The fourth annual Ratha Con will take over the Athens Community Center Saturday with pop culture, comic books, artists and the first-ever celebrity guest
Attending the San Diego Comic-Con, the largest comic convention in the world, can weigh heavily on one’s wallet as airfare to California doesn’t always come cheap, and a one-day badge to the show is $50 — and already sold out.
Fortunately for the geeks of Athens, a pop culture convention is happening much closer to home.
Ratha Con returns for a fourth year Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Athens Community Center.
“That was the main thing for us: The fact that we may never make it to San Diego and we would love to,” said Kelly Lawrence, project director for Ratha Con. “(With Ratha Con) we can have our own little con here without having to feel sad (that) we can’t make it to San Diego.”
Self-proclaimed nerd, Lawrence created the event with former program specialist at ARTS/ West, Emily Prince and said the name is a play on the famed film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
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Before the main convention, a pop culture art exhibit and film screenings will take place Friday at ARTS/ West, 132. W. State St. Brian Morelan’s short film Mining Moon will play before the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest, featuring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman.
Saturday’s main event has seen growth over the years, Lawrence said. The number of vendors selling comics and collectibles has tripled since the first year. She added there are also many more workshops, panels and activities.
Lawrence said the entire community center will be filled.
Some events to note include:
- A visit from the Ghostbusters West Virginia division, who will be dressed up and bring inflatables and even some slime
- Blind Wave Productions will return to teach techniques and choreography with lightsabers
- Daniel Trout will demonstrate his Indiana Jones-like bullwhip skills
- A Lego zip line will be constructed for races with Lego characters
- Quidditch, the famed sport from the world of Harry Potter, games will be going on throughout the day. This is the first year Quidditch games are offered.
- Five role-playing games, aka RPGs, will be available for play
About a dozen comic book artists will make up what is dubbed the “artist alley.” One of those artists is Steve Richter, who is based out of Athens and will present his latest comic “Smoog No. 1.” He also designed this year’s Ratha Con poster featuring the Red Mandalorian from the Star Wars universe and is a committee member for the event.
Richter said he enjoys going to conventions like Ratha Con because they are a gathering place for other comic artists and self-publishing artists, which means many tips and tricks can be shared throughout the day.
This year’s Ratha Con will also see its first-ever celebrity guest: up-and-coming film and television child actress Chalet Lizette Brannan. Her father Russell Brannan said Chalet is currently filming four series, including Leviathan and The Sparrows. After Ratha Con, Brannan will head to Los Angeles to film You Found Me with Kathryn Eastwood, Clint Eastwood’s daughter. She recently signed on to Star Trek First Frontier, which is set “before Kirk” and “before Pike” came aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Trailers and videos will play on a monitor while Brannan signs autographs and posters.
Brannan, 10, said she was excited to be Ratha Con’s first celebrity guest because she loves giving people memorabilia from her work and “making them feel happy.”
Special effects artists and sculptor John Marks is another special guest at this year’s convention. Marks will hold a workshop to teach people how to create molds for prosthetics. Lawrence described it as something out of Face Off, a TV show featured on the Syfy channel.
Both Lawrence and Richter encouraged attendees to dress up in costumes for the event. Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St., will host its own costumed dance party at 10 p.m.
“That’s just so much fun because people put their heart and soul into (the costumes),” Lawrence said. “It’s a lot of fun to see what people come up with, especially little kids. They get so excited. … It’s freeing. They can put their costumes on again and see it’s not only for Halloween.”
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