By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photo, left: Comic Con attendees dressed up as ghosts ready to go to the Haunted Mansion.

July 27, 2023 (San Diego) -- San Diego Comic-Con returned to its roots – comics – after strikes by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federal of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) brought celebrity-stacked panels and appearances to a halt. Still costumes, Gaslamp Quarter happenings, the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park, and a multitude of other activities helped keep badge holders and non-badge holders happy.

While it is considered a multi-genre entertainment event, celebrities in a different genre -  cartoonists and illustrators—ruled, creating artwork for children and adults on the spot while highlighting that they, the artists, were the sources for the adventure films and cartoons that became films and tv shows. Up-and-coming artists and lesser-known cartoonists also drew in crowds.