'Biggest one yet': StocktonCon Summer 2022 draws pop culture fans to Stockton Arena

It was a pop culture extravaganza this past weekend for those who packed the Stockton Arena for the 10th year of StocktonCon.

The popular gathering draws fans from cities across Northern California to Stockton. This year, more than 200 actors, artists, exhibitors and wrestlers participated, including WWE superstars John Layfield and Mickie James, as well as "Hellboy" actor Ron Perlman.

Mary Yang and her husband, Say, smiled as their three children, including their daughter who was dressed up as Spider-Girl, took photos with a cosplayer.

The Stockton mother said it was her family's first time at StocktonCon.

"It's been super fun. The kids are loving it," Yang said. "They've just enjoyed getting to look at all of the different costumes people are wearing."

Yang said she decided to bring her family because of her children's affinity for superheroes.

"We plan to come a lot more," Yang said. "We're glad that they have an event like this for our community."

Paris Ferrell and Logan Pollard, a young Manteca couple, caught the eyes of many attendees as they dressed up as Chrissy Cunningham and Eddie Munson, fan-favorite characters from the Netflix series "Stranger Things."

"I honestly had no costume for StocktonCon because I always do something huge, but this year, I was like, 'What can I do? I've done it all,' " Ferrell said.

Ferrell, who has attended pop culture conventions since she was 7, said she "fell in love" with Chrissy and Eddie's storyline when she watched the latest season of the show. That's when she got the idea for her and Pollard's costumes.

Ferrell said she looked to purchase a Chrissy costume online, but wasn't able to find any.

"I had to style my own wig. I had to buy actual cheerleading pom-poms and a school uniform, and I ironed the patches on," Ferrell said.

Patrick and Miranda Purintun traveled from Amador County with Patrick's brother, Matt Hollander.

The trio dressed up as InuYasha, Sango and Miroku from the Japanese anime series "InuYasha." They said they regularly attend StocktonCon, and travel to other local pop culture conventions such as SacAnime.

"We've been coming to StocktonCon pretty much since it opened, maybe like year three," Patrick Purintun said. "But it's grown a lot. This is the biggest one that we've seen."

His wife agreed.

"There's so many people here," Miranda Purintun said. "I've never seen this many people here before. It's pretty crazy."

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Kevin Hogan of Benicia impressed others with his costume of Spider-Man villain Doctor Octopus, also known as Doc Ock. Hogan said it only took him one day to make the costume.

"It's really just like a backpack with shoestrings and Home Depot rain gutters tied together," Hogan said. "It took a lot of thinking, but it didn't take long to put it together."

Hogan said he believes Northern California has a rich pop culture convention scene that often goes unnoticed.

"Most people only hear about the comic cons in Southern California, but in Northern California, there's literally something this size every other weekend," Hogan said. "They just don't get a lot of press."

Hogan said he travels to pop culture conventions all across Northern California, from Lodi Comic Con to Powerhouse Comic Con in Pleasanton. He sees it as a way to get social interaction and make friends after graduating from university.

"This is one of those great activities where you can get out there and meet people," Hogan said. "Comic cons aren't just about comics. They're about movies, video games and literally everything pop culture. If there's a fandom for you, it's here. There's something for everybody."

Pop culture fans who missed out on StocktonCon Summer will have another opportunity to dress up as their favorite characters and meet special guests. StocktonCon Winter will be held at the Stockton Arena on Feb. 19, 2023.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: StocktonCon 2022 draws pop culture fans to Northern California