JULY 19, 2018 // 11
you’ve been sucked into the black
hole of Nerdom, there is no escap-
ing.”
Kraus, building upon her interest,
is now a costume designer and cos-
play model. For Versus, Kraus plans
on wearing two different costumes
as a featured cosplayer. “I really
want to take advantage of the beach
for photo shoots!”
The cosplay fun will go on all
weekend with a two-day, three-
round Cosplay Contest consisting
of costume design, karaoke and a
dance-off.
Bazaar-o world
LUKE WHITTAKER PHOTO
Luna and Corveaux Millions, co-owners of Versus Comics
COSPLAYPNW PHOTO
Twin sister cosplay act Double Mischief at Sakura-Con in Seattle, Wash.
IF YOU GO
VERSUS COMIC CON
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 21; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday,
July 22. After-hours events follow both days.
Where: Seaside Civic & Convention Center, 415 First Ave., Seaside
Tickets start at $15 for a Sunday Pass and range to $80 for a two-day
Family Pass. They can be purchased at the door or securely on the
Versus Comic Con website. Kids under 10 get in for free. One dollar
from each ticket will be donated to Magic Wheelchair (which will
also be on site), an organization that helps outfit disabled children as
their favorite superhero or cartoon/comic book character.
For more information, tickets, a full event schedule, site map and
local hotel discounts, visit versuscomiccon.com
This con will boast about 100
vendors, ranging from independent
comic book publishers to handmade
handbags. The exposure offered by
Comic Cons is huge for like-minded
small businesses and services.
Zachary Weitzel, of Pretzelbot
Props out of Vancouver, Wash., be-
gan attending conventions in 2014.
Weitzel, who is also a TSA agent at
the Portland International Airport,
builds lavish, custom-built cosplay
gear and costumes.
“Comic conventions are probably
one of the most important things for
a business like mine,” he said. “I
may not sell anything while there,
but just to have people see you and
get pictures of and with you helps
out a ton.”
Lacy Hayes, the owner of Prism
Visions Photography in Spokane,
Wash., also understands the value of
a picture.
“Our favorite part is always
meeting and working with cosplay-
ers,” she said. “Cosplay is an art,
and we absolutely love being able to
be creative and interact with other
artists.”
With her daughter, Baily Hayes,
a full-time student, as her assistant,
Lacy runs a traveling side business,
CosplayPNW, offering professional
photography services at conventions
around the Northwest.
CosplayPNW will be attending
Versus and appointments can be
made by Facebook. Their most
popular Con-only offer is a mini-ses-
sion, which starts at $65 for 20 to 30
minutes, and includes editing, high-
res images and prints.
Illustrator Kevin McCoy, whose
work will be featured in the Versus
Artist Alley, knows firsthand that
Comic Cons can be life-changing.
“I have been doing this for five
years now,” he said. “I started this
as a side gig with my day job as a
graphic designer. I left my cushy job
this past January after landing gigs
worth pursuing. Now I illustrate full
time and work from home. Hard
work pays off.”
Origin story
Event coordinator Luna Millions
and her husband, Corveaux Mil-
lions, co-owners of Versus Comics,
a publisher out of Rockaway Beach,
dipped their toes into conventions
last year with the Northwest Comic
Con in Tillamook.
“We actually kind of accidentally
got into the con business,” Luna
said. This was after a customer con-
vinced Corveaux to plan last year’s
event in Tillamook.
The Millions (both pseudonyms)
are happy to see their convention
move north up U.S. Highway 101.
“Seaside is a happening little
city and a nexus point on the coast,”
Luna said. “The max capacity on
the building is 3,000 per day. We’re
hoping to hit at least that for the
weekend. Our first year in Tillamook
we had more than 1,000 attendees.”
Dark night
Superheroes prowl the graveyard
shift, so why should Versus be any
different?
After the Convention Center
is locked up Saturday night, there
will be a cosplay pub crawl through
Seaside. For the closing event on
Sunday, Luna Millions promises
“music, sand, cosplay.”
When a con comes to an end, the
return to the real world can some-
times taste a bit sour, something
Hannah Kraus said cosplayers refer
to as “Post-con depression.”
But memories have been made,
and there’s always next year.
“The best moments are when
kids’ eyes light up seeing their
favorite characters walking among
them,” McCoy said. “Even more
so with adults — the idea that you
are welcomed to geek out, nerd out,
dress up or just hang out and be
yourself.” CW