Research Center Guides: Library Express, Curbside, and Virtual Services: Comic Con 2020

Comic Con 2020

In case you missed our Virtual Library Comic Con from April 24-May 3, follow this link to Instagram and see it all!

Welcome to all things Comic Con 2020 for Fairfax County Public Libraries!

Here you will find links to fun activities to inspire creativity and a love of comics and reading.

Superhero Training Camp

Please tag us on Instagram to show how many Superheroes we have in our midst! #comicconfcpl

Superhero Training Camp Certificate
Once you have completed your superhero training, print this certificate and display for all to see!

Superhero Training

Cardboard City:

Tape up empty boxes.
Decorate those boxes to look like buildings.
Set them up in a safe space to make it look like a city.
Knock those buildings down to save the day!
Repeat as much as you like.

Obstacle Course:

Here are some suggestions for obstacle course activities. These were done with chalk on a sidewalk, but make it your own!

Walk across imaginary fire!
Jump super far!
Practice flying!
Leap over tall buildings!
Strike a super pose!

Castle Panic
Castle Panic is a cooperative board game in which players must team together to defend their tower against hordes of goblins, trolls and orcs. Together they trade cards, slay monsters and work together to keep the tower intact. For 1-6 players, ages 10 and up. Playing time: 1 hour.
The Cat's Pajamas
Just a basic understanding of numbers, shapes, and colors will help children as young as 3 enjoy game night with the family! It's a race to see who can get down to the last pair of pajamas first. Roll the dice, count the spaces, and match to remove layers of clothes. 2-4 players. Preschool age.
Here, Kitty, Kitty!
Here, Kitty, Kitty! is a silly, fast-paced cat collecting game. Players try to lure cats onto their property, up on the porch, and into their houses as their neighbors try to do the same—even trying to steal each other’s cats. Stray dog, hairballs, open window, catnip and a host of other cards will have players working hard to find and keep all the cats they can get their paws on. For 3-6 players, ages 10 and up. Playing time: 20-30 minutes.
Illimat
Illimat is has the look and feel of a mysterious game that might be discovered while exploring an attic. Cards are played in different fields, each governed by the rules of the season. But summer can become fall in the blink of an eye, and powerful Luminary cards can be revealed, forcing players to quickly re-evaluate their strategy. For 2-4 players; ages 12 and up. Playing time: 15 - 45 minutes.
Takenoko
In this lighthearted competitive board game, players compete to fulfill objectives as they build a giant bamboo plantation, grow bamboo in various colors and sizes, and keep a very hungry panda satisfied. For 2-4 players, recommended for ages 8 and up. Playing time: 45 minutes.

Here are some links to resources for playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Art Activities

Learn to Draw a Mermaid
Follow this guide from Andrews McMeel publishing to learn how to draw a mermaid.
Learn to Draw Phoebe and Friends
Find out how to draw Phoebe, her unicorn, and all her other friends with this guide from Andrews McMeel publishing.
Learn to Create a Cartoon with Phoebe and Her Unicorn
Create your own cartoon strip with this guide from Andrew McMeel publishing.
Stage a Unicorn Play
Use this handy guide to create a Phoebe and Her Unicorn stage play complete with costume ideas and stage set up. From Andrew McMeel publishing.

Comic Academy with John Gallagher! Here are some video guides from the author of Max Meow Cat Crusader.

Podcast Recommendations and Reviews

The world of podcasting is vast and seemingly limitless in terms of subject matter. Virtually any interest you have will be represented by a show out there. The downside of that is the amount of choices can be overwhelming, like a Cheesecake Factory Menu. So, we thought we would curate a few excellent shows to narrow down your nerdy needs.

Overdue Podcast
Life is busy. I think this reality clutches a fair number of us, and can seriously put a damper on our time to read. All this to say the hosts of the podcast Overdue found themselves in said situation. Craig and Andrew have been friends since college, and are busy adults now with work and families. They noticed they hadn’t read for pleasure in many years, so they made a plan: Start a podcast. This way, they were committed to reading at least one book a week.

