A 'HurriCon' descended over East Rockaway. What does it mean?

In a scene so colorful it could have come straight from a comic panel, East Rockaway’s Bethany Congregational Church was filled with artwork, figurines, stickers and, of course, comics. The sixth annual HurriCon was a roaring success.

Hundreds of attendees and vendors enjoyed food, art, collectibles, raffles for one-of-a-kind items, and comic camaraderie on June 17. HurriCon is the only benefit comic convention in New York state, with proceeds benefiting Bethany Congregational.

“Really what the show is about is fun, food, fellowship — to feel like you belong somewhere,” said David Donovan, the founder of the event and the Herald’s 2022 Person of the Year. “You’re welcomed with open arms. Come on in.”

Donovan organized the first HurriCon in 2018 to raise money to fix the church’s flooring, which was damaged in Hurricane Sandy. Bethany had become East Rockaway’s resource center, providing relief to the countless people who needed it — even if the floors took a beating in the process.

“It was a really hard time, and they just didn’t think about it,” Gary Hanson, of GTS comics, a vendor at the event, said. “They just let everybody in.”

The event was so successful that it’s become an annual one, and a fixture in the comic book community. Comic writers, artists and curators come from all over Long Island to be a part of HurriCon. This year’s displays included handmade comic panel frames from Nebulad Comics; Funko Pops from Overlord Comics and Collectibles; action figures from Lexjor’s Lair; art from East Rockaway’s own professional comic artist, Kimball Thorpe, and the Long Island TARDIS, a life-sized replica of “Doctor Who’s” iconic time-traveling phone box.

The raffle was particularly exciting, this year featuring rare and unique items like original comic artwork from Mad magazine, signed limited-edition prints from Marvel and DC Comics artist Sean Chen, and work by X-Men artist Larry Stroman.

Though HurriCon has the excitement and attractions of larger-scale comic events, it remains a community-centric show. One vendor, Rich Cirillo, aptly described it as a “mom-and-pop convention.”

“It’s intimate,” said a vendor and artist who goes by Christiebear. She came to this year’s HurriCon after a friend recommended that she check out a cool local convention. “You get to talk to everybody,” she added.

“It’s a very East Rockaway convention,” Chen, a regular attendee, said. “They come for David (Donovan) mostly. Everyone loves him. That’s part of why it’s such a big success.”

Donovan’s mother, Pauline, who is 92, said her son is a lifelong fan of comics — as a boy, he saved tips from his newspaper route to begin his collection.

“I think if you have a child, and he has a hobby, it’s one of the best things he can do,” she said of his.

Pauline attends every HurriCon. This year she made a new friend, 9-year-old Kaylee Russertt, who was attending her second. Kaylee’s favorite comic character is a 15-way tie, and includes Doctor Doom, Rogue, Hulk and She-Hulk, among others. Given her excitement about the event and her deep knowledge of the subject matter, which gives her lots of cred in the comic community, it was no wonder that people couldn’t help giving Kaylee free stuff. She lit up when she was presented with a print of one of her favorite characters, Venom, and declared she would hang it in her room.

Cirillo, a longtime comic fan, said he had seen more young people — and especially girls — in the comic community in recent years. He has made an effort to include a wider variety of items in his stand, rather than just so-called “boy stuff.”

Christiebear said that she hadn’t experienced any negativity in the comic community as a woman — rather, different people and perspectives are embraced.

“Everyone is nice and friendly and very open to anyone who comes along,” Hanson said — especially at HurriCon. “I think we should all have our hearts open to other people, and let everyone be themselves.”

The ability of comic books to celebrate differences, to appeal to a wide range of people and to bring them together to share their passion is a philosophy that Bethany Congregational shares. To Donovan, the event offers something to the community while showing what the church is all about.

“It opens up the church to the community,” Donovan said. “You want people to come in, to see that we’re a vibrant community that you want to join in.”