With all that’s going on in the world right now, one Facebook community put together a free online comic con for all the events that aren’t going on right now. Comic Related Madness is a Facebook group run by Pops Van Zant that is centered around sharing, supporting, and loving all things comic book related! From April 3-5, over 30 creators, artists, and vendors presented their works to fans from all over.
Comic Related Madness Online Comic Con was an in-depth virtual Artist Alley as each presenter was allotted approximately 25 minutes to “show & tell” you all about their latest projects and share their originals, prints, and other products. Some even offered giveaways and sneak peeks at a few commissions that were a work in progress!
Just some of the names of the roster included: Brian Pulido, Mark McKenna, Keith Williams, Will Conrad, Jack Purcell, Jay Lipson, Eric Ninaltowski, James Avila, Enrique Lopez, and Peat Vazquez of Fat Guy Inc.
Much like stopping at a booth at a comic con, CRM Online Comic Con allowed you to interact with each artist live through the chat so that you could say hi, ask questions, or even request a closer look at a product! And there were a lot of items to see, with some even setting up a full-on comic con booth in their homes! Depending on the artist, there was fan art & licensed art (on various mediums like paper, metal prints, and even t-shirts), canvas prints, and so much more.
The variety at this con was really great, as we got to experience not only talks with creators with experience with Marvel & DC Comics like Mark McKenna (who has over a thousand comic book credits and is crowdfunding his next children’s book) but also got one-on-one looks at independent & creator-owned comics like James Avila’s “All I Have To Do Is Dream“, watch live demos done traditionally with Peat Vazquez & Will Conrad or digitally with JD Dishmon, and even interviews that felt like panels with some discussions moderated by Pops and Phil Lockler of Comics N More NJ.
There were also great opportunities for other crowdfunding projects to be highlighted throughout the con. Voice actor Frank James Baily has a Kickstarter coming for his creator owned comic series Tercona, as well as Eric Eric Ninaltowski’s Indiegogo for his book Shadow Sentry 1. Another type of “crowdfunding” was Alton Simpson offering put all his proceeds from his sales towards the NYC COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
But to close out the first ever CRM Online Comic Con, Pops brought on the legendary creator of Lady Death Brian Pulido for an epic discussion alongside moderators Phil Lockler, Jim O’Riley, Russell Oldham, and Rog Mahan.
Not only did Brian share about his experiences in the industry, but he also imparted some knowledge & inspiration to aspiring artists & creators! AND he also had a surprise for all the con attendees: an exclusive first look at the cover art for Lady Death Chapter 12: Treacherous Infamy! The Kickstarter for this campaign is expected to launch in August:
All in all, the first ever Comic Related Madness Online Comic Con was filled with amazing talent, great reveals, and tons of products to choose from! And with each day starting a little earlier than scheduled, it really felt like you got a special early entry VIP Pass at this online con! So whether you’re into sketch cards, original comic pages, prints, or anything else with your favorite comic book character, you’re bound to find an artist that can help you out in the group.
Although it was originally announced as an annual event, organizer Pops Van Zant expressed interest in possibly running a CRM Online Comic Con every other weekend until things start getting back to normal. So be sure to check out the Comic Related Madness group on Facebook and keep your eyes peeled for another con sometime soon!
LesDudis 