Tucson Comic Con 2018 Wrap Up

Tucson Comic Con is about 2 hours outside of Phoenix and has been growing their annual con over the years. Today it’s a very well run event with over 10K attendees and well worth my drive. The show brought some legends like Dennis O’Neil as well as rising stars like Eric M Esquivel (Border Town). I was only able to attend Sunday, so here are a few quick highlights:
Overall this con had a very family friendly vibe to it.  Many stations geared toward kids for drawing, building legos, taking pics with cosplayers, sword fighting (with soft props), even a wrestling ring. A very large gaming room for all types of games from arcade to video games to tabletop.

Accessibility is key for any con, TCC had it down.  Well staffed upfront for quick entry and giving directions.  The staff was particularly friendly and cheery. I noticed some folks in TCC staff shirts checking in with the comics talent to see if there were doing okay or if they need anything. Can’t say I have seen this before, perhaps other cons take care of their guests just as well and I wasn’t aware.
Coffin Comics was there, like they are for so many Southwest shows, constantly building their fan base.  Always great to see Brian Pulido and his awesome Coffin Comics Crew. He stated he was busy working on new stretch incentives for the Hellwitch Kickstarter since it has surpassed all of his expectations.  I couldn’t be happier to see the Lady Death Universe expanding and performing so well. As with Brian’s other Kickstarters, the stretch incentives alone are worth going in on the $20 tier, take a look: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brianpulido/brian-pulidos-newest-hellwitch-hellbourne-1
The artist highlight of my show was Dawn McTeigue!  I mentioned her a few years ago, I was bummed after a lackluster experience with an artist I was a fan of.  Met her a few minutes later, she was so friendly and gracious, I spent my artist budget at her table instead!  This time was no different, she is very kind to the fans. She is also very personable, and those personal touches mean a lot in my opinion.  If you are a new artist looking for a role model to build a fanbase quickly and turn casual fans to super fans, watch how Dawn operates. I picked up some prints, her art book, and a gorgeous Wonder Woman sketch.  https://www.dawnmcteigue.com/

A great new discovery for me was Tuscon local Vic Hollins.  I was vibing with the look and feel of her art.  I picked up the first two issues of her self published comic, Wilder, in which she is the artist and writer.  The book has some trippy southwest art in the interior, I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing her at more conventions. http://vichollins.com/

On the floor, there was Venom, Carnage, and Spider-man everywhere. Seems like symbiote madness is still going strong.  Thought I would see more Aquaman, especially the keys. I think some vendors failed to capitalize. I hardly found any books that were not the big two.  I wanted to see if I could find a decent price on Batman Damned but not a single issue on the floor.

Don’t forget to check out the Cosplay Gallery!  As always, thanks for reading, thanks for supporting comics, and be well CHU!!