The Best SDCC Swag Under $25

Listen, San Diego Comic Con is pricey. There’s no denying that. By Sunday most of us are scraping the bottom of our con budgets… but still want to score some SDCC swag to store our memories in. We get it.

The thing is, most SDCC swag from major companies can be bought online later. Yes, even a good half of the “exclusive” Funkos will end up on eBay by the end of the week. If you really want something special you want to hit up the Small Press area and Artists Alley.

There are two huge upsides to focusing your spending in those two zones. First, you’re supporting creators for whom San Diego Comic Con is a huge investment risk. They have to make back their booth fee, expenses, and the opportunity cost of being away from their regular work before they even begin to see profit. When you patronize independent creators and small press you make it possible for them to keep bringing their art to SDCC.

Second, those booths are the ones most likely to have a selection of very cool, very reasonably priced items for sale. Stickers and small prints let them get their name- and art- seen by potential new patrons while serving as a steady income source.

To make a long story short (too late?), we think shopping small at SDCC is a win-win situation.

To that end, we’ve been cruising around the exhibit floor looking for fun SDCC swag from small press and independent creators, with a self-imposed limit of $25 per item. Here are some of our favorites. None of them have given us money in exhange for this article- in fact, I bought art at several of them for myself.

BRIANNA GARCIA

There are tons of artists doing fan tribute art, and Brianna Garcia’s table (Artist’s Alley at booth AA-19) is at the head of the pack. She has some fresh takes on popular characters, inside jokes, and cross-genre references galore. You can snag three of her nice quality stickers for $10 bucks.

I went with the Steve Rogers sticker (you know which one), female!Loki doing a Mean Girls, and Peter Parker being adorable in the Iron Spider suit. I also grabbed her card to for a comission later. She’s full up for the convention, but I’m sure you can reach out afterwards on her website. 

ELAINE HO

Elaine Ho has some absolutely gorgeous work. Their prints have a luminescent quality I was drawn to from several rows away. The larger prints are also suuuuper pricey, but WORTH IT.

This article isn’t about lovely prints, though. It’s about accessible art and fandom. Let me direct your attention to these foiled washi tape rolls based on her art. How beautiful are they for decorating a planner? Think how elegant your dentist appointment will look outlined by a bull and a deer fighting. At $10/roll, they’re well under our $25 limit.

You can also find some pins and small prints… but we’re excited about the Washi tape. I didn’t see a lot of it at other booths.

ARROWHEAD CHOCOLATES

If you know chocolate, you will be surprised at how good Arrowhead Chocolates are for this price. $15 gets you a small box, $25 gets a large, and you can sample two of the flavors beforehand (while supplies last, I imagine). These are also fair trade and responsibly sourced, so you can feel good about yourself as you snack. You can find them in the Small Press area at the end of a row.

GOYOBO STUDIOS

Stickers are fun. Goyobo Studios has stickers. What I like here, though, is their pins (so many! so cute and restful!) and their tote bags.

I’m very into SDCC swag that can also be used for real life practical purposes. These totes are the perfect size and quality for reusable grocery bags. Come grab a few and they’ll pay for themselves in… (does some math… shoves the calculator behind a chair) Listen, the important thing is, they’re under our $25 cap.

Oh, and the pins are very reasonable. $10 for one, $15 for two. May as well grab several for your friends who couldn’t make it this year.

PATRICK SCULLIN

If you love fandom but are looking for a different style than Brianna Garcia, give Patrick Scullin a try. I love his clean, appealing graphic prints as much as his more stylized character portraits. He brought a wide variety of prints: Star Wars, Disney, Doctor Who, Marvel, and more. There’s something here for everyone. 

Prices are great, too. $10 gets you an oversized postcard print while you can pic up a couple stickers for $5. He offers discounts on full runs, like that $25 General Leia series you can see here. 

KASUTO PRODUCTIONS

I hadn’t seen this creator’s work before, but it’s lovely. Look at all those curves and the color theory! The artist says her husband models for the male forms which is very cool. Her prints are all in a good range- I believe only her top end stuff falls outside our $25 range. 

Oh, and she has some mini consent guides at her booth. You know, in case you need a refresher. Or a handy reference for new friends. 

RACCIATO FAMILY

This is a little out of left field, but I love to see families vending together like the Racciatos. Mom Janet has some fun indie middle grade stories that would make nice gifts for kids in your life. Daughter has a series of charms, hair accessories, and other ornaments she makes herself from her own snake’s shed skin. How’s that for ethically-sourced materials? As you can see, the prices on both sides of this booth are low. 

Side bonus: I’ve been informed that everyone who buys an ornament gets to suggest a name for this snake, who somehow has not had a name in their WHOLE LIFE despite being deeply loved and well tended. At this point it’s basically a bit.

JOSEY TSAO

Josey Tsao’s art isn’t the geekiest here, but it is way up there for prettiest SDCC swag. Look at these soft colors! ALSO SHE MAKES WOVEN HANGINGS OF THESE PATTERNS!

You can’t get hangings for under $25, of course. You will be able to get one of those postcard prints or some of the long horizons on the left. These are perfect to hang in your house or give to the art fan in your life. 

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Sunday is the last day of San Diego Comic Con, so if you want to check out our favorites make sure you swing by. You can see their work at the links we so helpfully provided if you miss it (or weren’t here to begin with). While you’re at it, scroll through the rest of our SDCC coverage!

Happy con, everyone!

Author: Khai

Khai is a writer, anthropologist, and games enthusiast. She is co-editor (alongside Alex DeCampi) of and contributor to “True War Stories”, a comic anthology published by Z2 Comics. When she’s not writing or creating games, Khai likes to run more tabletop RPGs than one person should reasonably juggle.

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