Pop culture enthusiasts of all walks of life are in for a treat this weekend, as downtown Niles fills with characters from favorite movies, video games and graphic novels for the library’s second Comic-Con event.

Since the library hosted its inaugural Comic-Con, short for convention, last August, the community engagement team has been hard at work to make the event even bigger and better.

Brandon Steven, the lead coordinator, said with minimal advertising last summer, more than 450 people visited the library, and with advertising all over Michiana this year, he expects more than 700 to take advantage of the activities planned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

“I planned it as an event that the whole family can come to, because there really is something for everyone. There are events for all ages, and it’s just a fun time,” Steven said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for the community. It’s an art form that’s undervalued. Not only do we get to show the value behind it, we also get to help these really talented artists get their names out there.”

Steven said the event is very similar to larger-scale Comic-Cons held in big cities like Chicago, Grand Rapids and Los Angeles. While the event is smaller, Steven cited an advantage everyone can appreciate: the event is entirely free, unless visitors decide to purchase comic books or collectibles offered by vendors. There is no admission fee, and all activities and tournaments are free to enter.

Among the events offered throughout the day-long event are a cosplay — short for “costume play” — contest and two video game tournaments.

“For both of the tournaments, we’re setting the max-participation at 32 [per game]. You can come in any time before the tournaments start at 2 p.m. to register,” Steven said.

Games included in the tournament will be Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Mortal Combat X.

“We’re really excited about [Mortal Combat] because it’s a game that just came out three days ago. We special-ordered it, and it’s got a lot of hype for it,” Steven said.

Winners of each tournament will be awarded a customized trophy. Comic books and other prizes donated by participating vendors will also be awarded for various other contests.

Cosplay winners in various categories will be awarded at 5 p.m.

Discussions by guest speakers will also be offered throughout the day, including a lesson on how to make affordable costumes instead of purchasing pre-made outfits, which are often expensive. Cindy Hildebrand’s lecture begins at 1:30 p.m.

Steven said the library staff is fond of this event and comic books in general, because it helps adolescents who may not usually be drawn to the library.

“We’ll have parents come and say, ‘my child doen’t like to read,’ and that’s normally what we recommend first, comic books. It’s a great tool to get kids reading,” Steven said. “Once they find a comic book they really like, we can recommend books that are similar to get them reading more. It really promotes literacy, and that’s what the library is all about.”

Steven and the library staff encourage everyone to come out, whether dressed in costumes or not, to take advantage of the special event.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to do something in the city of Niles, and there really is something for everyone,” he said.