Monsters, heroes and celebrities make appearances at Mohegan Sun's Terrificon
Jul. 29—MOHEGAN — It was unlikely there were any other places Saturday outside the Mohegan Sun Expo Center where you could see a costumed Supergirl casually leaning on a trident while Aquaman freshened up in a restroom.
It was the first trip to the Terrificon sci-fi, fantasy and pop culture event for Michele and Dan Bailey — Supergirl and Aquaman — a married couple who drove 2 1/2 hours from Hillsborough, N.H., for the chance to rub shoulders with entertainment icons, comic book artists and fellow aficionados of all things geek.
"We've been to all the cons, from Boston to Charlotte," Dan Bailey said, taking back possession of his three-pronged prop. "But this is our first time here."
Thousands of attendees roamed the cavernous expo space on the second day of the three-day weekend event that attracted top-tier artists and performers from the movie, television, graphic novel and gaming industries.
Expo producer Mitch Hallock said the event has grown exponentially since it first arrived at the casino in 2015.
"The crowds are a lot bigger and a lot more diverse," he said. "In the beginning, it was mainly comic artists but we've been able to bring in actors, anime voicers and other kinds of talent that ended up attracting more people. Then we added the workshops for writers, artists and acting, which gave people even more to do here."
Hallock said the 2021 event, put on after the previous year was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols, drew attendees hungry to start socializing again after months of lockdown.
"We thought the big crowds that year might have been a fluke, but the year after they were even bigger," he said, adding that thousands of guests were expected to attend this weekend event. "We want people to leave here having had fun and knowing they got their money's worth."
Vendor tables were crammed with boxes of plastic-bagged comics, plushies and action figures. Rows of video games were stacked near racks of jewelry, cosplay clothing and facsimile weaponry.
But it was the fans themselves who turned the event into a modern-day costume ball.
On one bench, a gauzily clad princess munched on a pretzel while a pack of galactic bounty hunters strolled past. A medieval warrior, his chest and face daubed with paint, waited in a line within sight of a pink-garbed princess texting on a cellphone.
Many of the cowled and caped attendees stood patiently in lines to meet their celebrity counterparts signing autographs and taking selfies with fans.
In one line, Rebecca Romijn, Mystique from the "X-Men" film series, smiled gamely while Jonathan Frakes, better known as Commander Will Riker from the "Star Trek: The Next Generation," show held court at his table.
Mike Cortez, 27, sporting a yellow-and-black Starfleet uniform, said he planned to be at the expo through Sunday. The New York native said he's been attending similar cons for years.
"I've always been into sci-fi, especially Star Trek," he said. "I love the way the show acts as a real-world lens put on us, especially through how its nonhuman characters interact with the world."
In addition to the television and movie stars, visitors also crowded for the chance to meet legendary comic artists and writers, including Garth Ennis, whose pitch-black take on the superhero genre, "The Boys," became a runaway streaming hit on Amazon Prime.
Near the expo entrance, Joe Massimino, owner of New London's Sarge's Comics & Games, watched the sea of attendees stroll by.
"I've been here every year since they started this, and it keeps getting bigger," he said. "It's great advertising. We get people here from all over the United States, along with locals who didn't know where we were located, who'll come here and then come down and visit us on Bank Street."
