Calling all Indiginerds: Elsipogtog First Nation set to host first ever comic-con event

Sis'moqon · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 17, 2025 4:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

For the archetypal clip ever, Elsipogtog First Nation successful New Brunswick will big Elsi-Con — its precise ain comic convention. 

The lawsuit promises thing for everyone and was developed by Susan Levi-Peters, who came up with the thought portion supporting her daughter, a integer artist.

"People are truly excited astir this," said Levi-Peters.

For years, Levi-Peters and her household person sold crafts and creation astatine East Coast Comic Expo, a comic normal based in Moncton, N.B., to assistance substance her daughter's originative passion.

Through attending these events, Levi-Peters recovered herself inspired by the welcoming and originative community.

"It'd beryllium 2 days of us forgetting astir everything and enjoying life," she said.

"I wanted our full assemblage to acquisition the comic normal successful Moncton, alternatively I brought it home."

The effect is Elsi-Con, a historical afloat time lawsuit packed with excitement hosted in Elsipogtog, a Mi'kmaw community 90 kilometres northbound of Moncton. 

Levi-Peters said she believes the cosplay facet volition beryllium a large deed successful Elsipogtog.

"The astir fashionable time successful Elsipogtog is Halloween due to the fact that Indians conscionable emotion to formal up, radical successful Big Cove [Elsipogtog], anyway," said Levi-Peters. 

"I cognize they're gonna spell each out."

To assistance bring this imaginativeness to life, Levi-Peters connected with Scott Tingley and Brad MacDonald, 2 organizers of East Coast Comic Expo, during the amusement this past June.

Tingley said lot of ideas with antithetic organizations person travel and gone, with thing coming to fruition. 

But specified hours aft mentioning the thought successful June, Levi-Peters had the venue, Chief Young Eagle Hockey Arena, and information already booked. 

"The information that it's the archetypal clip being done present was the selling diagnostic for us," explained MacDonald.

"That's historic."

The duo said their Moncton-based expo draws successful crowds of thousands to the area, and hope Elsi-Con volition beryllium the same. 

Support comes in 

East Coast Comic Expo is helping Elsipogtog organizers with the basics successful organizing with the anticipation that the assemblage volition beryllium capable to grow this lawsuit successful the future and go self-sufficient.

"We perfectly don't person each the answers, but we cognize a batch of the close questions," said Tingley.

Kylie Francis, Elsipogtog's recreation manager, is being trained successful skills similar hiring talent, organizing vendors, organizing artists and managing finances.

"Everything is conscionable falling into my lap," said Francis.

"They're grooming maine to proceed [Elsi-Con]."

Francis said she is particularly excited to showcase talented artists from Elsipogtog, who haven't had the accidental to instrumentality portion successful thing similar this before. 

"We're truly excited to get them to travel retired and unfastened up their vendor booths oregon conscionable to amusement their creation and their creativity," said Francis.

"This is simply a abstraction wherever they tin consciousness harmless and person fun."

Susan Levi-Peters, said due to the fact that of her community's support, she is assured the day-long lawsuit volition spell well. 

"Once they cognize however it is, they're gonna emotion it," she said. 

Elsi-Con is slated for Sat., Aug. 23 and is unfastened to all. Organizers accidental they are inactive accepting vendor and sponsorship applications.