Courtesy/LAC
LIBRARY News:
Mesa Public Library will present the second annual Atomicon: a Comic-Con-inspired event for all ages 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5.
The first Atomicon was held at Mesa Public Library last year in July. An estimated 1,500 fans attended the inaugural event. This year, to better accommodate large crowds, Atomicon has been expanded to include three additional locations—Fuller Lodge, which will host vendors 10:00 AM to a.m. to 5 p.m.; Ashley Pond, where a screening of The Lego Batman Movie will start at 10:30 a.m. on the Central Avenue side next to the Justice Center; and the Betty Ehart Senior Center, where costume contest, workshops and lectures will be held 2-5 p.m.
At the Mesa Public Library location, Atomicon will take over the upper floor, including the Step Up Gallery; the youth services floor, including the Zone; and the outdoor space behind the library.
Atomicon offers many activities for kids, but there is much to enjoy for adults and teens, too. All activities at the Betty Ehart Senior Center are multigenerational or best for teens and adults. Most of the activities on the upper floor of the Library are also geared toward teens and adults.
The Step Up Gallery will feature comic-inspired art created by local and regional artists. Atomicon-goers will also be able to enjoy game room activities in the Gallery space. Also on the upper library floor, the Albuquerque-based independent comic creators “7000 BC” will hold morning and afternoon sessions of themed talks and workshops about comics, content creation, character development and more. They will lead an all-day activity where participants are invited to help create a comic by adding panels to a collaborative comic jam panel. 7000 BC staff will also host an informational booth, a live caricature drawing session and have a presence as a vendor at Fuller Lodge.
The youth floor, including the Zone and adjacent outdoor spaces, will be buzzing with activities all day. Participants of all ages will be able to attend two different sessions in the lower level rotunda; a Steampunk 101 workshop with Author Tracy Trent, and a figure drawing session with costumed models hosted by Ken Nebel.
The youth floor will also feature many activities for younger audiences and play host to educators and artists doing demonstrations and hands-on activities. Young superheroes-in-training should also take advantage of the superhero obstacle course outside the library near Betty Ehart Senior Center.
“Last year, the event was bursting at the seams. We never expected so many excited comic fans to turn out for the inaugural local Con,” Senior Librarian Eva Jacobson said. “This year, we are excited to expand the event footprint and to present a bigger and better Atomicon with more activities and experiences for all audiences.”
Youth Librarian Melissa Mackey added, “We’re creating an event that entices fans of board games, anime, manga, various fandoms, comics and comic art, cosplay, science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, video games, and anything related. The library staff wants to draw from our talented, creative local and regional community to make this annual event exciting and uniquely Los Alamos.”
The community is invited to attend and participate in this event and encouraged to wear capes and costumes—or come as you are—and step into a world of action, adventure and fantasy that has been curated to spark a sense of joy and wonder in even the most embittered of supervillains.
For more information about the event, including detailed programs with times and locations, are available under the library’s event tab at: LosAlamosLibrary.org, or call 505.662.8250 for more information. Printed programs are also available at both library locations.