Hey, gang- this past Saturday (10/11) I got to spend some time outdoors and not have to do any yardwork! I was at the first ever Memphis Parks’ Comic Con in the Park.
It was held at Marquette Park off Park/Mendenhall in east Memphis, the same park that ItalianFest is held each year.
The event ran from 3-7pm and the weather was amazing, and although the parking was a bit scarce, there was plenty of space in the park to explore.
I got there a little after 1pm to set up, and there were a few other vendors that arrived around the same time.
There was a DJ, giant pop-up video game/movie screen, photo station, food trucks, a costume contest, and about a dozen vendors including a few artists like me!
I was set up in the shade near Alrose Ave. and the walking track. I was glad to be able to park so close. I’ve got a rolling bag and a wagon for my stuffs, but sometimes you have to park on the “back 40” and lug it quite a distance. I probably should’ve started tearing down a little bit earlier because I forgot how dark it’s getting now and had to pack up in the dark.
I didn’t bring everything out (I forgot my sketchcard display at home), but had most of my usual table set up. I haven’t set up at an outside event for quite a while now, and this was the first time I’ve ever set up outside with my table top striped “circus sideshow tent”. The wind wasn’t bad, but there were a few times the stripped canopy and my banner became sails. Luckily nothing got damaged (or anyone hurt!), and I was able to weight and clamp it all down. I didn’t bother with setting up any of my lights since it was so sunny out.
I was in the shade all afternoon which was nice. Temps were mid 70s – low 80s, with a decent breeze. Quite comfortable and fall-like, which can be hit or miss in the mid-south.
Thanks to MSCA prez Kevin L. Williams for watching my table space while I took a quick bathroom break. There was only one port-a-potty and it was quite scary to say the least!!! If I had any real complaints about the event, it would be the lack of restrooms, especially with food trucks being there.
I didn’t really get a chance to spend much time checking out the other booths, and I never got up to try the food trucks. I wanted to do some interviews for my “Drawing Funny” podcast, but the music from the DJ and/or the movie screen was a bit too loud to record any conversations with. At times it was almost too loud to talk to people just stopping by my table. I don’t mind some background music at events, but when it gets played too loud it can be frustrating and make it be really hard to make sales or just visit with other folks there. Frequent loud P.A. announcements can get a bit annoying and out of hand at some events, too.
The vendor booths were facing each other, with a DJ and small cosplay stage at one end, and the photo stand at the other. The food trucks were up on the hill near Park Ave. (north of the DJ), and the movie was set up next to Alrose Ave. to the east of the vendor area and photo stand.
I was really impressed with the image quality of the movie screen, with was actually like a giant big screen TV. When attendees weren’t playing video games, they showed a couple movie trailers for the most recent “Ghostbusters” and “Venom” movies.
Local comic creators Matt Bowers and Shane Lutrell were set up there (Shane was next to me, and Matt was down at the end of our row). There were several familiar faces from the Mid-South Cartoonists Association, and I got to meet a few new Memphis based artists and cosplayers while I was there.
I also met some nice dogs, including this gorgeous and sweet Husky girl. She was having fun exploring the event space in the park.
The staff played the latest “Karate Kid” movie to finish out the event, and most people seemed to be there for that than the actual comic con part of it. I had a couple people say to me that they were surprised that there weren’t more comic vendors there. I laughed and said, “It’s a comic con- there’s rarely any comic vendors at comic cons these days. I don’t understand why there aren’t any celebs here..?!” Okay, I was kind of half joking…
I didn’t make a lot of sales, but I really appreciated the invite to come be a part of it. I’ll probably do a more detailed review of this first year event and others I’ve been a part of in 2025 on an upcoming episode of my “Drawing Funny” podcast. I’m kind of torn on how I feel about the art and comics community in the Memphis/mid-south area, and the con scene in general these days. So much going on it’s hard to keep up with just a fraction of it. There were several other events going on around town (again) including a midsouth collectors show in Millington and the Volentine/Greenline Art Walk.
Currently I’ve got my art as part of the Monster Market downtown at The Medicine Factory now through October 16th.
I got dressed up, did my hair and nails, and stopped by last night for the Beale Street Monster Club‘s in-store showing of the original “Dracula“.
I’ll be back out there tomorrow night (10/14) for the Professional Monster Meet-Up and on Thursday (10/16) for the last night of this year’s Monster Market.
I’m also part of the MSCA‘s “Drawn Of The Dead” art show at Germantown Community Theatre (3037 Forest Hill Irene, Germantown, TN 38138) which runs from October 10-November 10, 2025.
I have several pieces in the art show, which runs in conjunction with GCT’s performance of “Mary Shelley’s: Frankenstein“.
Kevin and I will have a table space at this year’s Memphis Comic and Fantasy Con on November 1st (Day of the Dead/All Saints Day) at the Hilton. It’s an all day event and their 15th year! Kev and I will be promoting the MSCA there, and will have zines to sell and stickers to give away. We’ll also be handing out candy to those in costume, and maybe some free sketches to any kids with sketchbooks who stop by our table.
My next event after that will be the 10th annual Memphis Zine Fest on Sunday, November 16th from 12-4 p.m. at Havenhaus in downtown Memphis (84 E GE Patterson Avenue).
Hope to see you around the M-town!
Lin