DOWNEY - Alpha Omega Con, the self-proclaimed first and longest running Christian comic book/pop culture convention in the United States, will be held this Saturday at Downey’s First Baptist Church.

Now in its sixth year, Alpha Omega Con provides a pop culture experience with an intimate, family-friendly experience, complete with vendors, professionals cosplay, and panels.

Attendees will find many of the heroes they know and love like Thor, Spiderman, and Batman. While some religious themes do run throughout the convention, event organizer Ralph Miley says that the convention itself is more about enjoying comic book and pop culture genre while sparking dialogue.

“We are Christians who are just geeks,” said Miley. “Our objective for us is to spread the good news of Christ, but within a comic book setting. We try to strike relationships with the people at the convention, and some of the vendors there.”

Miley says that there is a “stigma” that arises around Christianity that the Alpha Omega Con hopes to break down.

“The key to what we’re doing is ‘let’s dialogue,’” said Miley. “We’re not going to agree on everything, but can we dialogue, and can we talk? If we can do that, then we can start breaking down some of the perceived walls or even misconception of what we might have.”

Miley added that many – Christian or not – are surprised when they discover how knowledgeable some Christians are about different shows, comics, and other pop culture phenomenon. Miley himself is a fan of the Walking Dead.

“We can love comic books, we can love Christ,” said Miley. “If the people engage in conversations about religion, that’s fine. But our objective is to have a convention in which Christians are welcome, but people outside can see that ‘I can enjoy certain things and not feel that I’m judged by it’… That is why we’re there, because we do enjoy the media.”

Tickets for Alpha Omega Con are $5 pre-sale, or $10 at the door, with children 12 and under free with purchase of an adult ticket. The convention will be open from 10 am to 6 pm.