Pocket Con Highlights Diversity Among Comic Books

Written by Vocalo Radio on December 8, 2023

On Saturday at the Museum of Contemporary Art, free comic book convention Pocket Con celebrates characters and creators of color.

Pocket Con is an annual single-day comic book convention for comic fans of all ages, emphasizing the importance of BIPOC representation in the industry. This year’s convention is set to take over the MCA on Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the museum’s free Family Day.

Saturday’s event will host 40 BIPOC comic book artists and their work, plus performances from local musicians, workshops, gaming tournaments, a cosplay contest, a portfolio review and a youth interview with Eve L. Ewing. The convention is also hosting a youth art competition, split up into age group categories.

^{Elgin Bokari, one of Pocket Con’s founders, discussing the convention’s takeover at the Museum of Contemporary Art in the Vocalo studio. Morgan Ciocca/Vocalo Radio}

Pocket Con was begun in 2012 by a small group of BIPOC comic book enthusiasts, including Elgin Bokari. At the time, Bokari was teaching a class on illustration and comic books for the Gary Comer Youth Center.

“We were doing illustration projects, having kids do self-portraits and make their own characters,” Bokari reflected. “Anime was really, really popular at the time. There wasn’t a lot of Black representation when it comes to anime characters or anything like that… When we were asking kids to make their own characters, they drew images that didn’t necessarily look like them.”

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Determined to give kids the opportunity to see diversity in comics, Bokari got connected with more local Black artists and illustrators — including Turtel Onli, “the Father” of the “Black Age of Comics” — and co-founded Pocket Con with Kendra Wilk to put the spotlight on creators of color.

“[These kids] have to see you doing it,” Bokari said. “They have to see artists that are doing it … We need Black artists, that’s why we’re bringing it to them.”

The first convention took place at the Gary Comer Youth Center, and was completely free of charge. One of the first year’s attendees included D-Nick, front-man of Chicago hip-hop group The Microphone Misfitz. According to their Twitter bio, “the ‘Fitz’ use Hip-Hop and Comics to enlighten and entertain,” personifying each member with a comic book illustration. Also a youth activist, D-Nick brought a group of kids on a field trip to check out the inaugural convention.

^{D-Nick is one of the convention’s first performers, and he sat down with Vocalo Radio to share the importance of introducing comics to kids of color. Morgan Ciocca/Vocalo Radio}

“I’m really active about bringing kids that wouldn’t normally get in these spaces, in these spaces,” D-Nick reflected. “Because [these conventions are usually] super expensive.”

After 12 years, both Bokari and D-Nick are still involved with Pocket Con, and are just as excited about the event as the first time. Pocket Con has grown exponentially in its programming, moving to the MCA for the first time this year, and continues to be a free, family-friendly event. For Bokari, the purpose has never been to make money but to give Chicago youth access to the arts community, and see themselves reflected in the featured artists and characters.

Saturday’s event begins at 10 a.m., with live music starting closer to 11 a.m. Performers include D-Nick’s group, The Microphone Misfitz. Leading up to the event, Bokari and D-Nick stopped by the Vocalo studio to discuss the convention’s importance and how it got started. Find more information on the MCA’s website.