THE CRAZY WONDERCON COUNTDOWN IS BACK AND MIXING THING UP!!!

Welcome to March CRAZIES!!!  The very first day no less and two months in a row now we're starting the blog on the first day of the month!  How cool is that?  Know what's cooler?  We are now just over three weeks away from WonderCon 2023!  It was a rough go for a couple of years there with the pandemic and all, but cons are back and operating safely and we're all for it here at the CRAZYVERSE!!!  

But of course, we still have quite a wait ahead of us here, so while we wait, how about we take a stroll back to the glorious past where we revisit not just the fun of WonderCon, but its predecessor, WizardWorld as well?  We are setting the Wayback Machine waaaaaaaay back to 2010!  The city was Anaheim and the month was April, the weekend before my 26th birthday no less!  It was the first time in my adult life that I could afford to go on a road trip and I made count!  Hold on to your underoos kids, because the CRAZY WonderCon Countdown is a go!  Enjoy...

Kato is an avid collector of buttons and pins.  He has good taste!

One of my all-time favorite cosplay groups!  This is but a small section of the dozens of cosplayers that showed up doing a 60's Batman!  These people could hardly take a step without posing for a picture that weekend!  I just hope the kid playing Robin got a Disneyland trip out of the deal for wearing that getup for a whole weekend!  He was clearly a good sport!

Quite literally the voices of my childhood standing behind that table there!  All them were super cool and couldn't have been friendlier!

We now make the jump to WizardWorld 2011 with dearly departed but still legendary Jedi Elvis.  This dude was a staple at cons all throughout Southern California.  He was always very friendly and down to take pics and even hosted a few parties during the cons.  He's very much missed but still fondly remembered.

Holy crowded aisle ways Batman!

Even Bounty Hunters like to game when they can!

The thing I really liked about the WizardWorld shows was how chill they were.  They were not smalltime by any means, but I never felt the need to rush when I went to one of their cons.  I guess it's known as FanExpo now, or something to that liking.  I just hope they never lose that chill vibe regardless of the name.

As Kermit would sing, moving right along, we now scoot along with R2-D2 to 2012 and the very first WonderCon held in Anaheim!  What was only supposed to be a three year stay has turned into a SoCal tradition, despite one of the con's more prominent neighbors not being fans.  It was also my first time tabling at a con and boy what a rush THAT was.  Always start small folks.  You can't dive if you don't know how to swim!

More bounty hunters!  We do NEED that scum!  Especially if youre a Disney+ executive!

Cant we all just get along?

He's bringing the thunder y'all!

Making another time leap hear to WonderCon 2013 and HOLY HELL!!!  Is the Count just swallowing his victims whole now?!?

And to think, it would be six more years before Lucasfilm FINALLY did something bounty hunter-related in Star War media.

Some rare Spirit cosplay, but I'm for it!

These necron knights are quite menacing!

And with that, we now jump too 2014 and this prize catch!  I'm almost certain the only reason tighty whities even exist still is for Quailman cosplay!

It's amazing the kind of things one can create with craft foam and PVC pipe!

Always down for some puppetry enthusiasts!

Could you imagine if Homer had sold his soul for THAT donut?!?

And now we enter our final stretch at WonderCon 2015!  My last year tabling at the show and Lydia Deitz was kind enough to stop by and chat for a bit!  Hopefully her camera has better focus than mine does!

Usually its guys with inflatable girlfriends hanging around at the cons!

I would so rock this jacket!

And finally, a farewell from R4, the unsung hero of the Star Wars universe!

And that was quite the blast from the past!  Two cons totaling six years of memories, some better than others.  The reason for this potpourri post if you will is that I simply didn't have enough pics to do a full six weeks of WonderCon posts!  Not having it in 2020 and 2021 set me back a bit and the year I tabled there didn't net me many pictures either as I wasn't able to walk around and see things.  The 2014 and 2015 sections especially I had to scrape the barrel to find those pics!  Frankly, I'm amazed I had so many from 2010 and 2011 left over to sort through!  Next year should be normal again as I will have six years to choose from again.  In the mean time, enjoy the glorious past!

That's all for now but fear not!  More cool pics are coming up next week and in the weeks following as our CRAZY WonderCon Countdown continues!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

WONDERCON 2020: NINE DAYS AND COUNTING!!!

Welcome to April CRAZIES!!!  Did you all know that WonderCon is next week?  You did?  Alright, who spilled the beans?  Seriously, they're all over the place!  A cartoonist/blogger could slip and fall on that!  Anyway, we are inching closer to the big show and continuing our countdown!  The stakes are high this year as WonderCon moves back to Easter weekend, a move I'm not very happy with to be honest as Disneyland crowds will add to the mayhem.  It is what it is though and should still be a fun time to be had by all... Albeit in more-cramped-than-usual spaces!

Well, I've said my piece and set the Wayback Machine to our destination.  We are heading to the year 2015 y'all, so make sure your epic game of D&D set up and saved and hang on tight to your Code Red Mountain Dews, because the countdown is once again on!  Enjoy...

