Members of the Lexington community cosplayed, attended Q&A panels and competed in games during the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention at the Central Bank Center.
Held from Thursday, March 6 to Sunday, March 9, the convention hosted various vendors, celebrity meet and greets and fandom-specific events for attendees.
Some notable celebrities in attendance at this year’s convention included “Machete” actor Danny Trejo, “South Park” voice actor April Stewart and William Shatner from the “Star Trek” franchise.
William Salyers, best known for his role as Rigby from “Regular Show,” said he hoped meeting fans face-to-face would help humanize their idols.
“I just hope people go away going, ‘oh, he’s just a regular guy,’” Salyers said. “I meet people that are so nervous to meet me and it’s like, well I’m just a guy who got a great job.”
In addition to meeting celebrities, Salyers said the convention served as a way for people who may feel alone in their interests to find their community, something he said he wished he had growing up.
“The fact that they can come together at a place like this and be normal is really wonderful,” Salyers said.
Abby Wilson, an attendee who cosplayed the Scarlet Witch from the Marvel franchise, said the convention provided her a sense of belonging that has brought her back for the past five years.
“It does create that big safe space for just everyone to come together, kind of like a melting pot,” Wilson said.
Joel Perez, the voice of Valentino in “Hazbin Hotel,” said the convention played a role in bringing people together, saying community is central to events like this.
“To be in a place surrounded by other people who love something as much as you do, nerd out about something as much as you do is so special,” Perez said.
Darren Carman, a member of the Kentucky chapter of the 501st Legion, a charity-based organization, said the convention helped unify attendees in a world where there is “so much divide,” saying the Star Wars franchise represented a sense of community.
“Star Wars has always been a place where you see diversity, you see differences accepted wholeheartedly,” Carman said. “You have non-human characters, human characters. . . but everything all kind of works together as a group.”
By attending events like the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention, Carman said he hoped to not only raise money for charity, but also to add to attendees’ experience through costuming.
“When somebody sees a character that they connect with . . . and you see their face kind of just light up, that’s the moment, right there,” Carman said.
Art Smith, a cosplayer who dressed up as “Wolverine” from the Marvel franchise, said he hoped to give attendees a break from real-life stressors, saying cosplay could serve as a needed distraction.
“There’s enough bad in the world,” Smith said. “I do this, and if putting on a costume puts a smile on your face for 30 seconds out of your life and (helps you) forget all the bad stuff going on around you, that’s what I need for my soul.”
