A cosplayer smiles for the camera during last year’s Geek U.P. in the Rozsa Center in Houghton. This year, the convention returns to the Memorial Union Building. (Photo courtesy of Black Ice Comics & Books)

HOUGHTON — Saturday, from 12-6 p.m., the Memorial Union Building (MUB) of Michigan Tech’s campus will host the sixth Geek U.P. as an opportunity for those who enjoy the hobbies of writing, artistry, comic books and other forms of entertainment can gather to share their passions with one another in a celebration of fandom.

The convention is being held to also raise funds or resources for a different charity, with this year’s being Michigan Tech’s Husky Food Assistance Network. The group provides food and supplies to college students who may be struggling to provide necessities to themselves while attending school, and it is food donations, hygienic supplies or monetary donations that will serve as the entrance fee to this year’s small comic convention.

“We wanted to highlight the issue of food insecurity,” the co-founder and owner of Black Ice Comics & Books Shana Porteen said. “A lot of people don’t recognize that there is a great degree of food insecurity among college students and Michigan Tech is no exception.”

Geek U.P. was first put together by Porteen and voice actress Patricia Summersett to bring a convention with a charitable cause to this more rural region of the country. Each year that the convention has been put together the two have evolved it further and further with this year’s activities taking up the entire MUB facility.

“It’s a great opportunity for people for whatever it is that they enjoy, to come and meet other people who are just as involved and love that stuff,” Porteen said. “And to maybe even experience something different that they weren’t aware of or whatever. And so, it’s just a great time for people to get together and just have a blast and it’s all for charity.”

The convention this year will consist of more interactive events compared to years prior as the size of the gathering has continued to grow larger and larger with each passing year. This year attendees will have the opportunity to participate in activities such as a cosplay contest, in which judges will determine a winner of a self-made costume depicting a fictional character, but also another activity combining cosplay with roleplay.  

Geek U.P.  will have a “cosplay fight club” in which those in costume will be pitted against one another as they will have to determine how their characters will fight after a roll of playing dice. The competition will be played out tournament style, and will showcase the inventiveness and knowledge of the characters the attendees are performing as. Other examples of the interactive events include a Pokémon Spelling Bee and a comic panel contest in which participants will have to craft a comic scene.

Aside from the interactive events, there will also be vendors featuring  writers and artists of diverse mediums. Such creators include local  comic book / graphic novel creator Aleksi Gray with his comic creations such as Spidersilk, Acacia Copley with crochet animals, Fishe Studios with handcrafted figurines and jewelry and the writing duo Stephanie and Isaac Flint with their science fiction and fantasy books. The creators of the multitude of art and stories will be able to interact with attendees as they sell their products and discuss their creations. 

Other activities include a sword demonstration that displays techniques those interested in Japanese media have most likely observed as well as a silent auction spanning a multitude of items from the entertainment world. There will also be showings of Japanese entertainment media and several areas where attendees can play games. Porteen is excited for this year as Geek U.P. seeks to bring everyone with entertainment and niche interests together.

“We have quality stuff,” she said. “The people who are there are wonderful and the vibe has always been super positive, super encouraging, very inclusive and so much fun. It’s fun for a solid six hours.”