Thursday, December 12, 2024
The event has been dubbed “HurriCon,” described by its organizers as New York’s “only benefit-relief comic con.” David Donovan, a church board trustee and the event’s organizer, sparked the idea for the fundraiser in 2018 when the church needed to restore its floors after assisting residents with Hurricane Sandy.
Donovan said the desperate need for funds allowed the church to cultivate creativity in a way it never did before.
As a result, his wife, family and other organizers transformed the church’s auditorium into a science fiction emporium, with boxes of figurines and collectibles stacked high on tables, and animated character designs lining the walls.
In 2018, the church raised $3,000 from the HurriCon, half of what the organization needed.
Church organizers now seek to raise money for general community initiatives, while providing relief in disasters when necessary.
Throughout the event, Donovan continued to announce, “We are an open and affirming community. You are welcome here.”
Donovan said he felt inspired by other comic cons he attended, and the level of acceptance he found there. He said the reception to diversity at comic cons paralleled the church’s goals.
“When you walk through that door, it doesn’t matter if you’re Muslim, Christian, Jewish, atheist, or whatever,” he said.
Donovan mentioned the church's nondiscriminatory values on race, religion and sexual or gender orientation on numerous occasions, and oftentimes the church’s mission statement filtered into his casual conversation with visitors.
While talking to attendees, Donovan grabbed his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a contact card.
“He jokes that I have a woman’s wallet,” Donovan said, gesturing to Dominick Perri, co-host of the podcast Geek Stuff TNG, who confirms that he thought Donovan's wallet looks feminine.
“But who cares?” Donovan said, laughing. “I mean, we are an open-affirming church.”
Many guests at the event said that besides the adoration for comics, the common thread tying the church’s comic convention-goers together remains Donovan.
Comic book author Michael Jan Friedman, 69, who manned a booth at the HurriCon, became involved years before when he met Donovan at a different fundraiser. Donovan called Friedman and invited him to the event.
“I told him to lose my number,” Friedman said, jokingly. “But, he persisted.”
Previously a business magazine writer, Friedman said he needed to transition into a stimulating career like comic book writing to keep him engaged.
He said his parents read him Adventure Comics as a child, since fantastic narratives of the character Super Boy interested him far more than reality ever could. To this day, in a box somewhere in Port Washington, he has his favorite comic book as a child.
“It has no cover anymore, but I still have it,” he said, adding that he could not imagine life without writing comics.
He said he hopes young writers always finish their projects, no matter how bad they turn out.
John Broglia, another artist at the event, said comics served as a form of magical escapism from reality. He said other students bullied him as a child, and he found both solace and empowerment in the books he read as a child.
He also met Donovan at another event and joined forces to support the church’s cause and celebrate the science fiction community, he said.
Donovan said HurriCon usually draws around 150 attendees. “It’s about coming here. It’s about being safe,” Donovan said. “It’s about enjoying yourself.”
The date of the next HurriCon has yet to be announced. For more information, visit the Bethany Congregational Church website: https://www.bethanycong.com
