WONDERCON 2017: A GLORIOUS RETURN!!!

Well, normally I'd be typing about how my past self is too tired to be posting about this past weekend's WonderCon 2020.  Unfortunately, current events ended that played-out joke.  But, as a veteran cartoonist and stagehand, I know very well that the show must go on and that we all need an escape from things.  And so it is that I will soldier on with the Wonder Con Countdown.  Obviously, things are gonna be a bit different this time around, but the world needs laughter, and I will do my best to deliver.

So the year is 2017.  The location is the Anaheim Convention Center.  The event is WonderCon and I'm making my triumphant return after a year off.  Let's dive in, shall we?  Enjoy...

Bill the Butcher cosplay!  Interesting character to dress up as. 

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!

DU-DU DU-DU

DU-DU DU-DU

DU DU DU

YEAH!!!  SO PUMPED!!!  LET'S HIT THE ROLLER RINK BRO!!! 

 Ruby + Sapphire = Garnet!

Even the show's recent ending, when cons pick back up this year, there'll probably be a LOT of Steven Universe cosplay, especial Spinel!

Griff and his pals are totally unaware that Deadpool is photobombing.  Frankly, neither was I until I queued this pic!  I get that Deadpool's a wiseass character, but the cosplayers are starting to take things a little too far with it.  Some go out of their way to ruin people's pictures, and that's just not cool.  Always be courteous to other attendees folks. 

Tink's been hitting the weights a little too hard! 

I'll always be of the opinion that the Joel era of MST3K was the greatest, but Pearl Forrester was a damn funny villain! 

A very rare sight during WonderCon: Open fountain space!  If I had to guess, this was early the first day before the exhibit hall opened. 

The amount of effort and detail that goes into some of these costumes is mind blowing.  I remember seeing these kids wheel them in, piece by piece, using luggage dollies from the nearby Hilton.  They had a tough time getting through security, not because of badge issues, but because the costume, once put together, couldn't fit through the RFID scanners!

Captain Mexico!  This dude's my hero for sure! 

Wouldn't be a comic con without Harley and Joker cosplay! 

One of my oldest and dearest pals, Riki Medina!  Last summer, I told the tale of a pal who put a bunch of hot shot gamer kids in their place on Mario Maker at the SDCC Nintendo Lounge.  The man above is said pal!  It's been a while since we tore through a comic con.  Hopefully, that streak will end this year.

Double the Foley, double the fun! 

Doodle Bob!  One of my all-time favorite Spongebob episodes!

OOOEE!!!  I couldn't think of a funnier way to end this week's post than with a look at Mr. Poopy Butthole, who we all know now is very much real!

And that was WonderCon 2017!  One of the best weekends of my life, I had nonstop fun the entire time!  It was also the first time I didn't table there.  It was a weird feeling at first not being behind the table, but it really was for the best.  Besides being expensive, tabling can be pretty darn stressful.  I have no regrets about it.  I love walking around and seeing everything.  Maybe someday I'll get a table again, but for now, I'm back in fan mode!

And that's all for now.  We'll be back next week with a look back at WonderCon 2018!  Until then, stay safe, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

STAY STRONG, CRAZIES. STAY STRONG...

Well, you're likely wondering why I'm not covering the upcoming WonderCon this week.  There's a pretty good reason actually: It's been postponed, possibly even cancelled.  The very world itself is on hold for the time being as we battle this horrible disease known as the Corona Virus.  As of right now, nothing's going on.  We've all seen the news and know that the going is rough.  I myself have had some tough moments as of late.  But I've had many bad days throughout my life.  I've fallen off a lot of horses.  But I keep getting back up and I keep coming back for more.  We are all in this battle together and we are all gonna keep getting back up on the horse because you can't keep us down.  Slow as it may be, we'll get through this.  We'll be stronger and wiser and kinder for it.

Today is just a small break to remind everyone to be safe, be kind and be understanding.  Although WonderCon for now isn't happening, the countdown will continue again next week.  We all need an escape these days and I know how much everybody loves the con pics I post.  I hope in some small way these posts are comforting and provide a bit of relief for everybody.

Hopefully, life will be up and running again soon.  Until then, please be safe and heed warnings.  And to all the CRAZIES out there, stay strong.

-Jon

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 IS COMING AND THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!!!

 WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  IT'S COMING!!!  IT'S COMING!!!  WONDERCON IS COMING!!!  Alright, I know, I gotta calm down.  But it's hard to do I'm so excited!  We are roughly two weeks away from WonderCon 2020. A most spectacular show just an hour and a half up the road in Anaheim, I got my tickets and will be celebrating this awesome event this final week of March and ALL of April, even though it's in the middle of the month, but hey, scheduling is everything in blogging!

As is always the case, we'll be celebrating the coming con with a look back at cons from year's past.  Today, we're going back to 2014.  We know the location, we know the year, we just need the pics.  Hold on to your Batman Underoos kids, because all systems are go!  Enjoy...

Outside of the con, these two are bitter enemies.  But when the show's going on, everybody gets along just fine! 

You can always count on April to deliver the news when she's not washing cars! 

The Witch King tries to keep Frodo on a short leash.  It's easy for a hobbit to get lost in the crowd! 

Wouldn't be much of a con without some Harley Quinn cosplay.  I doubt Birds of Prey's box office gross will scare anyone off from trying. 

Vegeta's showing off his stylish moo-stache!

It's Wacky Inflatable Waving Arms Salesman!  He did a great job of directing us towards the food trucks outside!

Galadriel and Gandalf take a bit of time away from the quest to Mordor to take in the sights and sounds of WonderCon!

For being such a panned movie, Batman Forever sure does inspire a lot of cosplay.  Oh yeah, Harley Sighting #2!

And Harley Sighting #3!  If they made a drinking game out of Harley Quinn sightings at a comic con, the results wouldn't be very pretty!

Well, well, well!  April O'Neal giving Harley Quinn a little bit of a run for her money here! 

Until 2014, I'd never seen Yoko Ono cosplay before.  Guess I can cross that off the bucket list! 

The Force was strong with this bunch! 

Well, she may be gone from the ride, but the Red Head from the Pirates of the Caribbean Wench Auction still roams the aisles at WonderCon!

We end things today with a crossover of epic proportions!  There are many changes that occur when the original Japanese footage is edited down into the American Power Rangers.  The producers here didn't think the storyline where they fight Gumby and Pokey would play well stateside!

And that was WonderCon 2014.  Not one of my better shows.  I did very poorly in sales and just couldn't catch any breaks that year.  My rash of last minute sketch card sales were about the only saving grace.  Sadly, we need ass beatings like that from time to time to wake us up.  I certainly learned something from it!  Despite all that, I still had some fun and even made a few new friends.  This is definitely the end of the line for pics from this year as I'm just about out!  Between 2012-2015 I tabled at WonderCon and didn't get to walk around much, hence the reason I've never had too many pics from those years.  If anything, I might do a potpourri post next year with leftover photos.  It all depends on when WonderCon happens in 2021.

And that's a wrap on the month of March and the first Week of the WonderCon Countdown!  It's more of the same next week, so be sure to come back and get a heaping helping of fun!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE & MINDY: A LITTLE LOVE FROM SOME PALS!!!

Almost through March CRAZIES and boy, has it been a wild one.  The CRAZYVERSE ain't shut down though.  We are gonna continue to go strong rain or shine, because happiness is what everybody needs most right now, and what's happier than fan art, am I right?

As you may recall dear readers, last month marked the 10th anniversary of my very first comic creation, Mike & Mindy.  'Twas a whole month of mirth and merriment that saw a whole lotta guest comic love come in from pals from all over the web comic realm!  Well a few more pals from the world of web comics and illustration decided they wanted to have a little bit of fun with the Buoyant Brats too, so here they are in full color glory: Mike & Mindy fan art!  Enjoy...

Will Wright (Twitter: @WillWri) 

Garnet Lynne (Twitter: @GarnetLynne) 

David Buist (Twitter: @david_buist) 

Rachael & Phillippa (Twitter: @pipandrach) 

Jean Okada (Twitter: @JeanOkada) 

Andrew Fraser (Twitter: @cartoonsidrew) 

Torben Christensen (Twitter: @Torbentegner) 

Lisa Poggioli (Twitter: caseybella3) 

Joaquin Orellana (Twitter: @JuacoProdX) 

Mr. oBen (Twitter: @OddBirdsComics) 

Jackie (Twitter: @jmieldesigns) 

Janet Gamble (Twitter: @GetADogsLife1)

Alana Zabrina (Twitter: @AlanaZabrina) 

As you can see, quite the variety here from an amazing group of artists!  Thanks again dear pals for helping me celebrate Mike and Mindy's big celebration!  Y'all made it that much better!  Be sure to give these talented folks a look CRAZIES!  Their Twitter handles are included and they're all happy to talk art!

