By David Harry

Staff Writer

Saco resident Myles Carson went nearly unnoticed in the lobby of the Wyndham Airport Hotel in South Portland, despite wearing a pair of horns on his forehead. 

Of course, he was standing next to Dominique Rodriguez, a Biddeford resident dressed as a fox, and the two were among the estimated 2,000 visitors to PortConMaine last weekend.

Called “Maine’s Geek Culture celebration” by convention organizer Julie York, the 10th annual convention celebrated such realms of imagination as science fiction and fantasy creatures, kings, pillagers and princesses.

“It doesn’t matter what hobby you’re into,” said convention co-founder Ryan York. “If you enjoy something from the outskirts, we’ll probably be celebrating it this weekend.”

By last Friday, the hotel lounge resembled the bar scene from “Star Wars.” Meeting rooms were filled with attentive guests hearing lectures on animation, Internet production, makeup techniques and how to avoid plagiarism when creating a fantasy world.

It was hard to tell the characters without a scorecard from visitors dressed in vintage Star Trek Federation uniforms to Mike DeCato, who toted a large plastic chainsaw and wore a burlap sack over his head to portray Dr. Salvador from the video game “Resident Evil.”

Yarmouth native Mort Todd, 47, was dabbling and doodling in fantasy and horror before some convention attendees were born. As a featured convention speaker last Saturday morning and an exhibitor throughout the weekend, he took in the scene with bemusement and enthusiasm.

“I’ve always been sick,” he said. “It takes a lot of time to be doodling when you should be listening in school.”

Now a New York resident, Todd was asked to speak because he edited, animated, written and produced comic books, Cracked magazine and Internet-based series. His artwork included garish, colorful monsters attacking Portland Headlight and downtown Portland.

“I’m thinking about making a ‘Monsters in Maine’ series,” he said.

At age 22, Todd became editor for Cracked, the satirical animated magazine. Now, he said, he is thinking of returning to Maine because the Internet and advances in digital graphics do not require artists to travel to New York or other cities for work.

“You can do all that here now,” he said.

 No matter where the artist is creating, Todd had blunt advice about making it to print or gaining an Internet audience.

“It is an awful lot of work and you have to do it for love,” he said. “The more you do, the better you get.”

Wearing face paint, clothes rummaged from second hand stores, specialty contact lenses and carrying plastic and rubber medieval weapons, convention visitors said the annual event is also a reunion for fans from Maine and throughout New England.

Westbrook resident Sara Gerardo brought her sons William and Nicholas to the convention. William, 6, was dressed as Iron Man while Nicolas, barely 2, rode in a carriage.

“I love it. It is something we can all do, like a cheap theme park,” Gerardo said.

Portland resident Morgan McAllister attended with her daughter, Ryn. 

“I met my guy at PortCon,” she said. “You can dress up as your favorite characters and change if you want. It’s like being a kid all over again.”

DeCato and his friend Sante DiPietro said getting a group to dress from a particular series is always fun, and DiPietro said preparation for the convention can take weeks.

Dressed as Qbone from the Pokemon series, DiPietro sported a horse head mask fabricated from mesh, plaster and papier-mache. He said it took six days for the mask to dry.

A tent in the hotel parking lot was the site for games, contests, combat and a mock trial where fantasy characters defended themselves against a host of charges.

Lances, spiked clubs and shields of foam, plastic and rubber were wielded in a squared off portion of the lot in a “boffer tournament” that tested martial skill. Catching his breath after a bout with Jacob Somersworth, Bath resident Alexander Page summed up the convention experience.

“All the cosplays and combat, you don’t get to do that all the time,” he said.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.