Fans meet favorite characters at Yellow City Comic Convention

One of the largest community annual fandom events in the Texas Panhandle region, the Yellow City Comic Convention (YC3), came to Amarillo for the 10th time this weekend to the delight of many fans.

The large lineup of entertainment options over April 17-19 included comics, celebrities, vendors, panels, games, costumed fun for all ages and proclivities at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Cosplayers reveled in the limelight and were thrilled to see some of their favorite celebrities from anime, television and film who have appeared on “Supernatural,” “The Mandalorian,” “My Hero Academia,” “Attack on Titan,” and “Pokemon: Horizons.”

Clifford Chapin, a voice actor best known for his work in animation and video games, said he had been doing voice work for 15 years, as he signed autographs and photos for fans. Chapin said he began studying the ins and outs of filmmaking at a young age, which led him to the beginning of his freelance career at the tender age of 16.

He has voiced hundreds of characters across animation, including Katsuki Bakugo in “My Hero Academia,” Connie Springer in “Attack on Titan,” and Caba in “Dragon Ball Super.” You can hear Chapin in video games as Billy Kid in Zenless Zone Zero and Proton in Pokeman Masters EX.

DJ Qualls was in the speakers room on Sunday afternoon and answered questions from the crowd, varying from people 8 years old to an older man. He made his debut in “Road Trip” before moving on to star in the comedies “The New Guy,” and “Delta Force.”

Included in his television work are spots on “Supernatural,” “Monk,” “My Name is Earl” and “The Big Bang Theory.” Qualls studied in the UK at King’s College, University of London before returning to Tennessee to pursue local theater and was discovered by photographers David La Chappelle and Steven Klein, which led to modeling work for Prada.

During his comments, Qualls told about the time he had to learn Mandarin in a short time and was handed a script, which he memorized. He was then told that it was the wrong script and was someone else’s, so he had to improvise and use a teleprompter.

“It looked like I knew Mandarin,” he laughed.

Qualls is a proud cancer survivor and advocate for cancer research and awareness.

One of the vendors, Augustin Morales, had a collection of high-end, custom-made costumes made mostly for Renaissance events. One of the jackets would set you back about $210 but would make for an unusual outfit.

Amarillo owner of Bricks & Minifigs, Chris Moore, said he had sold many items at the convention and enjoyed being around the fandoms and cospayers. The items people were looking for varied from Friday to Sunday, but he was happy with his take and shows he was able to enjoy.

For the first time, YC3 hosted a Swap Meet on Sunday, where fans could trade their fandoms with other fans.

The three-day event included a full schedule of activities, contests and more, along with an after-party at another location.

“We’re always excited to bring a variety of amazing and creative vendors and efforts to our community,” said YC3 co-owner Chris Anderson. “It’s fun to see exhibitors that have come every year since the beginning, and we love to welcome those that will be joined up for the first time.”