Riverside City College’s TigerCon 2025 brought together students, alumni, and industry professionals for a celebration of comics, animation, and digital media. Held April 24 at the RCC Digital Library, the event featured an exhibition floor of student work, inspiring guest artist panels, and competitions including cosplay and whiteboard doodling. 

Guest speakers included Emmy-winning animator Daron Nefcy, Marvel artist John Jennings, and RCC alumnus Marcos Elizalde, who shared industry insights and guidance for aspiring creatives. TigerCon highlighted student talent while fostering professional connections and creative growth. 

  

From 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the event featured a series of inspiring guest artist panels. First, Marcos Elizalde, an RCC Art Department alumnus and current designer in the animation industry (including work with Netflix Animation and DreamWorks), shared his academic and artistic journey—offering students an especially relatable and motivating story of success that began at RCC. 

Next, Daron Nefcy, Emmy Award-winning artist and creator of Disney’s Star vs. The Forces of Evil, spoke about her creative process, behind-the-scenes insights, and advice for students aspiring to join the animation industry. 

 

The panel series concluded with John Jennings, a renowned Marvel comic artist and UCR professor, who led a discussion titled "Black Comic Artists in Indie-Comics" alongside acclaimed artists Sebastian Jones and Kevin Grevioux. Their conversation offered valuable perspectives and advice, and many students commented afterward on how meaningful it was to see the importance of Black artist representation emphasized throughout the discussion. 

  

Following the panels, students enjoyed free snacks and giveaways provided by ASRCC and MakerSpace before participating in the Cosplay Competition and the Whiteboard Doodle Competition, judged by RCC Art faculty, guest panelists, and alumni. 

  

TigerCon 2025 was a vibrant celebration of our students' talents and achievements, providing them not only a platform to share their work but also direct access to inspiring industry insights and professional connections.