Not all heroes wear capes: Demarest Hall comes to rescue with 'Demcon'

For superhero devotees, anime enthusiasts or anyone who loosely considers themselves as a pop culture geek, New York Comic Con (NYCC) has become a sanctuary to let loose. But, behind the social media snapshots and anecdotes of brushing shoulders with Marvel royalty lies the reality of expensive tickets, limited food options and, worst of all, excruciatingly long lines.

Luckily, the student body at Demarest Hall has taken it upon themselves to curate a free-of-charge alternative right here in New Brunswick on Friday: "Demcon."

The inaugural convention, held in the basement of the residence hall, transformed the space into a vibrant forum, complete with a video game station, a panel area and an incredibly necessary ball pit — everything to satisfy your nerdiest desires. While the event primarily focused on comics, anime, gaming and furry subcultures, as noted on the community's Instagram page, it was an invitation to be "cringe" and "free," with all judgment left at the door.

"Demcon" kicked off with a panel from the Voice Acting Network & Collective of Entertainers, a relatively new club on campus dedicated to giving both newcomers and experienced voice actors a chance to recite lines and perfect inflections inside a recording booth. The club specializes in everything from animation dubs to commercials and advertisements — if you're looking for help finding your voice, this is the community for you.

Additionally, the club highlighted some of their previous meetings, which included conversations with industry veterans. If prospective members missed out on those sessions, the club has another major project on the horizon — writing for and voicing the characters in an upcoming mobile game.

The next presentation came from the Rutgers Animation Club, also known as RU Animation. The collective came into "Demcon" with a couple of goals in mind: sell some charms, stickers and posters, as well as recruit new members of any talent level for their year-long project.

Every fall semester, RU Animation finalizes the planning for their short film, covering everything from story development and character design to storyboarding. By the spring semester, the team will be ready to complete animation, sound design and post-production and release it to the world.

Last year's project, "I Knead You," was about opening up and asking others for help, all depicted within an anthropomorphic bakery — a fitting short given the sheer amount of time and collaboration that goes into even preparing a brief, 10-minute short. The final product speaks for itself, having garnered more than 100,000 views.

When asked where the club would be going next and how students could get involved, RU Animation President Ani Berberyan, a Mason Gross School of the Arts senior, gave some insights.

"Our current year's film ... is kind of like a buddy, buddy film about a robot and a pharmacist making their way through a zombie apocalypse while working on a cure together," she said. "We're very commuter-friendly ... even if you can't come to the club meetings, you can still help out the film by signing up for those segments that way."

The final exhibition came from the Furry Culture Association, whose members utilized their time slot to let attendees know more about the thriving community in New Brunswick and engage in an intense, yet enlightening game of "Jeopardy!" Even if you walked into the billiards room, which was restructured to resemble an auditorium, knowing nothing about furries, you left with some new pieces of trivia to share with friends.

Connor Perrin, the club's president and a School of Engineering junior, saw "Demcon" as a platform to dispel some of the misconceptions that are constantly circling around furries.

"We try to create a safe space for furries at Rutgers, because normally it's hard to find other furries that are open about it," he said. "Just come to the meets and learn about us. Everyone's welcome to come, as long as you're just there openly and able to listen, talk to each other."

If that wasn't enough, during the breaks between panels, curious attendees could wander through a marketplace with a diverse range of creative talents and mingle with jewelers, bakers and knitters. Of course, they could also support local artists.

Among the vendors was Jake Smith, a School of Engineering senior, who seized the opportunity to sell some of his photos after a tip from his roommate, a former Demarest Hall resident. Recently making the transition from shooting on digital to film, he would have a shot to show it off here and combat one of the hard truths of being an artist — it can be financially and emotionally consuming.

But, even if the payoff isn't immediate, there's an unmistakable value to be gained through learning more about your craft, something that everyone in the close-knit community of the first "Demcon" can relate to, regardless of their form.

"It's very demanding. You have to respect it a lot," said Smith. "But, I found that helps tremendously because now that you're respecting the process and the subject, the results are getting infinitesimally better."

As the vendors began packing up what was left of their work, the event wrapped up by highlighting the unsung heroes of "Demcon": the cosplay artists. The closing ceremony featured a mini fashion show, which included some inspired "SpongeBob Squarepants" and "Garfield" interpretations, and provided a brief glimpse of the costumed characters students might see walking around campus or at the annual "Halloween Covershow."

So, next year, when the NYCC ticket scalpers inevitably come out of hiding, consider saving your time, money and peace of mind by attending "Demcon" instead.