Why choose between capes and corsages?
On Saturday, the same day as prom, the West Bend High Schools Comic Book Club will hold their second annual Prom Con comic convention. Comic book lovers can come to visit vendors, buy memorabilia, participate in contests and activities, share their love of comics and purchase comics written by three inventive members of the Comic Book Club. The free event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the south gym.
East senior Brayden Fletes, who has been a member of the club since its founding, was involved with the planning of both last year’s and this year’s comic book conventions.
At the convention Fletes will be selling his own comic book about a high schooler who happens to be a vampire hunter and suspects that his English teacher may be a vampire. After selling a comic book last year, Fletes knew to put more time and planning into this year’s work. After landing on the idea early in the school year, he went through many different scripts and drafts before perfecting his comic and having West senior Audrey Brown illustrate it.
Another original member of Comic Book Club, East senior Seth Schwai, is taking on a similar venture and selling his comic titled “The Absolute Ultimate Anthology,” which is a collection covering horror, sci-fi, superheroes and more.
“Unfortunately it was too late last year and did not get published, but it is getting published in this year’s comic,” Schwai said. “I believe that was a blessing in disguise because I believe the comic turned out better than it would have last year. The comic was leaps and bounds better than what I had thought it would be and I could not be happier to see the reactions of the readers.”
Finally, East junior Alia Fischer, who has been a member of the club for one year, will also debut her comic book, “The Trauma Trio + Martin.” The comic is a series of humorous strips that follow the adventures of three superhero sidekicks who find themselves stranded with a retired, middle-aged superhero.
“I’ve wanted to make my own comic for a few years now, and Comic Book Club was the easiest way to do that,” Fischer said.
Comic Book Club began at the start of last school year when facilities technician David Gloyd decided to take his passion for comic books and provide a space for students with similar interests to share and collaborate. Gloyd is not just a comic book fan and collector. He has also published his own comic books and is the former co-owner of Crimson Cowl Comics and Collectibles, making him an experienced advisor for the club.
“Knowing how popular comics and related TV shows and movies have become, I thought my knowledge and experience in areas of the industry would be great to share with the students in a way that could be fun and educational,” Gloyd said.
This year’s convention has been in the works since the beginning of the year, with the Comic Book Club planning various aspects of the event to ensure a successful day. With no traditional roles, decisions are made within the club by vote. The times of the convention were carefully crafted, making it possible for students to visit Prom Con and enjoy their night at the dance.
“It was as fun as it was hectic to put it together,” Fletes said. “This year though we have experience and even more stuff planned. Because last year went pretty well, we wanted to give it a second shot now that we were aware of some obstacles and how to overcome them and make this year’s comic con run smoother than last time.”
The club has worked to add more excitement to this year’s convention, aiming for a much larger scale compared to that of last year. In addition to the given comic book and collectible vendors, there will be trivia and a costume contest. With the convention being held the same day as prom, the Comic Book Club decided to create “Con Quest.”
“Con Quest is an activity meant to encourage participation throughout the day, ultimately ending in the chance to be crowned Con King or Con Queen,” Gloyd said. “You don’t have to be going to prom to come to Prom Con, but it is earlier in the day and some students can attend both. Plus, you can’t beat free admission!”
Even though Prom Con is on the same day as prom, which could deter students from going to the convention, Fletes advises his peers to not miss this opportunity.
“It’s a really interesting experience,” Fletes said. “Even if you aren’t a comic book nerd and you aren’t really into that stuff, you still get to meet so many cool people and see how passionate some people are about what they love. It’s also really interesting to see people dress up as their favorite characters or just be talking to vendors about stuff or be talking to other people that you’ve never met before and just connecting because they just like the same things.”
Schwai, who was the first official member of Comic Book Club, has seen the club grow firsthand and has helped plan many events in both this and last year’s convention.
“To see where the club is now is truly endearing,” Schwai said.
For many students, Comic Book Club serves as a safe space to exercise creativity and passion. After nearly a year’s worth of work put into making Saturday’s convention as successful as possible, Fischer, who helped organize the cosplay contest, reflects on what the experience has meant to her.
“I wake up every Wednesday knowing today’s the day I get to chat with people who match my energy, who will talk for hours on their favorite stuff and are willing to listen to my rants about my favorite stuff,” Fischer said. “Comic Book Club has been legitimately the best experience I’ve had all school year.”
Top image: East senior Seth Schwai is a founding member of the WBHS Comic Book Club. All images courtesy of West senior Brailynn Haubrich.
The West Bend Current 
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