North County cartoonists build creative community inspired by Comic-Con

Comic-Con brings thousands of people together each year, but it’s not just fans who are connecting. It’s artists too.

Inspired by the convention and their love of comics, several North County artists and cartoonists created a group that supports each other and publishes their own comics.

The North County Comics Collective meets regularly to support cartoonists. They hold casual, small gatherings at each other’s homes in North County.

“We are very local because we don’t like to drive very far for our monthly meetings,” said Mark Habegger, a cartoonist and filmmaker.

The group was formed about four years ago when members were talking about how a group of young fans created Comic-Con, and they thought, why not create their local group?

In addition to talking about comics and listening to guest speakers, the group puts out a comics anthology called Jollies that features their works. On Thursday, nine of the group members met with fans at Comic-Con at a panel titled “Creating a Local Comics Community.”

Panelists encouraged fans to approach cartoonists at the convention, form groups, and look to their friends who are fans for support.

“Who would’ve known it’d blossom into something like this,” said Rocco Versaci, an author and English professor who teaches a comics class at Palomar Community College in San Marcos.

Wendy All, a former toy designer for Mattel, said she had moved from Los Angeles to Oceanside years ago when she got invited to join the group. She said being a member has been like having a mentorship.

“When I found this group, I was very happy,” she said.

The group has kept its meetings casual, and their bonds have strengthened.

“Part of it is we all genuinely respect each other’s abilities,” said All. “See, we really like other. That’s the thing.”