholas Brendon and Naomi Grossman, respectively).

All things Dr. Who, Star Wars, Stargate, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Disney will be on the trivia testing block at sci-fi, comic and animation-based “Stump Trivia” contests.

Hyperactive offspring? No problem, as there will likely be no better area steam-release excursion than NECC’s K!DZ, where they’ll be entertained by, among other acts, “The Geek Balloonist” Josh Steinhouse, storytellers Ellen Weisberg and Ken Yoffe, and jugglers, tumblers and trapeze artists Simply Circus.

With so much in the offing, attendees will surely be roaming around at a fast pace to catch it all (that is, roaming as fast as their decked-out gear will allow).

The festivities will include a Saturday night after party, an otherworldly affair that can only be imagined.

Adult tickets at the door of the Dec. 6 and 7 Northeast Comic Con and Collectibles Extravaganza, at the Shriner’s Auditorium, 99 Fordham Rd. in Wilmington, are $20 daily or $30 for a weekend pass. Children under 6 are free; kids ages 6-13 are $10 at the door for a one-day pass (two-day passes are $15 at the door). For a schedule of events or more information, visitwww.pcx-necc.com, contact Gary@IMAGEMeetAndGreet.com, Julie@dennehypr.com, or call 508-479-9848.