Superheroes are not exclusive to comic books. They roam around in normal clothes and help others.
On Oct. 27, Secret Identity Comics hosted a Halloween Heroes Fest. Secret Identity Comics is a comic store based in Fresno that was formerly known as Hero’s Comics. The store has been around for about 30 years and has hosted the Heroes Fest every Halloween for the past decade.
This annual event raises money for the Project Wish Upon A Star charity. This charity uses its funds to help children fight cancer by inspiring them with superheroes.
Every year the charity sponsors a child to go to L.A. Comic Con to meet all their favorite heroes in person.
Sindiroo COSplays is a cosplayer who partners with Project Wish Upon A Star. She was at the event bringing Spider-Gwen to life, while interacting with the crowd and describing the feeling she got when she went to L.A. Comic Con with the sponsored child this year.
“She was so happy to meet so many actors,” Sindiroo said. “They gave her a little gift basket and it was a lot of fun just to bring that joy to somebody.”
Attendees had the opportunity to donate money to the charity and get raffle tickets at the same time.
Many prizes were available, including a 3D-printed Wolverine mask, along with rare comics and collectibles donated by many of the event’s vendors and local shops.
The vendors were selling food, plushies, toys, comics, trading cards and more.
There was also a costume contest that saw dozens of characters take the parking lot to show off their outfits. From an infant dressed as Baki to Dick Greyson’s Nightwing, judges voted on the best costumes for kids, adults and the best of show.
Mike Needham and his son won best of show dressed as Mandalorians with a modern military twist.
Needham is a graphic designer who cosplays and always shows out for Halloween. He began working on his costume in early September because he loved the feeling.
“It’s just great to see adults and kids dressed up,” Needham said. “Every time I dress up I feel like a kid again.”
Needham explained how he’s seen a downward trend in the Halloween spirit in recent years, so he was overjoyed to see all the people come out at the event in costume.
A Trunk-or-Treat was also available for people to get free candy, comics and other swag.
Car trunks were decorated with themes anywhere from Spiderman and Star Wars to Moana and even an EECU-sponsored trunk.
Joey Martinez, owner of Secret Identity Comics, was a loyal customer at Hero’s Comics for around two decades. He attended previous Hero Fests and wanted to keep this community staple going.
“It’s important to, you know, raise money for a cause first and foremost,” Martinez said. “But also it’s just like an excuse to bring everyone together and have a fun little community event.”
Martinez added how excited he was to see the large turnout and expressed interest in including more local businesses in the future to try and grow the event.
He emphasized the importance of community and how fun it is to see everyone gather with a similar love for comic books and superheroes.
The first Saturday of May is Free Comic Book Day and Secret Identity Comics will host a similar event in the parking lot.
