If you ask these students at Forest Hills High School, they're happy to put down their smart phones and pick up a comic book instead.
"Comics spark your imagination. They take you to a whole other world, where you feel like you’re part of them. You're part of Spiderman, you're part of Batman. You're part of all these heroes," said Johnathan Fernandez, a student.
The High School's Comic Book Club organized its second annual Comic Con Saturday.
It's a scaled down version of the bigger conventions but there was no shortage of characters.
"I am Run DMC...it's tricky," said Terrence John II, a student.
And some familiar voices, like Marty Grabstein, who voiced Courage the Cowardly Dog, a popular show on the Cartoon Network.
"This is really about the love of the stuff....love of the arts," said Grabstein.
Local comic book artist Sean Chen best known for his work drawing Iron Man for Marvel Comics was one of the special guests. He says the local festival gives kids an opportunity to share their love for comics, without shelling out big bucks for Comic Con tickets.
"These kids have a lot of enthusiasm. And it's a different vibe than a bigger show which is much more commercial," said Chen.
Teachers say comic books and graphic novels have educational value in the classroom too.
"I think because of the rise of cell phones and smartphones and a lot of visual learners they're able to see the text but also have a lot of images go along with it," said Kevin Schwab, an English teacher.
The neighborhood of Forest Hills has a comic book connection. Peter Parker, maybe best known for his superhero alter-ego Spider Man was a Forest Hills resident
"I think Spiderman actually in fiction went to this school. So, he's a local guy,” said Chen.
"Maybe we run into Peter Parker in the hallway, who knows? We don't know where he is," said John.