WOODLAND HILLS─Connor Lee, 15, and his brother Bauer Lee, 13, are huge fans of superheroes. They’ve teamed up with Comic-Con Museum@Home and taught people through the online Youtube tutorial on how to make miniature models of pop culture icons since June 11. They will also participate virtually in Comic-Con@Home which begins on Wednesday, July 22.

“I love superheroes. Since a young age, I’ve always loved to craft and build and create my own superheroes,” Connor told Canyon News. He is currently a sophomore in high school and has been building life-sized cardboard models for the past 6 years. “The first thing I wanted to do is to create superheroes’ weapons from the movie such as Captain American’s Shield or a Thor’s Hammer. And then eventually I decided to make R2-D2 and Iron Man. It’s my love for superheroes that has motivated me.”

Connor said Iron Man is the superhero that inspired him to build life-sized models.

“My parents really support us,” said Bauer, an 8th grader. Bauer said he has always enjoyed crafting and has made paper designs such as paper airplanes since he was young. “When I got older and I saw my brother building R2-D2, I wanted to join him as well, so we started to build things together.”

Connor and Bauer have always been passionate about building and crafting superheroes out of discarded cardboard boxes, and they even founded a non-profit Cardboard Superheroes at their Woodland Hills house to promote the arts and hold workshops.

“My brother and I have always been huge fans of Comic-Con and we’ve actually been there for the past two years. Last year, when we went to the event, we heard that they’re launching the new Comic-Con Museum, and that’s how we got connected with them,” said Bauer. They have since collaborated with Comic-Con.

The San Diego Comic-Con International, a comic book convention held annually since 1970, aims to raise people’s awareness of comics and related popular art forms. It has since gathered thousands of special guests including comics creators, authors, writers, producers, and directors from the popular arts industry to discuss arts and projects with their fans. This year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event and panels will move online.