Centre County Comics Convention Resurrected

STATE COLLEGE — Biff! Bang! Pow!

It’s been several years since residents in Centre County heard those terms in a convention setting, but rest assured, they will soon be heard again.

That’s because a Centre Hall couple has taken the initiative to resurrect the defunct NittanyCon event, give it a fresh name and breathe new life into the local interest of comics, anime, action figures, Funko Pop!, Lego mini figures and more.

The Happy Valley Comic and Collectibles Convention is slated for Feb. 25-26 at the Nittany Valley Sports Centre. Nicknamed “HVC3,” the convention will include the interests noted above, and will also include celebrity guests, comic artists and more.

“This area is ripe for a comic con,” said Thomas Range, who, along with this wife and 2009 Penn State graduate Matt Gourley are organizing the event. “There are a lot of student organizations that are interested in convention topics, and non-students need a place to go. The next biggest cons are about three hours away.”

Five years ago, convention goers of this type didn’t have to make those long trips to get their comic book or superhero fix. They simply waited for the date marked on their calendars for NittanyCon. But unfortunately, that event came to a halt in 2017 when its organizer passed away.

According to Range, someone eventually acquired the “NittanyCon” moniker; however, it never went any further than that.

That’s when Range, his wife Maureen, daughter Megan and son Mitchell took it upon themselves to start the legwork to bring it, or something similar to it, back.

“My wife, children and I have been doing comic book conventions for the past 15 years,” he said. “I sell comics, action figures and Funko Pop!, mostly via an eBay store, but we do about six to eight conventions a year.”

First, though, the new event needed a name.

“We decided instead of trying to get the name NittanyCon, we came up with our own name — Happy Valley Comic and Collectibles Convention (HVC3),” Range said. “We checked with the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Penn State about the name and both organizations gave us their blessings.”

After several phone calls and emails to various sponsors and others involved in these types of hobbies, HVC3 was off and running.

The convention will offer a little something for everyone, said Range. Celebrity guests include Gigi Edgley (Farscape), Carey Means (Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Eric Paul Erickson (The Last Ship, Snake Outta Compton) and Mike Ancas (Day of the Dead). Guest artists include Khoi Phamm (Spider-man), Scott Hanna (Spider-man, Batman), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Kevin Conrad (X-Men) and Clayton Crain (Ghost Rider, X-Force, Carnage).

Super Spiderman fan Bruce Wechtenhiser will be there to share his stories about co-creator of Spiderman Steve Ditko, and Eric Paul Erickson will have copies of his newly released book, “Virginia Dare” on hand for purchase.

Also, there will be some groups visiting the convention as well.

The Central PA Saber Guild will be on hand offering free Padawan training for those interested, and the Penn State student group known as Alliance for Heroic Hearts will be in full costume and have a booth to offer free face painting and balloon animals. Artists from Holy Truth Body Art will be available to get a permanent memento from the con and the Penn State All-Sports Museum will also be there with the 2022 Penn State wrestling championship trophy that attendees can have their picture taken with.

Contests are also a big draw to conventions of these types, said Range. Those who play the card game Magic, The Gathering will have the opportunity to participate in two tournaments, and there will be three different contests for cosplayers as well.

HVC3 is also offering a free shuttle bus to and from the University Park campus and the convention. It will stop at East Halls (tennis court side) every 30 minutes starting at 9:30 am each day until the end of day which will be 7 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Children under 10 are admitted for free on Sunday with a paid adult ticket and tickets start as low as $8. They can be purchased at www.happyvalleycomiccon.com. Every ticket purchased online will include a free collector’s pin. Discount online ticket sales will end Jan 31.

Range said the convention could not be possible without the full support of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, The Comics Vault in Altoona and Statecations.

“We want everyone to have a good time. Having a good time can mean different things for different people,” said Range. “Cosplayers want to be complimented. Vendors want to make money. Artists want to show off their talents. Celebrities want to be recognized and celebrated. We just want to offer a new event that the community can come out and be a part of.”

For more information and a complete list of who will be there, visit www.happyvalleycomiccon.com.

This story appears in the Jan. 12-18, 2023 edition of The Centre County Gazette.