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The premise was simple; each week one would read a book they both had never read, and then have a discussion about it on the show. They began mostly tackling what they would go on to refer to as the Dead White Man Canon (The tagline is “These are the books you should have read by now”). But that quickly became boring. They wanted to be more inclusive, so they made it their mission to vary their selections with authors of color, LGBTQ+ community members, different nationalities, and other writers of a diverse background. They still cover “the classics” but over the years their choices week to week have become more varied.
The show is a mix of literary discussion and comedy, as the two are naturally funny, and their chemistry is off the charts. This is a spoiler show so be warned. If it’s a book you want to read first you can always skip around, as their impressive back catalog will keep you engaged for months. Another refreshing thing about the show is they don’t take themselves too seriously. They reiterate they are not literary critics, just two dopey friends that like to talk about books No matter what you like to read, there’s something for you.
The Dana Gould Hour
If you are unfamiliar, Dana Gould is a standup comedian, actor, and writer. The Dana Gould Hour is a unique podcast experience because it is extremely produced, with multiple segments, some prerecorded, a soundtrack, and other fun bells and whistles. Dana is obsessed with show business so that’s no real surprise.

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There is always at least one guest and they’re more often than not either hilarious or fascinating. Gould’s interest varies from pop culture to history to current events. He’s also captivated by old Hollywood, monster movies, and The Planet of the Apes series (the original). With such a wide milieu of minor and major obsessions, Dana finds guests that can scratch every nerdy itch imaginable.
Kingslingers
This one is a limited run, but it is still ongoing. Our two hosts Scott and Matt tackle Stephen King’s magnum opus, “The Dark Tower”, a seven book series that has spawned a legion of fans, controversial critiques, a prequel, comic books, and a movie. It took King decades to complete his masterpiece, but it was well worth it.

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The podcast tackles the books in parts and are a bit lengthy. However, the hosts do a lot of research beforehand and have noted they essentially write scripts and then let the discussion flow around that. They are very good at it, and it makes for a gentle, dreamlike pace that you can really get lost in.
King’s dive into sci-fi/fantasy has its detractors, especially as the books progress. Be wary of that if you are one of them, as these hosts find very little to quibble with and heaps and mounds to praise. They also use a tried and true podcasting method where one host has read the books and the other is reading for the first time, allowing for the former to be a literary Sherpa for their fresh faced friend.
A bit of a niche topic to be sure, but for those who love King, The Dark Tower series, or even just sci-fi and fantasy in general, this is a real gem. Now go, for there are other worlds than these.
Office Ladies
Office Ladies is a bouncy, casual show retrospective by two stars of “The Office”, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. Best friends in real life, it’s no surprise these two can play off each other with hilarious zeal and energy.

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The Office has become an important cultural touchstone in the last few years. Having a podcast about it by people who made it and continue to be passionate about the multi season project is a breath of fresh air. Another cool thing about their perspective is they can offer behind the scene stories, including uproarious outtake examples, and production secrets. Plus, they are both charming, engaging, and warm, and that makes for great weekly listening.
The Simpsons Index
“The Simpsons Index. An online spreadsheet that is also a podcast. This, is, the podcaaaaast!” That’s how the taped intro begins each episode of this delightful Australian podcast. Hosted by Elliot J O’Neal and BT Calloway, two friends who love (and hate) the pop cultural juggernaut The Simpsons. Each episode has at least one guest, sometimes two or three, other friends of theirs and sometimes fellow podcasters. This is another good example of great chemistry winning the day, and the shows breeze along at a comforting pace. It’s also just nice sometimes to hear friends make each other laugh.

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The show consists of three (well really five, more on that later) segments. They watch and review three episodes of The Simpsons, but each show must come from a different decade. What does this mean exactly? Well, for the most part, it means the first two segments are from eras when the show is decidedly, er, not good. And then the final segment comes from the classic era Simpsons (’89-’99). At the end of each segment they rate them based on their patented 6 tier system The joy of that part of the show is listening to them in exasperation pick apart how ridiculous and frustrating the show has become. And then of course, the final segment is just pure bliss, as you revel in a group of friends delight in the glory that was Simpsons at its peak genius.

They close the show out with a what have you been into, books, movies, tv, video games, basically anything pop culture. And finally they’re a bonus segment of outtakes that didn’t quite make the cut for the show proper, but were still hilarious enough to keep in at the end. And of course, if this all isn’t enough, you get to listen to people talk in Australian accents for two hours a week, what could be better than that?