DINK Comic and Art Expo Recap

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

Within every single one of us, there is a passion that drives us in ways we never thought possible. It keeps us up late at night. It consumes our spare time and we love every single second of it. Our passions define us and we wouldn't trade them for anything in the world because of the happiness and joy they bring to our lives. 

Not that long ago, passions and the talent that comes from within often times remained hidden from the world. Networking and the internet simply weren't a thing, but as the years have progressed the web has helped people find new ways to get their work out to the masses and build a fan base and thanks to Charlie LaGreca and Frank Romero, two of the original founders of Denver Comic Con; they have found a way to give passionate artists that work tirelessly to bring their work to life a convention of their own to put their incredible art on display and in the process, help a new audience discover their fine work and give fans that already love them a chance to say hello with DINK Comic and Art Expo.

This two day event kicked off on Friday and turned out to be a true celebration of art and I had the opportunity to attend this inaugural session of DINK and I have to say...it was an impressive sight to see. For starters, the venue, the Sherman Event Center was the perfect place for an event such as this since it provided a homely and comfortable feel for both the fans and the artists present and that was the best part of the whole thing...the fact that they managed to pack in artist after artist in impressive fashion because the main floor was loaded to the brim with talent.

There was something for everyone on the floor and it was great to see and say hello to many of the artists we here on the site have come to know over the years. Robin Childs, the creator of Ley Lines had a line of fans at her table every time I walked by and I was able to pick up a copy of Teenage Love Zombies from Kevin Gentilcore's table that I've had my eye on for a while, and talk with him for a bit about his work among other things as well. But my haul and experience paled in comparison to the people I saw wandering about the convention. I took a lot of time to people watch and all I saw on the faces of both the artist and the attendees was joy, and why wouldn't there be?

The artists were getting an incredible amount of face time with fans that follow their work on social media or their respective sites and at the same time they managed to draw new fans into the fold as well. But the best part of this event was the fact that everywhere attendees turned there was something either familiar or new to see and I loved watching people go from table to table with a smile on their face as they found something to catch their eye. Either way, this is one of the coolest new conventions I've been to in years, and I cannot wait to see how much DINK grows in year two because to give artists who work tirelessly to get their passion out to the masses is a wonderful cause for celebration because in its own special way, DINK is making dreams come true.

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