NRCC holds fifth annual Comic Con on Oct. 27

New River Community College’s fifth annual Comic Con will be held on Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at NRCC in Dublin.

The event, sponsored by the NRCC library, will feature artists, authors and dealers from around the New River Valley and beyond.

The schedule for panel discussions is as follows

• 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – “Superman” panel with Matthew Smith, director of Communication Studies at Radford University.
• 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – “Origin of Superheroes” with Chris Gavaler, professor, Washington & Lee University and author of “Origin of Superheroes” and “Superhero Comics.”
• 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. – “501^st Legion/Star Wars” panel, members of the International Star Wars cosplay organization.
• 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. – “Edgar Rice Burroughs” panel with Burroughs Bibliophiles members, Stanley Galloway, professor at Bridgewater College and author of “Teenage Tarzan”; Lee Strong, writer of two authorized Burroughs’ sequels, “A Soldier of Poloda” and “Untamed Pellucidar”; Henry Franke III, the organization’s magazine and newsletter editor. Henry has also worked with IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics.
• 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Documentary: “Frazetta: Painting With Fire,” a film about fantasy illustrator of Tarzan, Conan and the Death Dealer, Frank Frazetta. Advisory: Some artwork may contain nudity.

Some area dealers attending the event include Eclipse Pop, Dollar Comics, Arch-Villain Comics, Rick Fortenberry and Nate Lundy.

Other special guests include the Radford High School Robotics team with interactive robots; Richard Case, artist for Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man and Doctor Strange; and Jimmy “The Boogie Woogie Man” Valiant, former wrestler with the World Wide Wrestling Federation.

Cosplayers and children wearing their Halloween costumes are welcome at the all-ages event. There will be a costume parade, allowing anyone who wants to show off their costume the chance to walk across the stage.

Food will be available from Street Eats food truck.

Admission is free.

Visit www.nr.edu/comic-con for more information about special guests and dealers attending the event.