Long Beach Comic Con happened September 5th and 6th this year at the Long Beach Convention Center. I only attended on Saturday and going in, I didn’t have much of a plan. No panel schedule, no must-hit list. I just wanted to walk around and see what happened. And honestly? That ended up being the best decision I made all day.
Long Beach doesn’t hit you the way San Diego Comic-Con does. There’s no line wrapping around the block before doors even open, no elbow-to-elbow shuffle just to get from one hall to the next. The floor felt smaller in the best way with enough space between booths that you could actually stop, talk to someone for five minutes, and not feel like you were clogging up a river of people behind you. That’s rare at a con this size, and it’s exactly why I keep coming back to Long Beach when I want a day that feels less like an event and more like just hanging out with people who get it.
So with nothing on the agenda, I did what I never usually let myself do, I just wandered artist alley.
The Independent Creators Who Made the Day
There were actually many small, independent Black creators tabling that day from writers, artists, illustrators, people who’ve worked on stuff you’d recognize and people building something entirely their own from scratch.
Jamal Anansi (@jamal_anansi) was there repping Studio Skye Tiger Comics, and it’s the kind of table where you can tell the person behind it is building a whole universe, not just a single book.
Jerry Gaylord (@thefranchizeart) had a table and if you know X-Men ’97, you’ve already seen his artwork on it as story and development artist.
C.J. Charles (@my_mother_is_a_superhero) was there with “My Mother Is a Superhero” and the Justine Doll, which is one of those ideas that’s simple on the surface and genuinely sticks with you. A comic and a doll built around the idea that your mom really is the superhero, no cape required. She is truly out to make a difference by helping black and brown children feel seen through her books and dolls.
Adewale Agboke (@sanusivision) had a completely different lane going, putting anime-inspired art on custom apparel, footwear, accessories.
Eddie Smith (@visualatrium) was another one of those “wait, you worked on that?” He’s the illustrator and lead concept artist behind Halo 2, and having concept art from a game that big and close enough to really look at, is not something you get often.
Chuck Patton (@chuckpattonart) has the résumé to match and is an award-winning comic artist, animator, and TV director who worked on Justice League of America back in the ’80s. There are people that shape the industry just as much as the big time people.
Shayla Height (@whatthefuckmama) was out there with “What The #@%# Mama,” which had exactly the energy you’d guess from that title.
Dennis Crosby (@denniskcrosby) is known for his horror and urban fantasy work and is an award-winning author who clearly knows his lane and isn’t trying to be anything else.
This is the stuff that doesn’t show up in the con’s official recap videos or articles.
My Cosplay: Comfort Over Chaos
For my own part, I cosplayed a more traditional professional take on Joker from Arkham Knight. It’s more like he actually put himself together that morning for more comfort was the priority. Not “I’ll suffer through it for the photos” comfort, but actually wearable for a full day of walking a convention floor, because that’s the whole point of a chill day. You’re not posing for two hours straight, you’re just existing in the space.
I didn’t rack up a ton of photos, and honestly, I was fine with that. There’s a version of cosplay that’s built entirely around the photo op, and there’s a version that’s just about wearing something you love and moving through a con like a person instead of a prop. Saturday at Long Beach was the second kind. Nobody was stopping traffic to get the shot, and neither was I.
What I Took Home
Before I left, I picked up a t-shirt from Sarah Licata (@wildfanart), a smaller artist whose booth had a clear stance built right into the design: no AI when it comes to making art. As someone who draws and creates myself, that’s not just a message I agree with in theory. It’s personal. In a con full of people who draw, write, and build things by hand, walking away with that shirt felt like exactly the right note to end on, not just a purchase, but a small support for the artists who were standing right there, actually doing the work themselves.
For a smaller con, no packed schedule, no panel-hopping, and no fighting for space. It was just a day spent looking at what people were creating and talking to the people in the same space.
Long Beach Comic Con is scheduled to return next year on August 14-15, 2027.
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