A Marvel Artist, a New York Times Bestseller, and a People's History of Helene Come to Tryon This Weekend

 

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  June 3, 2026

The second annual Tryon Comics & Art Expo runs June 6 at the Tryon Fine Arts Center in Polk County, with a guest list that goes well past what you would expect from a regional show. Visitors can meet the co-creator of Spider-Gwen, an Eisner Award winner, and pick up a book of Hurricane Helene survivor stories told through comics.

Tryon is in Polk County, tucked into the southern foothills of Western North Carolina about 45 minutes from Asheville along I-26, just north of the South Carolina state line. The Fine Arts Center has been a cultural anchor for this part of the mountains for decades, and this year's expo adds a guest list worth making the drive for.

Who Is Headlining the Tryon Arts Center Event?

Andrew Aydin leads the weekend. He co-wrote the March trilogy with the late Congressman John Lewis, a graphic memoir of the civil rights movement that earned the National Book Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, and the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. He is not arriving just to sign copies.

On the evening of June 5, Aydin presents "A People's History of Hurricane Helene" on the VEH Stage at TFAC, starting at 6 p.m. The talk draws from the Appalachia Comics Project, an initiative Aydin launched after the October 2024 storm to collect and preserve survivor stories through comics. An anthology called Islands in the Sky, which records those accounts, will be available for purchase with a signing to follow. For anyone who was here when Helene came through, this presentation is worth the drive alone.

What Other Creators Are Coming to Tryon?

Chuck Brown brings serious credentials. He co-created the Eisner Award-winning series Bitter Root and has written Black Panther, Wolverine, Superman, and Aquaman for Marvel and DC. Rico Renzi, who co-created Spider-Gwen for Marvel and contributed to the Academy Award-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, will also be at the expo.

Matthew K. Manning rounds out the marquee guests with more than 200 comic books and prose titles to his name, including work for Scholastic, Disney, IDW, and a long run on the Dick Tracy strip. Lance Footer, an illustrator who has been legally blind since birth, creates detailed work using a magnifying glass just inches from the page. He is also a decorated para-athlete who was considered for the U.S. Paralympic cycling team ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics. His presence alone makes for a story worth telling.

What Can Families Expect at the June 6 Expo?

The nonprofit Drawn to Help returns with its large-scale character statues. Visitors can pose with a 7-foot Batman, a 5-foot Snoopy, and figures from Monsters Inc., The Smurfs, and Minions. A full roster of independent creators will have tables throughout the day, and Warren's Comics will have classic back issues available for purchase. Doggystyle Hotdogs will be on site for food and drinks. The expo runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

How Much Are Tickets and Where Do You Get Them?

Tickets for the Andrew Aydin presentation on June 5 are $10. A combined ticket covering both the Friday evening talk and the full Saturday expo is $15. Tickets are available at tryonarts.org.

Is Tryon Worth the Trip from Outside Polk County?

Tryon sits right off I-26, close enough to Asheville for a day trip and an easy drive from the Greenville-Spartanburg area across the state line. The town is best known for the Tryon International Equestrian Center, but its downtown has kept a character that a lot of mountain towns have lost.

Early June in the Thermal Belt, the mild climate corridor that runs through this part of Polk County, tends to be some of the better weather in the Southern Appalachians. A Saturday in Tryon this time of year, with this particular lineup, is a good use of a weekend.

The Helene angle gives this event something most regional festivals do not have. The storm reshaped how people across Western NC talk about this place, and Aydin's project to preserve those stories in a format that travels is worth seeing in person while it is still close to home.

If events like this one have you thinking more seriously about what life in Western NC could look like, Jon Tharp is glad to have that conversation.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Tryon Comics & Art Expo 2026?

The second annual Tryon Comics & Art Expo takes place Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the Tryon Fine Arts Center in Tryon, NC. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is also a ticketed evening presentation on June 5 at 6 p.m. on the VEH Stage at TFAC featuring author Andrew Aydin. Tryon is located in Polk County off I-26, about 45 minutes south of Asheville and under an hour north of Greenville, South Carolina.

Who is Andrew Aydin and what is the "A People's History of Hurricane Helene" talk?

Andrew Aydin is a New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award winner best known for co-writing the March trilogy with the late Congressman John Lewis. The series, a graphic memoir of the civil rights movement, earned the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. After Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina in October 2024, Aydin launched the Appalachia Comics Project to collect survivor stories and amplify underrepresented voices. His June 5 presentation draws from that project, and an anthology called Islands in the Sky, which preserves those accounts through comics, will be available for purchase and signing.

What Marvel and DC creators are appearing at the Tryon Comics Expo?

Several nationally recognized creators are scheduled for the June 6 expo. Chuck Brown co-created the Eisner Award-winning series Bitter Root and has written Black Panther, Wolverine, Superman, and Aquaman. Rico Renzi co-created Spider-Gwen and Gwenom for Marvel and contributed to the Academy Award-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Matthew K. Manning has authored more than 200 comic books and prose titles for Marvel, DC, Scholastic, Disney, and IDW, including Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. All three will be on hand for the full Saturday event alongside independent creators and Warren's Comics for back issues.

How much do tickets cost for the Tryon Comics & Art Expo?

A ticket to Andrew Aydin's June 5 evening presentation at the Tryon Fine Arts Center is $10. A combined ticket covering both the Friday night talk and the full Saturday expo on June 6 is $15. General admission to just the Saturday expo is included in that $15 combo ticket. Tickets can be purchased in advance at tryonarts.org. The Tryon Fine Arts Center is located in Tryon, NC, in Polk County.

What is the Appalachia Comics Project and why does it matter for WNC?

The Appalachia Comics Project is an initiative launched by author Andrew Aydin following Hurricane Helene's impact on Western North Carolina and the broader Appalachian region in October 2024. The project collects survivor stories and uses the comic book format to document and preserve those experiences for a wider audience. The resulting anthology, Islands in the Sky, gathers firsthand accounts from people who lived through the storm. Aydin's background in civic storytelling, shaped by his work with Congressman John Lewis on the March trilogy, gives the project particular weight as a long-term record of how communities experienced and recovered from Helene.