Collectibles, artists, costumes and more at Folsom Ohana Comic Con

Many people are interested in numerous pop culture topics in the Folsom community. What better way to express their love for all things geeky than a convention to meet like-minded people? The fifth annual Folsom Ohana Comic Con was hosted Sunday at the Folsom Community Center. Nearly 100 guests attended. Ohana Comic Con, also known as Turlock Comic Con, is a series of local toy conventions spanning locations such as Folsom, Turlock, Merced, Placerville and even all the way to Fresno. They feature numerous vendors and artists selling merchandise from pop culture such as comics, movies, books, shows and more. Among many of the vendors selling merchandise such as POP! Figures, Lego minifigures, vintage collectibles, comic books and more, several artists also sold their wares. Raya's Creations was a vendor at Ohana Comic Con selling her hand-crotcheted dolls. Each was crafted meticulously by Cindy Raya and featured numerous characters, such as Leia and Han Solo from Star Wars, Goku from Dragon Ball Z, Sully from Monsters Inc. and a jumbo-sized Winnie the Pooh. Various comic artists also appeared at the convention alongside craft artists. Jason Ulrich of Angry Irish Man Art and Comics sold art prints drawn by him featuring comic book and Pokemon characters. He also sold unique comic book covers with his own artwork on blanks. With special connections, artists can get ahold of blank comic covers to illustrate their work. Then, these artists usually sell one-of-a-kind comic covers. Sacramento-based writer and illustrator Branden Sanderson of Midnight Comics sold his own comic series, "Malevolent Rising," and prints of some notable comic book characters. He had the opportunity to host a booth at the famous San Diego Comic-Con International last month. "He's getting there," Ohana Comic Con host Ziggy Star told Gold Mountain California News Media. "He just needs to find his big break." Star said helping vendors and artists, like Sanderson, is one of his favorite parts of hosting Ohana Comic Con. "We (the vendors) see each other every weekend, so we become family," Star said. "We all know each other, we all help each other. … It's really Ohana, we all become a great family." "Ohana" is the Hawaiian word for family. The care the hosts and vendors share for one another, similar to a family, is likely where the convention's name is derived. Star also said it's inspiring to see so many people come to the events and engage with others who share similar interests. He said one regular at his conventions, a girl named Shelly who dresses up as the White Power Ranger, he described as "shy" at first but, "Now look at her, she comes out to all of these events!" Like Shelly, many other attendees dress up for conventions like Ohana Comic Con in what's called cosplaying. The word "cosplay" derives from the words "costume" and "play." It literally translates to people playing a role different from themself by putting on a costume. Typically, people will cosplay as characters from their favorite pop culture media, such as movies, shows, comics and more. Some dress up for fun, while others dress for the costume contests. For more information about cosplaying, please read the column "Cosplayers of Folsom Ohana Comic Con" by Hayley Repetti. The Ohana Comic Con costume contest was held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday and featured contestants of all ages. Some contestants skillfully embodied the character they were dressed as, while others showed off the craftsmanship of their handmade costumes. Luckily, everyone walked away a winner with a $10 voucher to use at the convention. According to Star, the first Ohana Comic Con started in Turlock. "There was nine of us," Star said. "We didn't know if it was going to fly or not, so we gave it the best shot we could." He had previous experience running baseball card conventions 30 years prior. After attending a few other comic conventions, Star got ideas for a convention of his own and brainstormed with his team, saying, "The stuff we liked, we implemented, and stuff we didn't like, we left alone." The success of the first convention they hosted inspired them to continue creating conventions at other locations, including the Folsom Ohana Comic Con in 2017. They have hosted each year except 2020 because of the pandemic. "It just kept snowballing to every weekend," Star said. They host almost 50 shows a year now.