Bigger and better: Heroes for Kids Comic Con set for July 16

Much like each of the movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Heroes for Kids Comic-Con is looking to be better than ever.
“Every year we try to get bigger and every year we try to get better,” event organizer Lonnie Johnson said. “The participation of the community and what we are trying to do is just awesome.”
The Comic-Con which is now in its third year started as a smaller event, but as the years have gone by, Johnson has seen the event grow.
“The first year we did it there were a lot of people who came in and were like ‘what is this?’,” Johnson said. “The first year we had an attendance of about 500 people and last year we tripled that. So, this year we are looking to do even more.”
Heroes for Kids is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates the money it raises to charities. Their latest project is the Heroes for Kids Comic Con, set for Saturday, July 16 at the Perry Park Center in Perryville from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.. A portion of the proceeds from the one-day event will be donated to Shriner’s Hospital for Children and the Community Counseling Center Foundation.
The event raised approximately $8,400 last year for two charities, each received $4,200 each.
“Everything we earn goes right back into the community,” Johnson said. “We are keeping it consistent with the children’s hospital and keeping it local with the Counseling Center Foundation. We love to help the community in any way that we can. That’s what this is all about.”
There will be multiple special guests this year including W.F Bell from the Walking Dead. This will be his second time coming to Perryville for the event.

“He loved it so much that he decided to come back,” Johnson said.
Paul T. Taylor, who played Pinhead in the 2018 film Hellraiser: Judgement, will also come to Perryville. Country music artist and Jim Henson cartoonist Guy Gilchrist will also attend. He helped Henson create the Muppets and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Karen Whitfield will be in Perryville as well. Whitfield was the Bronze Age Batgirl, who toured with Adam West ad Burt Ward.
“We have 17 authors who will be in attendance as well,” Johnson said. “There will be craft vendors, comic book vendors and toy vendors here as well. It will be a little bit for everyone. We are gearing this toward family fun.”
For Johnson, that includes the whole family, not just the children in attendance.
“We have something for the horror enthusiasts,” Johnson said. “In terms of the writers we have everything from Christian romance to slasher horror. Just everyone in the family enjoys watching the Walking Dead. Probably has something to do with the zombies.”
As with most events of this nature, visitors are encouraged to attend in costume. A costume contest. Admission into the event is $5 and children under the age of 5 are free with a paid adult.
Johnson noted that there are several other Comic-Con events in the area, but they are the only one that is 100 percent charity based. They are excited to kick the event off soon.
“Being able to do something like this not only puts smiles on the kids’ faces, but the adults faces as well,” Johnson said. “We have as much fun as anybody else.”