A St. Albert teacher will be showing young superheroes how to do science this weekend as part of an Edmonton comics convention.
Some 48,000 people are expected to come out to the fourth annual Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo this Friday to Sunday. The convention features a large slate of panels, vendors, and special guests meant to give local fans a chance to celebrate pop-culture entertainment.
Among the big stars scheduled to attend this year's event are Billy Boyd from Lord of the Rings, Dr. Who's Jenna Coleman and Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee.
New this year will be Paul Kane High School chemistry teacher Michael Ng, who will be doing superhero science demonstrations on the Kids Zone stage on Saturday and Sunday.
The demos are part of the University of Alberta's Let's Talk Science program and are meant to give young people meaningful experiences with science and technology, Ng said. He'll show the Batmen and Wonder Women in the audience how to create vortex rings, colour-changing formulas, foam-spewing pumpkins and other crime-fighting tricks.
"One of my buddies will dress up as Robin," he added, and most of the demos will have a comic-book theme to them. He'd go as Batman himself, but said the costume would interfere with his safety equipment.
Ng said he's looking forward to the expo, noting that this will be his first time there as a performer rather than an attendee.
Former St. Albert resident Malissa Sekela will also be at the expo as a professional cosplayer. She was looking forward to meeting comic book writer Gail Simone while dressed as Red Sonja – star of the sword-and-sorcery book of the same name that Simone writes.
"I absolutely adore her as a character," Sekela said of Red Sonja.
"She kicks ass."
Serious inspiration
Comics are a great way to get people interested in science, Ng said. Recent Marvel Comics films have given starring roles to science and engineering, while TV shows such as Breaking Bad have chemistry as part of their basic plot. Some comic superheroes are scientists themselves, such as Batman, who uses forensic investigation and engineering to catch crooks and make fancy gadgets.
"He is automatically one of the greatest scientists," Ng said.
Many of the inventions found in comics and related media – teleporters, holograms and the like – also relate to real-life technologies.
Not all of it is accurate, though. We don't have kryptonite, for example, but we do have the element krypton, which is used to make flashbulbs. And while it will etch glass, hydrofluoric acid won't dissolve a body and burn through the floor like it did in Breaking Bad – you'd want a stronger acid, such as sulphuric, to do that, Ng said.
Comics get kids reading and can inspire them to be creative, Sekela said.
"Even when they dress up and it's just a little tiny Supergirl who's just six years old, they're so excited to dress up and express themselves."
Comics can teach people a lot about moral issues and offer role models for kids, she continued.
"I was a huge introvert before I started (cosplaying)," Sekela said, but dressing up as confident characters helped her get out of her shell.
"You almost take on the qualities of the character you like."
People have become far more open about their fandoms nowadays, Sekela said. Instead of getting picked on for loving Batman and having a Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles birthday cake like she was in the past, now she can go to conventions and get high-fives from fellow fans.
"It's kind of like a sports team, but way bigger than any team."
The expo runs from Sept. 25 to 27 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Tickets range from $25 to $35 at the door. Visit edmontonexpo.com for details.
