{"id":25952036,"date":"2025-10-10T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/?p=25952036"},"modified":"2025-10-08T16:34:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T23:34:03","slug":"ethan-castillo-interview-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/ethan-castillo-interview-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethan Castillo on 10 years of tabling at Comic-Con, his creative process, and his new game, Hero Boy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What if your childhood doodles turned into a real-deal career before you could legally order a drink? That\u2019s exactly what happened to Ethan Castillo. From tabling at conventions at just 8 years old to working with Marvel, DC, and now directing his first video game (HERO BOY), Ethan\u2019s journey is a masterclass in following your passion and bringing your art to life with the right tools (hint: Wacom's been there since day one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ethan has been creating comics and art, and tabling at Comic-Cons since he was very young!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We caught up with Ethan to talk Comic-Con memories, creative routines, game dev dreams, and what\u2019s in his go-to art pack. Spoiler: It\u2019s not complete without a Wacom. Note: the following interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ve had such a unique career trajectory \u2014 from fan art to working with industry giants like Marvel and DC before you even turned 21. When did you realize this could actually be your career, not just a passion?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I find that I\u2019m constantly having that realization! I feel very lucky to be able to work with characters and licenses that I grew up loving. Whenever a new opportunity comes up,\u202f\u202fwhether it be a contract role or internship, I feel very lucky and pinch myself a bit to make sure it's real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who or what inspired your initial love for art? Did you always gravitate toward comics and entertainment?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My love for art definitely came from my family. My dad was an avid reader as a kid, so the second I started showing interest in comics, he knew where to look! As a family, we would visit local comic conventions \u2013\u00a0WonderCon in San Francisco, and eventually Comic-Con in San Diego \u2013 and getting to be around so many of my favorite artists was genuinely mind-blowing. I absolutely gravitated to comics, movies, and video games early on, and none of that has changed. I\u2019d say 90% of my favorite memories have to do with me playing some video game or meeting some artist hero who inspired my work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve been exhibiting at Comic-Cons for over a decade now. What keeps bringing you back to Artists' Alley?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Artists\u2019 Alley has genuinely been a second home to me for more than half my life. I spend almost all of my shows behind the table simply because of how much fun I get to have meeting new people and making new friends behind my booth. There are some people who frequent shows like Comic-Con who have literally seen me grow up from age 11 to 21. I can name at least 10 people who I\u2019ve known since my first show at Big Wow! Comicfest. I was 8 years old then, and to see them grow up has genuinely meant the world. I feel very grateful to the countless volunteers and staff members that spend their weeks, months, even years preparing for Comic-Con so that Artists\u2019 Alley can be as wonderful as it is. The con family is some of the strongest around. I owe so much to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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