Your Perfect Weekend: November 6-8

FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY

Saturday, November 6

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a grown-ass man in his underwear? It’s none of these (you’re thinking of Comic Con)—it’s the first-ever KingCon (Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Ave between President and Union Sts, Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-857-4816, kingconbrooklyn.com; Sat, Sun 11am–7pm; $7, weekend pass $10; children under 12 $5, weekend pass $7), a gathering of Brooklyn’s finest visual artists and animators. There are panels with luminaries like American Splendor creator Harvey Pekar, a classic 8-bit computer game tournament and a LolCat captioning contest, but not a shred of spandex to be seen.

If, on the other hand, you can’t make it through another Saturday without a glimpse of that skin-tight sheen, go wild at Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School (Slipper Room, 167 Orchard St at Stanton St; 212-253-7246, drsketchy.com; 4–7pm, $12, advance $10) with a tribute to the book Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Joe Shuster by Craig Yoe. Turns out Shuster, the legendary co-creator of Superman, anonymously illustrated a series of erotic artworks that were sold under the counter (until they were banned by Congress) after he had tried to sue DC Comics over the copyright for Superman. Yoe will be on hand to talk about and sign his book, and Darenzia and Nicholas will strike superhero fetish poses for you to draw.

Who shot rock & roll? Whoever did missed, because it still has a pulse, as evidenced by promoter Todd P’s line-up at Target First Saturdays (Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy at Washington Ave, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; 718-638-5000, brooklynmuseum.org; 5–10:30pm, free). Local indie faves the Beets and Crystal Stilts play to welcome Brooklyn Museum’s big fall exhibit “Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present”, which opened last week. There’s also a chance to make your own percussion instrument and then bang them at the dance party featuring music from the rock-and-rollers in the exhibition.

Every once in a while, Madison Square Garden (Seventh Ave at 32nd St; 212-465-6741, thegarden.com; Sat 7, Sun 8 at 7:30pm; $69.50–$102.50) opens its hallowed doors for a scrappy upstart on his way to stardom. Like, say, this Bruce Springsteen character, a sweet kid from New Jersey who needs every break he can get. What are the odds that a bar band from the Shore will make it in arena rock? Consider going to help support your local scalper, who, let’s face it, is enduring the recession just like the rest of us (we found tix on StubHub for $98).

A recent report claimed that 24 percent of Americans believe news spoofs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are replacing actual news programs as places to learn about current affairs. So who’s behind this trend of faux news (that’s influenced by actual news) as news? Find out at “The Truthiness Behind the Lines: An In-Depth Look Behind the Scenes with The Colbert Report Writers” at the Paley Center (25 W 52nd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves; 212-621-6800, paleycenter.org; 5pm, $15–$25), a discussion featuring 11 members of the show’s writing staff.

In its first few months, the weekly event Club 57 (Providence, 311 W 57th St, between Eighth and Ninth Aves; 212-307-0062; 10pm, $15, before midnight $10) has rapidly established itself as the gay Saturday night of choice. It’s a friendly three-level bash with big club DJs on the main floor, soulful hip-hop from DJ Lina in the lounge and popsters and drag queens performing downstairs. And, as we discovered when TONY talked with the impresarios, you may even get a hug from promoter Tony Fornabaio. Check out photos from the party here.

This week’s “happening,” in the hippie sense of the word, is at 3rd Ward, via Paper Garden Records Presents: Multiverse Playground (3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave between Meadow and Stagg Sts, Bushwick, Brooklyn; 718-715-4961; 6pm–2am, $20, advance $15). Peasant, Darla Farmer and more bands from the Paper Garden roster have had light shows designed for their music to create a “hypnotic and seductive performance that heightens the viewer’s awareness of the space, lighting and their relationship with the constructed environment and the music.” If that sounds like a bit much, don’t worry, “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” creators Das Racist will be there to lighten things up (they got silly for TONY in a Williamsburg bar), and the Art Battles crew will be throwing down in a visual medium.