CREDIT: DAN TODD
Forest City Comicon was crowded with costumed con-goers. But this year was even more special because it was partnered with a local charity called Project Play.

The line of costumed con-goers spanned two blocks at 10 o’clock on the morning of Oct. 18, and once inside the London Convention Center it was evident why.

Forest City Comicon is a merger of four different conventions, and this year they also partnered with local charity Project Play. Vendors, artists, writers and videogame developers were set up in the packed main hall, and across the street at the Hilton Project Play’s side of the event was also well attended. John Houghton was an organizer of the event and was glad to be able to take a bit of a risk.

“The fans believed in us last year, and this year we wanted to believe in the fans. [They] have shown once again that London is a great town to run a convention in and to live in.”

He added that all of the organizers live in the city, and take a source of civic pride in putting the convention together. It was difficult to tell that the event was only in its second year, and Houghton hopes that attendance was high enough to turn it into a two-day convention later on.

“We don’t want to keep doing the same thing over and over again, but we want to keep doing what makes the Forest City Comicon special, we want to put on a big convention that feels like a home town convention.”

London native and writer of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series Bryan Lee O’Malley was present, the fact of which was celebrated last month at the Rainbow Theater with a screening of the 2010 movie adaptation of the books, Scott Pilgrim vs The World starring Michael Cera.

During a panel titled ABCs of Comics featuring Andy Belanger (Kill Shakespeare), Chip Zdarsky (Howard the Duck, Sex Criminals) and O’Malley he briefly mentioned a new comic that he is working on, which is a dark comedy based in the world of fashion blogging called Snotgirl.

Over at the Hilton for Project Play, event coordinator Jamieson Roberts was a very busy man.

This year, part of the proceeds that go to Project Play will be used to buy game bundles for Hutton House, Autism Ontario London and LUSO Community Services. The bundles include a TV, a game console, a number of videogames and a number of board games. Roberts related his favourite memory of dropping games off at a charity.

“We dropped it off in the summertime, and this one kid – he just looked at all the stuff we unloaded. It was an Xbox 360… a Nintendo Wii… [Both with controllers and games] and just this stack of board games that [was] probably taller than him, and his eyes just teared up, and he just said ‘Is this ‘Christmas in July?’”

He added that making the kids actually feel like kids is what makes it worth it.

Fanshawe College professor Sen-Foong Lim volunteers with Project Play teaching people how to play board games. Lim was glad that they were getting the extra exposure.