Mascot Launch at Fan Fusion

By Matthew Solberg, Founder and Publisher, Mascot Comics.

It felt like the beginning.

Our appearance at Phoenix Fan Fusion (June 6-8, 2025) was the launch of "The Adventures of Sunset and Meteor", our first convention appearance as Mascot Comics, and the first time general readers would get to see our book.

Not all went according to plan:

Our Hardcover and Premium Graphic Novel versions were held up by customs and did not arrive in time. Keychain plush and assorted plush also did not make it to the show. Our display signs were assembled late Thursday night while we were kneeling on the concrete flow of the exhibitor hall taping and cutting them together. We didn't know where to fit all of our product, and kept adding to our list of supplies we forgot to pack.

While this was our first show as Mascot Comics, I have years of experience as a convention exhibitor, and realized just how rusty I was after not using these skills and mindset for over twelve years.

And yet...

The massive banner was impressive. "These characters are bigger-than-life!", given their banner images were each eight feet.

The tote bags and backpacks looked great, and people wanted to buy those on the spot, suggesting to us that the characters are connecting with people, even if just their image.

Volunteers with Cactus Brick designed and got kids and families to help make this in Camp Carnival, Fan Fusion's Kids Area.

I fulfilled a long-held convention dream when I got photos taken with Fan Fusion's honest-to-goodness life size mascots of Sunset and Meteor, something I had been thinking about Fan Fusion doing for nine years.

And...

We sold copies of the comic book, our Classic Comic Book version printed on highbrite newsprint that everyone said was a bad idea, a waste of money, or "an inferior product".

This was the culmination of my vision for this book: printed on the same type of paper in the same manner as comic books we grew up reading as kids and teenagers. We want to bring that same magic that we each felt to our new readers (that would be you, reading this on your phone). I didn't know what to expect and I tried to keep my delusions of grandeur at bay. We know this will take time to build a following. It'll be a grind. We only have one book released, and while work has begun on book two, it will take time. Travis and I both know we have something special with these characters and stories we want to tell.

We're committing to six books over three years and then we'll see where our audience, these characters and the stories take us. When I started Phoenix Comicon (as it was known) back in 2002, I didn't know anything about organizing a comic book convention, other than the ones I attended as a teen were usually in hotels, held on one weekend afternoon, and they cost five bucks to get in. That first show I organized was held at a Best Western in Ahwatukee (suburb of Phoenix) just off I-10 on a Sunday morning, and it was $4 to get in, $3 if you brought in a flyer I distributed through local comic book stores. My mom helped with ticket sales (a rubber ink handstamp was our "badge") and my dad acted as security.

I rented a 2200 square foot ballroom, sold 40+ tables, and at one point just after noon, the hall was packed. I wouldn't know attendance till we counted the sales, but it felt good.

Our attendance at that first show: 432.

In the years to come, and as Fan Fusion (as the convention is now known) has grown to over 130,000+ attendees, I've been asked about that first show, and did I know it would grow as large as it is? "No, of course not." I was simply happy the idea worked, I made a little money, and got to do it again the next year.

Over the course of the weekend at Fan Fusion 2025, we sold 293 copies of Book One of "The Adventures of Sunset and Meteor".

Two-hundred and ninety three people chose to pay us their hard-earned money in exchange for our comic book that we hope will give them enjoyment and entertainment for the hour or so it takes to read.

293.

And just as 432 is a number that has been a part of my life for over twenty years, I know that 293 is a new number that will become part of my life for the next twenty years. "How many books did you sell that first time, and did you know how big Sunset and Meteor were going to become?"

"We sold two hundred and ninety-three copies. And absolutely. I knew early on that Sunset and Meteor would become beloved the world over."

It's not a delusion when you take that first step toward making your dream come true.

Thank you to those who came out, purchased a comic book, or tote bag, and helped jump start this dream for Travis, me, and Sunset and Meteor.

Jenny Solberg (my sister), Travis Hanson, Valentino Moreira (co-creator La Integridad), Matthew Solberg, and Ian Hanson (Travis' son).