Whittier's Comic Fest celebrates ‘The Boys,' and pop culture fandom
If Eric Hauser, 28, lived in a comic book world, his character arc would include a tragic loss and difficult origin story. After all, his father, acclaimed music promoter Ralph Hauser III, died at age 41, when his son was 4. His widow Delia was left to raise their six children in their Whittier home.
But while Hauser acknowledges those early days of grief were difficult, in the years since, he has drawn a purpose from his father's memory and his groundbreaking work.
"Myself and my siblings and my Mom are still extremely proud of the legacy he created for himself and for the industry," Hauser said.
The elder Hauser was renowned as one of the top concert promoters in the country, producing shows with Vicente Fernandez at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena and later bringing Mexican shows headlined by the likes of Joan Sebastian and Alejandro Fernandez to the Universal Amphitheater and Madison Square Garden.
He died of a heart attack in Whittier in 2003.
"My hope is to follow in my father's footsteps, but carve my own direction," his son said.
That purpose led Hauser to create and promote Whittier Comic Fest, now in its fourth year and building a reputation as a Comic Con minus its overwhelming aspects and pricey experiences.
The fourth annual Whittier Comic Fest is set from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 7, at the Rose Gardens, 11201 First Ave, Whittier. Admission and parking is free.
More than 50 vendors will bring the comic con atmosphere to life, selling comics, artwork, and collectibles, and attendees can meet a lineup of guests ranging from voice actors, and published Marvel/DC comic book artists and writers for "X-Men," "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," and "Generation X."
Organizers expect this year's Comic Fest to draw more than 1,000 visitors to Whittier.
Danny Haro, 40, co-owner of Kobra Comics in Whittier, is one of the sponsors of the event, with its headline guest Darick Robertson, co-creator and artists of Amazon Prime Video's "The Boys," the groundbreaking series that averaged 57 million viewers per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"A lot of people, when they think of comic books, they think of New York, they think of Los Angeles, the big cities that kind of impacted the growth of the comic industry over time, but I mean, we have a lot of individuals that are just like me," Haro said. "They grew up with this stuff and now they're older and they have the money to buy it themselves. Eric has shown and proved that it's pretty strong in this city, because it's not just the comic book community, but Pokemon and anime, manga, and collectibles in general. It's thriving."
Haro's wife, Andrea Orendain, and business partner Michael Arreola, 31, said the Comic Fest's of previous years, while growing in popularity, still retains an intimate, community feel since admission is free for an all-ages event.
"You’ll see, you know, a little kid 5 years old come dressed up as Spider-Man, and then you’ll see someone who's 30 years old come dressed up as Spider-Man," Hauser said. "It's awesome to see."
For Hauser, Haro, Orendain and Arreola, the latter more of a Pokemon connoisseur, the pop culture world they grew up in is indeed fun, but also character-building.
"There's a lot of moral fiber in comic books, ‘what would Peter Parker do?'" Haro said. "When I was a kid, I'd think a lot of what would Spider-Man do, and you know, it kept me out of trouble. And your vocabulary increases when you see words (in the panels) you don't understand."
That's the philosophy behind Kobra Comics, where a 10-year-old can wander in and be gifted with a comic book on their favorite character, from Star Wars to yes, Spider-Man.
Then there are the grown-up aficionados who walk in searching for a specific edition of a comic and end up trading stories.
"I think that's what people really love is that they can come in here and they’ll see something from their youth or like from memories they shared with their parents and, you know, kind of taking that home with them," Orendain said. "Danny's described it as Chrismas, and I always say it too. People come in and get so excited what's in here and it's awesome being in this community. You can’t not be around comic books and not remember all these things."
Hauser's Whittier childhood included a learned affinity for all things Star Wars, fostered when he attended Carden Academy in the city, then St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, before he graduated with a business management degree from Loyola Marymount University in L.A.
And while the promotions business may be in his DNA, Hauser said he's had to make his own fair share of mistakes.
"I'm a firm believer that mistakes are the best teacher," he said. "I just started off very small, did very small signings to start, and just built connections from there. That's what I would encourage anybody starting off in a small business. Start small, make your mistakes, learn from them, and continue to scale from there. That's served me well."
Memories of his father bring comfort too.
"I remember the good stuff," Hauser said. "I remember being at my school and it was visitation and him coming in then storming out to take a phone call. I remember him making protein shakes after the gym, and him making me a little cup of one. And I remember I liked that protein drink. I still remember even though tit was so long ago, I wanted to be like my Dad, and even with him passing, that's never changed."
For more information about Whittier Comic Fest, @whittiercomicfest on Instagram.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:42 AM.