OC Con Coming Back to Ocean City

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By MADDY VITALE Who doesn’t love a superhero? Well, there will be plenty of them at OC Con, Ocean City’s annual Comic Book and Memorabilia convention next weekend. On Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, the Ocean City Music Pier will transform into a campy superhero and comic book fest. Entry into the event is free and there is a major lineup of activities planned. On Saturday, actor and voice actor Roger Clark, who portrayed Arthur Morgan in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, will be the featured guest and there will be a Q&A portion with him. “We are looking for good weather to bring out a lot of people to enjoy the Boardwalk and attend the event,” said Michael Allegretto, aide to Mayor Jay Gillian.

The popular comic book and sports memorabilia show will feature 15 vendors. In addition to Clark, there will be meet-the-artist tables, discussion panels, a costume contest, a superhero run and obstacle dash, OC Con trivia, games on stage hosted by “Nerdvana,” light saber training and an array of comic books and memorabilia available for purchase from vendors. “There are about 15 vendors participating and 20 artists,” Allegretto, who assists in the event, noted. “It will be a fun weekend because we will have trivia with groups competing against each other.” The OC Pops, Ocean City's orchestra, will also be on hand to perform comic book-themed music to add to the exciting atmosphere. Over the last two years, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the family-friendly show, which is organized by the city and the Ocean City Free Public Library (OCFPL), was scaled back to only the sports and memorabilia portion of the show. But this year, the entire event is back as gathering restrictions have been lifted.

Children check out some of the vendor tables in this 2019 photo. Ocean City held its first OC Con event in 2016. It was so popular that the city and library brought it back year after year. OCFPL Director Karen Mahar said that putting the event together is a lot of fun year after year. “When Mike Allegretto contacted me about doing a comic con in Ocean City in December of 2015, I said ‘sure, let’s do it’” Mahar explained. She noted that the fan base for the event is great. “OC Con fans are so exciting, energetic and interesting. The OC Con is very family-friendly,” Mahar said. “We are not as hard-core as comic cons that you see in major cities, but we offer a little bit of everything for the comic con, comic book enthusiasts.” The two-day event coincides with Girls Weekend, which is sponsored by the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Girls Weekend kicks off Friday, April 1, with a fashion show. Then on April 2 and April 3, Girls Weekend continues with a shopping extravaganza in the downtown, with discounts on merchandise and lodging throughout town. Allegretto explained the reasoning behind holding two major events on the same weekend. “We started OC Con in 2016 as a complement to the Girls Weekend downtown,” he said. “We figured it would be a great event geared for the boys and kids. OC Con has been a perfect match to the Girls Weekend downtown.”

Superheroes enjoy some good reads from the Ocean City Free Public Library bookmobile. Event details are as follows:

Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Ocean City Music Pier, Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace.
Admission is free.
Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
8 a.m.-8:45 a.m. Check-In for Super Hero 1-Mile Run (Civic Center 6th & Boardwalk)
9 a.m. Super Hero 1-Mile Run (Civic Center 6th & Boardwalk)
10:15 a.m.-11 a.m. Obstacle Dash (Carey Stadium Practice Field)
11 a.m.-12 p.m. OC POPS Concert (Stage)
12 p.m.-1 p.m. Roger Clark Panel and Q&A (Stage)
1 p.m.-3 p.m. Meet and Greet with Roger Clark (Artists Alley)
1:15 p.m.-2 p.m. OC POPS Concert (Stage)
2 p.m.-3 p.m. Trivia (Stage)
3 p.m.-4 p.m. Learn and Play “Jungle Speed” with Nerdvana (Stage)
4 p.m.-5 p.m. Trivia (Stage)