There are two things in life that I have never had the pleasure of enjoying. The first is, attending a comic convention. The second is, partaking in the event of the year, Free Comic Book Day.

Well, this year, thanks to , 4 Color Fantasies, a comic book shop in Rancho Cucamonga, California, I finally had my first taste of those two delicacies. Although the event wasn’t billed as an actual comic convention per se, there were loads of talented professional creators on hand signing books and giving away cool free merchandise. I was quite the elated fanboy as I got to meet and mingle with some of my dream artists and writers.

Some of the super-stars who showed up were Mark Waid, Dwayne McDuffie, Whilce Portacio, Danny Miki, Norm Rapmund, and many, many others.

I even had the extreme pleasure of personally meeting a fellow webcomic cartoonist, Jimmy Purcell of Been Better Comic. He and I have had a lot of communication via email and thru each other’s comic sites, but we have never been in the same general area at the same time. It was definitely a treat to finally encounter one another.

I’m not gonna talk ya to death about what went on, but needless to say I had a great time and I’m gonna let these photos do the talking.

Dwayne McDuffie, creator of DC's Milestone Media and writer of TV's Static Shock, Teen Titans, and Ben 10

Jimmy Purcell, creator of the webcomic series Been Better Comic

John Marconey, creator-artist of Ghostface

Dani Dixon, creator/writer of the comic book series 13

Whilce Portacio, co-founder of Image Comics and artist on X-Men

You know I had to get into the mix, sporting an official ADDANAC CITY T-shirt

I didn't like him when he was angry

Amy Wolfram, writer of Teen Titans: Year One

Thomas Zahler, creator of the Harvey Award-nominated Love And Capes

The crowd in need of free comic books was massive

Time sure is flying by. It’s hard to believe that I began designing ADDANAC CITY for the web two years ago today. I remember how excited I was to even entertain the notion of creating a webcomic.

Was I ready? Would it be funny? Could I keep up with a rigorous schedule? How long would I do it before I got bored? Would anyone hurt my bruised ego and I’d quit, running away timidly with my tail between my legs?

Those were all questions I had when I was building my first webcomic site. I didn’t have ComicPress in the early days. All I had was a website-building software program that I picked up from Wal-Mart for twenty bucks.

I can recall how giddy (yes, giddy) and excited I was to actually see a comic strip I drew on the internet. Even after 640 comics, I still get that feeling of exhilaration and satisfaction. Each day, I can’t wait for you to read the new strip.
I guess my obsession passion is what prompts me to keep creating more Addanac City comics.

So I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who have been faithfully following my comic strip series and providing me with criticism and emotional support throughout AC’s various incarnations. Hopefully, I will continue to entertain you throughout the upcoming years. This isn’t just my comic, it’s yours too.