The calendar has circled me back to that electric little pocket of reality where costumes roam free, stories walk upright, and artists like me set up shop somewhere between dream and hustle. WonderCon 2026 is here again, March 27–29 at the Anaheim Convention Center, and I can feel it in my bones like a drum roll before the curtain lifts. 🎭
I’ll admit it… there’s a flicker of nerves. Not the kind that paralyze, but the kind that whisper, “This matters.” I’ve done this three years running, set up the table, stacked the books, smiled through conversations with strangers who become supporters, sometimes even friends. And yet every year feels like stepping onto a stage where anything can happen.
That’s the magic of it.
Art, for me, isn’t just expression. It’s survival. It’s structure. It’s part of my smoker’s cessation program, my way of redirecting that restless energy into something that builds instead of burns. Every page I print, every image I share, every conversation at that booth is another brick in a healthier life. A trade: smoke for ink, habit for purpose.
This weekend, I’ll be bringing about 2o different book titles, each one a piece of my mind turned inside out and illustrated. Stories, humor, philosophy, chaos, clarity… all bound together and sitting there on the table waiting for someone to pick one up and say, “Yeah… I get this.” 📚
I’m also planning to capture it all. Videos, moments, the atmosphere. The swirl of costumes, the buzz of creators, the quiet little exchanges that happen when someone flips through your work and pauses just a second longer than expected. That pause is everything.
And maybe… just maybe… I’ll sneak into a panel or two. See what’s new. Learn something. Stay sharp. Because this whole thing isn’t just about showing up—it’s about leveling up.
Back at home, Whiskey Kitty will be holding down the fort like a tiny, furry supervisor with a very strict nap schedule. 🐈 Mom’s helping out too—transportation, support, the whole operation. It takes a village, even for one artist with a folding table and a dream.
If you can make it out, come find me. Shake my hand, flip through a book, talk art, life, whatever’s on your mind.
And if you can’t make it, no problem—the digital doors are always open. You can take a sneak peek right here:
👉 https://danjoyceart.com/collections/illustrated-books
Either way, this is happening. The wheels are turning. The booth is waiting. The stories are ready.
And me?
I’m ready too.
I got this. 🎨
by Dan and Bonkers
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