Anyway, that's all for now!  Next week, we kickoff our countdown to WonderCon 2020!!!  Well, recent events have kinda put that in limbo now, but tradition is tradition, and the show must go on, even in blog form, so be sure to come back next week!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

THE LOAF OAF IS HERE FOR BOTH!!!

We are back and Marching further into March!  Spring isn't officially here yet, but rapidly arriving.  'Course, when you live in San Diego, most days are typically spring-like throughout the year.  But enough about that.  Today's the day we meet a long lost CRAZY character!  Who is it you ask?  Well, scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

The Loaf Oaf!  Funny, fuzzy and colorful.  What more can be said about him?  Well, a little bit actually!  A while back, some pals and I on Twitter were goofing around with some word play and rhymes in our tweets when Zombie Boy creator Mark Stokes decided to join in.  I can't recall exactly what lead to him saying it, but he mentioned a character named the "Loaf Oaf."  We all had a good laugh over it as I replied that the "Loaf Oaf" sounded like a character name out of a 70's Hanna-Barbera cartoon!  Mark had a big laugh over it too and said he wanted to see the Loaf Oaf, so I drew him!  Leave it to Mark to come up with a hilarious character on the spot, though I'm not sure if even he pictured the Loaf Oaf as a dog!  Originally a Twitter exclusive, he's now been cleaned up and polished for the blog!  I don't recall having a backstory for him other than he's a fat, dumb, clumsy dog that loves sandwiches, hence the name, "Loaf Oaf."  Perhaps one day he'll make his way to Bubble Fox.  Being a dog and all, he's a good candidate!

And that's it for this week!  We'll be back next time with a fun posting highlighting some wonderful art that was gifted to me recently!  So hopefully y'all will come back and give it a look.  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

GETTIN' JACKED WITH THE JACKALOPE!!!

Welcome to March!  Can you believe we are already two months into 2020?  Time flies but it's flying into a time of year I can't help but get excited for: CON SEASON!!!  Many big shows start kicking off right around this month along with a host of smaller cons popping up around the big ones for good measure!  I'll be heading to one myself this weekend, but more on that later.  We have also entered the Season of the Boysenberry!  Knott's Berry Farm celebrates 100 years of operating this year and a big part of that celebration will no doubt be the annual Boysenberry Festival that is always among the highlights of my year!  The food, the atmosphere, the fact that it's an Orange County-based theme park that doesn't involve taking out a loan against my home just to go and you can see why I and so many others love going to this Southern California gem!  Needless to say, a trip to Knott's will be part of my WonderCon experience next month!

That was a bit of a long intro there, but it is a new month, so it seemed appropriate.  Having said all that, how's about we just cut to the chase and jump into the art, shall we?  Enjoy...

The famed Jackalope, a rare mythical creature whose origins actually trace back to the American west!  It's basically a rabbit with antlers, so, no turning to stone if you see one or wish granting if you catch one.  In fact, there's nothing truly remarkable about them, though if America's Funniest People is to be believed, Jackalopes more or less run around wearing dated early-90's clothes and messing with stereotypical TV bullies.  Only Uncle Joey knows for sure.  This particular piece of art has some significance for me as it was done for Animal Alphabets after they asked me to draw the theme for the letter J that week, which just happened to be a Jackalope!  That round was all mythical creatures, and there were very few that started with J.  Luckily someone, possibly even me, remembered this furry scamp, and the rest is history!

Hey!  Did I mention that I'll be at a con this weekend?  I did?  In the first paragraph?  I never fully explained it?  Well, I'll take care of that now!  This weekend, March 6-8, I'll be hawking my wares again at the San Diego Comic Fest up at the Sheraton Four Points!  You can find me in Artist's Alley where my books, prints and sketch cards will all be looking for good homes!  It's a small but fun show that has some really cool panels and discussions scheduled and quite a few big name artists in attendance!  It's also a very affordable experience and won't sell out in a matter of seconds like some other shows.  So be sure to stop by, say hello and take a CRAZY book or card home with you!  I'll see you there!

That's all for today folks.  We'll be back next week for a bit of inspired art that all came about from some silly word play.  It'll be a good time for all, so be sure to come back!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!