VA Comicon November 2021 edition
Jordan Jackson of JPJackson Art shows off Carnage Widow, an original mashup of Carnage and Black Widow. Read below for more information on how the character came to be.
Our final show, in Richmond, Virginia, was well worth the drive. We were incredibly amazed by the incredible Cosplay we saw. Attendees were fully engaged throughout the day long convention, discussing the latest pop culture movie to the most popular shows on Netflix. See if you can identify some of these references in the photos below!
Art Way Alliance held two workshops that were well received. Our president, Eric Suggs, Jr., really enjoyed being the master of ceremonies. “I have to say, I think we will keep this going for the next show. The Kids Corner AWA Workshop area drew in (no pun intended) some young adults and folks who just love to draw, draw, and draw.”
"VA comic Con was a great time, the Marvel What if: heroes vs. villains" mash up was once again highly successful. We attracted a decent crowd and had alot of participation and engagement from the crowd. "
Jordan Jackson
Our first workshop, “What if…? Marvel Heroes and Villains Mash Up” involved Jordan Jackson taking suggestions from workshop participants and combining them to make an entirely new character. Jordan combined Spider-Man and Ultron to make Spidertron; Loki and Iron Man became Iron Loki. Our favorite mash up came from a ten-year-old girl cosplaying as Eleven from Stranger Things. She drew her own character mash up of Black Widow and Carnage (Carnage Widow) before handing it to Jordan, who drew his own version in response. Jordan then surprised a few lucky attendees with one of the three drawings. This drew a lot of smiles.
Chelsea of DedKitty Studios led our second workshop, “Storytelling in 4 Panels.” Despite a busted foot, Chelsea soldiered through and created a dynamic 4 panel comic strip that displayed a rollercoaster of emotions. Chelsea also collaborated with a young girl and her sister to create an original character: a female Mushroom character who wanted to be the King – not Queen – of Mushroom Valley. Chelsea showed how anything can be an inspiration for good design, and used pictures of the girl’s favorite mushrooms, other characters that have used mushrooms designs, and even the girl’s earrings to create the character. The sisters walked away inspired. We hope to see them again next year with more characters and a complete story of the Lady King of Mushroom Valley.
These moments exhibit why we continue to offer workshops and classes throughout the DMV area. Seeing kids light up with inspiration and imagination make every convention special. We thank VA Comicon for having us, and want to also thank everyone else who had us out this year. We cannot express how thankful we are to the artists, patrons, and workshop participants that have supported us throughout the years. The support we feel makes navigating mask mandates and COVID policies more than worth it.
We hope that everyone has a great holiday season, and we cannot wait to see you with more classes, events, and workshops. If you want to bring Art Way Alliance to your school, program, or convention, now is the time to contact us! We’ll be happy to work with you to create these shining moments with your students.
