Not all heroes wear capes

Tulsa’s newest convention looks to give back

Tulsa will soon welcome its newest—and perhaps most charitable—comic con.

The Tulsa Pop Culture Expo will run October 14-15 in the Wyndham Hotel, attracting a slew of celebrities, artists, and nerd culture enthusiasts with passions ranging from The Big Bang Theory t-shirts to full-on superhero cosplay.

If it were just another comic con, the expo might blend right in with Wizard World or the other geek culture conventions available to Tulsans throughout the year. But Tulsa Pop’s focus on local talent and its mission to do good in the community set it apart.

Among the talent already locked in for the event are Gil Gerard, who starred as the titular hero in the fan-favorite sci-fi show, “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”; Justin Nimmo, who played the Silver Power Ranger in “Power Rangers in Space”; Catherine Hicks, from “7th Heaven” and “Child’s Play”; and Tom Waite, who has acted alongside and performed stunts for the likes of Bradley Cooper and Nicholas Cage.

The most unique part of the expo, however, is the organization behind the scenes, Tulsa Pop Kids. The organization is a non-profit whose mission statement includes “facilitating education through arts and entertainment.” This is why the expo itself acts as a fundraiser: the funds go first towards making comic-books available for children in libraries, schools, and hospitals.

When Arthur Greeno, the group’s founder, asked librarians and school teachers if they wanted comic books, he was surprised to hear such enthusiastic responses.

“Apparently it’s easier for kids to learn what a word means through a comic than a normal book,” he said. “They see the word in the context of the picture, and it makes the association a whole lot easier.”

So far, the organization has donated 3,500 comic books since it started up in March. With the convention helping to spread the word, Greeno is confident they can reach 5,000 by Christmas.

However, Greeno has larger goals than just buying and donating comics.

“If this thing gets big enough, why not use that money to make a real change in the community? Why not fund art or music scholarships?” he asked.

Given enough time, he wants Tulsa Pop to grow large enough to rival its competitors, but without losing its identity as a proudly local affair.

“Tulsa Pop Kids is an organization without any employees,” Greeno said. “We’re all volunteers. We started this project with one question in mind: How can we benefit the community with a business?”