Creators, Fans Connect at Castro Valley Comic Con
Brandon McKinney and his son at there post selling prints and comic books.
Cody Steffenson showing off his awesome 3D printed Deadpool mask.
Comic book lovers, merchants, and colorfully costumed characters assembled this past Sunday, August 4, transforming Castro Valley's Moose Lodge into Ohana Comic Con.
Based out of Turlock, California, the traveling comic book convention and its vendors pack, display, and repeat every weekend year-round throughout the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas.
Ohana Comic Con founder Ziggy was extremely friendly to the crowds that came out and was grateful to return to Castro Valley this year.
“I used to put on baseball card shows 35 years ago, and it kind of dried out, so I ended up opening a video game store,” Ziggy told the Forum. “Fast-forward to 2016, and I had some guys put on a comic con in Modesto. They wanted me to sell tickets but only gave me a quarter of the proceeds.”
Not thinking it was worth it, Ziggy squeezed a deal to get free admissions to the conventions and ended up selling more than 100 tickets.
“So, my wife, two daughters, and their husbands all went,” Ziggy said. “Then they looked at me and said, ‘We used to do this with baseball cards.’”
The convention is unlike most commercial Cons because most vendors made their own products. One table was decked out with Deadpool masks run by Cody Steffenson, who 3D-printed all his merchandise.
“I was on TikTok one day and saw this guy with an Ironman suit, and I was like, ‘I want that.’ The guy said he made all this with a 3D printer, which got me into it. I started making my own Ironman suits. I started printing stuff like crazy about two and a half years ago, and I haven't stopped,” Steffenson said.
Storyboard and comic book artist Brandon McKinney also made an appearance selling prints of Harley Quinn and comic books featuring his character, Crimson Storm.
“I just knew I wanted to draw comics,” McKinney said. “I didn’t know how to do animation, but I drew comics for about ten years. Then people in comics started working in animation, and I was referred to do storyboards for Batman Beyond.”
McKinney then broke down his professional career, starting back in the ‘80s right after college. “I went to UCLA and got an art degree, and then it took a year, maybe a year and a half, I started making money regularly drawing comics for Help Quest, a fantasy series going since the '70s.”
He then worked on the Harley Quinn television series on HBO Max.
From comic buffs to artists to collectors and anyone interested in celebrating the diverse world of pop culture, Ohana Comic Con’s small venue created a communal atmosphere for creative expression, networking opportunities, and promoting support for independent creators.
The show next moves to Pacifica on Sunday, August 11. For more information, visit the website at https://ohanacomiccon.com/