Eternal Con returns to Hofstra with Power Rangers, 'Sopranos' stars, cosplay and more

Frank Patz of Bay Shore fully understands that with great power comes great responsibility. He knew that after a two-year absence, Eternal Con, Long Island’s pop-culture convention, had to return to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex at Hofstra University in Hempstead.

“We wanted to take a break to restructure and improve some things, but now we are back!” says Patz, who is the founder and organizer of the event happening July 12-13. “Eternal Con is a place for all the fandoms of TV, movies, video games, sci-fi, anime and comic books to come together under one umbrella.”

There’s plenty to do over the course of the weekend. Here’s what not to miss.

Power Rangers

It’s morphin time as “Power Rangers Wild Force” stars Alyson Sullivan (Yellow Ranger), Jack Guzman (Black Ranger) and Phillip Andrew (Blue Ranger) will unite on the lower level in the celebrity guests area.

“My character is Air Force pilot Taylor Earhardt aka the Soaring Eagle,” Sullivan says. “Fans are drawn to her because she is a tough cookie who is fearless and bold.”

Meanwhile Guzman plays the role of Danny Delgado, the Iron Bison.

“Danny is a kind and gentle soul, which is 100% the opposite of what I am as a person,” Guzman says. “I am very much an alpha and outgoing person, whereas Danny is quiet and shy.”

A 'Sopranos' reunion

A family reunion will also take place as the crew from “The Sopranos” gathers together. Attendees can meet the actors who portrayed the colorful Charmaine Bucco (Kathrine Narducci), Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli), twins Philly and Patsy Parisi (Dan Grimaldi), Eugene Pontecorvo (Robert Funaro) and FBI Agent Dwight Harris (Matt Servitto) to grab a selfie or autograph.

Narducci portrayed the bickering wife who co-owned the Italian restaurant and mob hangout Vesuvio with her husband, Artie, played by John Ventimiglia.

“Johnny and I had instant chemistry,” Narducci says. “Anytime I would be yelling at him everyone would be laughing behind the scenes.”

Grimaldi offers a new twist to the end of “The Sopranos” staking claim to Tony Soprano’s demise.

“I think he [Patsy] killed Tony because of revenge for his brother, Philly,” Grimaldi says. “It culminated in the scene where he told me to ‘give up the grief.’ Look in my eyes, it tells you what my character is thinking.”

Servitto was simply happy he wasn’t the one taking out the mob boss. “I was petrified that Agent Harris was going to arrest him,” Servitto says. “Imagine being the guy who turned Tony Soprano in on the last episode? You don’t want that.”

A popular storyline of season six was the reveal that Spatafore was leading a secret gay life which shined a spotlight on Gannascoli. “I was reading a book called ‘Murder Machine,’ which is a true story about Roy DeMeo of Massapequa. One of the guys in his crew was gay and a lightbulb went off,” Gannascoli recalls. “I gave the book to [the show's creator] David Chase and it changed my life.”

One of the most dramatic and heartbreaking performances came from Funaro as his suicidal character in season six's “Members Only” episode. “People could identify with Eugene,” Funaro says. “He was a guy who wanted to get out of the mob because he was hurting.”

'Stuttering John' and a Spidey baddie

Howard Stern fans will remember "Stuttering John" Melendez, who grew up in North Massapequa and was known for his outlandish gorilla-style interviews. “I never feared asking questions,” Melendez says. “No matter how crazy the question was, I never felt like anything was off limits.”

Also on hand will be actor Michael Papajohn, the man who took out Uncle Ben in the original Spider-Man film from 2002. “People come up to my table, don’t know who I am and they assess the situation,” Papajohn says. “Then they realize I’m the guy who killed Uncle Ben.”

Artist Alley

Many independent artists will comprise Artist Alley, located on the main level. Here guests can purchase original artwork as well as order on-site commissions.

Artist-writer Francis Bonnet of Wantagh will be selling books ($10-$15) of his popular King Features comic strip, Suburban Fairy Tales. "I really like the vibe of the convention atmosphere where you get to interact with people,” Bonnet says.

Illustrator Peter Vazquez of Brentwood returns to his alma mater Hofstra where he will be selling paintings ($25) as well as taking on-site commissions ($25-$125). “I get requests for a lot of comic book characters plus anime,” Vazquez says. “Pokémon is the most popular.”

Comics, collectibles and more

Go for a shopping spree in the vendor market on the lower level where there will be more than 200 tables filled with comic books, collectibles, costumes, T-shirts, action figures, posters and more.
Michael Hall of Islip Terrace presents Next Generation Comics and Cards, who has been at Eternal Con since the beginning. “We are a full-service shop for all ages that sells comics from the golden age to the present,” Hall says.

Bun Leung of Brentwood will be selling original prints, stickers and T-shirts he designed with parody, mashup or pop-culture referenced jokes on them. “I would say my primary demographic would be millennials,” Leung says.

Cosplay away

Dress up as any character you wish to be part of the cosplay community. A cosplay contest will be held for adults at 5 p.m. Saturday and for kids (younger than 12) Sunday at noon.

Cosplay guest star Lavie Martinez of Kawaii Kiwi Cosplay is set to portray popular '90s anime character Sailor Moon. “I tell people to cosplay as whoever they want because you need to enjoy it,” Martinez says. “It doesn’t matter what size and shape you are. Cosplay is for everyone.”

Professional cosplayer Samantha Catalano of New York will be portraying Glinda from “Wicked” and Jessica Jones as she meets attendees, takes photos and sells prints. 

“Cosplay is a creative outlet and a heartfelt way for me to celebrate the characters I love,” Catalano says. “The real reward is seeing the joy it brings to others, especially kids.”