San Antonio Pop Con 2019 is a wrap! Thanks for bringing the love yesterday, SA! You were amazing.
I’m hearing that on a very busy events day in the Alamo City, the attendance this year exceeded last year’s inaugural number, and when you consider that the Author and Artist Guest Rosters were loaded with legends, cult favorites, and rising stars — this was a helluva sophomore year for Pop Con. WELL DONE, SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY. Hats off to Pop Con Goddesses and Gods — Rhonda Woolhouse, Connie Hejl, Haley Holmes, and all of the amazing librarians and volunteers who pour their hearts and souls into this unique festival (and thanks to artist Lauren Raye Snow for helping to manage my booth).
San Antonio is the home of Alamo City Comic Con, a major Fall gathering focused upon celebrity autographings, artist appearances, and an ocean of vendors. San Antonio Book Festival is an April tradition focused upon a strict schedule of author-only appearances, but does not welcome the visual arts end of publishing in a significant way. That’s a word-only event. Both are terrific on their own, BUT that leaves a large ‘third-coast’ pop culture territory that is fast becoming the domain of San Antonio Pop Con, where authors and artists lineups are carefully curated by the SAPL, alongside appearances by voice actors and pop icons. Gaming, anime, comics, books, art, YA novels, film, and major screen media fanbases are all celebrated and welcomed here, and it makes this event a potentially potent, annual literary and arts gala.
New York Times-bestselling author Kelley Armstrong and World Fantasy Award-winning artist Gregory Manchess were the headliners this year, along with the legendary Michael Moorcock, bestselling author Shea Serrano, last year’s Pop Con Guest of Honor C. Robert Cargill, Gonzalo Alvarez, Wes Hartman, Allison Stanley, Freddy Lopez, Jr. and many more. I think with increased media support from TV and print outlets, coordinated advance publicity, and continued championing by the SAPL librarians and staff — San Antonio Pop Con can fill a void that no other event can, and it will build a flagship 21st-century culture for a town that’s so often a mere follower, but perhaps is now ready to lead, thanks to SAPL.
I’m sincerely impressed by what Rhonda and team are building here, and as always, I’m grateful to EVERYONE who swung by my booth to score my art swag and especially all of the Loteria Cards, Posters and Prints this weekend. It was a GREAT day. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it, SAPL!
(Photos by @thepunisher210, Allison Stanley, @casuallyalfred, Lisa Juarez, Tammy Wadzeck, Justin Burke, Dianna Marie Garza, Gonzalo Alvarez, Gregory Manchess.)
Had a great time. I drove all the way from Louisiana for this event after hearing about it on John Picacio’s Facebook post. It was well worth the drive. Job well done by everyone involved in putting on this years Pop Con.
GREAT to see you and Tammy. Envious that you got to see Boris and Julie in the same weekend! You did it the right way! Safe travels….see you down the road.
This was a great event and we were glad to have the oppurtunity to participate. Grace was able to raise awareness and we both were able to engage with the artists, the authors and the organizations. Well done!