The Power Rangers patrolled the halls all weekend long, keeping WonderCon free of internet trolls! 

Spawn was in the house and had a special message for John Leguizamo!  This is a family site though, so I won't repeat it! 

That's a lotta leather and chains there! 

Kit Fisto!  Is it me or does anybody else think that Lucas dropped the ball with this character?  As brief as his heroics are in Attack of the Clones, it really did feel like a teaser for something a little bit bigger in Revenge of the Sith.  Maybe there's a Disney+ series in the works?

It's Woody!  Howdy howdy howdy! 

Lilly!  Grandpa and Herman have done it again! 

The King of the Monsters was prowling down my aisle looking for executives from Warner Bros and Legendary Films!  He's not too happy about humans being the primary focus of his latest movies!

An Astrodroid!  These little guys always make things fun.  At least until you trip over one!

The Pink Ranger was really interested in my art and even bought a few Mike & Mindy paper craft kits!  She then helped battle a giant monster that surfaced from the Hall B bathrooms! 

Not sure which is cooler here: The Patriotic Mario costume or the Gameboy Camera he's using! 

Quailman is in the house and rocking those tighty whities proudly! 

DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!  ARMS FLAILING UNCONTROLLABLY!!! 

It's the creature who flaps in the middle of the night!  The daring duck of mystery!  DARKWING DUCK!!!  Let's get dangerous! 

We end things today with some art that's PHAT!!!  Excuse me, I mean FAT!!!  We all love sugary cereals, but too much can lead to some gut busting consequences!  So of course last year, I bought several boxes of Funco Pops!  I know my buddy Scott Warren can appreciate this!

And that's a wrap on WonderCon 2015!  My last year as an exhibitor there and boy what a turnaround I had from the year prior!  I almost left WonderCon 2014 in tears I was so depressed at how bad things had gone.  This year (2015), I couldn't believe I was walking out with a profit, made even more wild as I'd been battling a sinus infection the whole week!  My sketch cards played a huge role in the turn around and I've largely focused on them ever since as my top seller.  Although I still attend as a pro, I don't table anymore and have no regrets.  Aside from being expensive, it's pretty stressful too.  Even with things going right, it can be quite hectic behind the table.  I won't rule out a return to the chairs side of the aisle, especially since I ain't getting any younger, but for now, I'm really enjoying just walking around and seeing things.  And I'm proud that I could walk out of WonderCon 2015 with my head held very high!  This will also be the end of the line for 2015 pics, as I think have seven or eight left!  Depending on scheduling next year, a few may appear in a potpourri post, but for now, it's goodbye and goodwill to men for WonderCon 2015!

And that's all she wrote for today!  Next week, we'll be back with another look at a past WonderCon as we prep for next weekend's big show!  I'll have my usual tips and tricks as well as info on where I might be found roaming the halls and Downtown Anaheim in general!  Hoping to get a big group to hit up Boysenberry Fest at Knott's Berry Farm next Thursday too, so stay tuned to this blog and Twitter to learn more!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

WONDERCON 2015... A ONE IN A MILLION BREAK!!!

One week to go and we are there!  Hard to believe how fast time flies!  But enough about that!  This ain't Doctor Who!  We are in the now now, and as such now is becoming then as we head back to WonderCon 2015!  Enjoy...

My humble setup for the weekend.  Not the flashiest booth, I admit, but it works for me.  Cluttered tables do tend to draw more attention, but there is a drawback: Less room to work!  I did a LOT of sketch card commissions that weekend and was thankful to have the extra space to draw them in.

A Sword of Omens lightsaber?!?  My pal Dawn Griffin would squee rather loudly over this! 

You know who else digs this Muscleman cosplay play?  MY MOM!!!  Seriously, she loved Regular Show! 

Strong to the finish! 

Nice to see these two still hang out long after Space Ghost Coast-To-Coast ended its brilliant run! 

Sorry, haven't seen any turtles around lately. 

Gee, I never would've expected Belle to give Gaston a second chance, but I suppose anything is possible at WonderCon! 

Quailman and the Silver Skeeter!  Cosplay wish fulfilled! 

Anyone been to Gravity Falls lately? 

Could've sworn that lion was bigger! 

Black Widow and Hawkeye.  Keeping the exhibit hall safe for all! 

It's showtime... 

Thanks to Into The Spiderverse, we now know dual Spider-Men are possible 

We end things on probably my favorite moment of the con, when Casey Jones came up to my table and started quoting the movie with me and my pals Matt Eargle and Riki "Max Sterling" Medina!  Good times, god times!

And that was WonderCon 2015!  A total 180 of what had happened the previous year!  I don't know if it was luck or karma or just plain finding the right note finally, but I could hardly keep sketch cards and books at my table, they were selling so fast!  I'd been battling a raging sinus infection all week too, so it certainly was nice to leave Anaheim with something hang my hat on afterward.

And that does it for now!  We'll have some more fun in store next week and some updates on my whereabouts for the show, so be sure to come back a little earlier than usual as we'll be posting on Monday for the occasion and take a look back at WonderCon 2017!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!