VOA慢速英语2016 动漫迷在“绝佳动漫展”创建社区（在线收听）

Comic Book Fans Create Community at 'Awesome Con' 动漫迷在“绝佳动漫展”创建社区

Movies and television with superheroes are popular all over the world.

全球都喜欢有超级英雄的电影和电视剧。

Both young people and adults love characters like Batman and Spider Man.

不论是年轻人还是成人都喜欢蝙蝠侠和蜘蛛侠这样的角色。

But for some people, such characters and their stories are more than just simple entertainment.

但对有些人来说，这类角色及故事不仅仅是简单的娱乐。

Every year, cities around the world hold events for people interested in super heroes, science fiction stories and the world of make-believe.These gatherings are often called comic book conventions, or comic “cons.”

每年，全世界众多城市都会为那些对超级英雄、科幻故事以及虚幻世界感兴趣的人举办盛会。这类聚会通常被称作是动漫展。

Two of the biggest comic cons in the U.S. are held in San Diego, California and New York City. Until recently, Washington, DC was among the cities in the U.S. without its own big event for superhero and science fiction lovers.This all changed in 2013 when Awesome Con first arrived in Washington.

美国两次大型的动漫展分别会在加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥和纽约市举行。在此之前，华盛顿特区与其他很多城市一样，并不会为那些热爱超级英雄和科幻小说的人举办盛会。但2013年“绝佳动漫展”（Awesome Con）登陆华盛顿，一切都发生了变化。

Ben Penrod has loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy, and all things nerdy throughout his life. Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, Penrod worked in a store that sold comic books.He says this made his interest in nerdy media grow.

Ben Penrod一直酷爱漫画书、科幻小说、奇幻小说以及生活中所有怪异的现象。Ben Penrod在马里兰州安纳波利斯长大，在一家漫画书店工作。他表示这让他对一些怪诞传媒的兴趣与日增长。

“From there it just became an obsession.And I started making more friends who were into these types of things.”

“自此，我便对它痴迷。我开始结交更多对这些东西感兴趣的朋友。”

Penrod bought and sold large comic book collections in his free time.He would often visit a store called Third Eye Comics.He then became friends with the owners.Together they decided that Annapolis needed its own comic book convention.

Penrod在空闲时间举办买卖大型动漫藏书的活动。他经常去一家书店，店名叫第三眼漫画（Third Eye Comics）。随后与店主成为好朋友。他们一起决定安纳波利斯也需要举办自己的动漫展。

So in 2011 Penrod and his partners organized the first Awesome Con in Annapolis.Over 7,000 people attended.

因此，2011年时，Penrod和合伙人在安纳波利斯举办了第一次绝佳动漫展。有7000多人参加了此次动漫展。

“It was larger than anything I had ever done before.And it was scary. But it was also exhilarating.”

“这次动漫展的规模比以往都大。场面很吓人。但同样也让人愉快。”

Penrod says these gatherings are a place people can come to share interests that may be considered non-traditional.

Penrod表示，人们可以来此互相分享那些被视为非传统的兴趣。

In addition to comic book lovers, fans of video games and professional wrestling attend the event.

除了漫画爱好者，电子游戏迷和职业摔跤迷也参加了此次聚会。

Artists and creators of comic books and similar media come to comic cons to share their work with the public. Actors from movies and television shows come to meet their fans.

艺术家、漫画书作者以及类似的媒体也来动漫展与公众分享自己的作品。电影及电视节目演员来此会见自己的粉丝。

Many people also wear costumes to look like their favorite characters.Dressing in such clothing is often called “cosplay.”

很多人都根据自己最喜欢的角色进行着装打扮。这通常被称作是“动漫真人秀”。

Penrod says fans of almost everything are welcome.

Penrod表示几乎所有事物的粉丝都会受到欢迎。

“I think it’s the sense of community.… It’s a chance to be around people who have similar interests and people who really understand them and get them.It’s a place to celebrate the things that you’re passionate about.”

“我觉得这就是社区意识。这是个机会，能够与那些和自己有类似兴趣以及那些真正了解动漫的人欢聚一堂。在这里，可以庆祝那些自己真正喜欢的事。”

Penrod chose to move the convention to the Mt. Vernon Convention Center in Washington, DC in 2013.He hoped the larger space would bring more people.

2013年，Penrod将动漫展转至华盛顿特区的芒特弗农会议中心。他希望更加宽敞的地方能够吸引更多人参加。

In 2015, over 40,000 people attended Awesome Con.

2015年，40,000多人参加了绝佳动漫展。

The number of people attending events like this shows how popular this kind of media is.Penrod suggests that any new television show or movie can succeed or fail because of the attention fans give.

参与的人数显示了此类传媒受欢迎的程度。Penrod表示，任何新的电视节目或者电影都会因为粉丝的关注程度成功或者失败。

He also says more and more people are accepting nerdy culture.

他还表示越来越多的人都在接受怪诞文化。

“I think nerdy is kind of becoming the new normal.”

“我觉得怪诞慢慢变得正常了。”

Words in This Story

superheroes – n. a fictional character who has amazing powers such as the ability to fly

character(s) – n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show

entertainment – n. amusement or pleasure that comes from watching a performer, playing a game

science fiction – n. stories about how people and societies are affected by imaginary scientific developments in the future

comic book – n. a magazine that is made up of a series of comic strips

fantasy – n. a book or movie that tells a story about things that happen in an imaginary world

nerdy – adj. relating to interest in non-traditional subjects or behaving awkwardly around other people and usually has non-traditional clothes or hair

obsession – n. a state in which someone thinks about someone or something constantly or frequently especially in a way that is not normal

exhilarating – adj. causing someone to feel very happy and excited

video game(s) – n. an electronic game in which players control images on a television or computer screen

wrestling – n. a sport in which two people try to throw, force, or pin each other to the ground

costume(s) – n. the clothes that are worn by someone such as an actor who is trying to look like a different person or thing

passionate – adj. having, showing, or expressing strong emotions or beliefs