Comicpalooza 2013 invades Houston
For the past five years Comicpalooza has grown by leaps and bounds. Starting off as a small gathering for local comic book artist to grow their fan base, Comicpalooza rapidly expanded to “a multi-format convention celebrating not just comics, but also sci-fi and fantasy, horror, steam punk, New Media, movies, film, and gaming of all types.”** It also appears that they’re starting to branch out to the Latino market, with 2013 headliners like Danny Trejo, and Michelle Rodriguez, each participating in their own standing room only Q & A sessions. Yet looking at their growth, one could say that including headliners like Trejo or Rodriguez might not be necessary for the continued growth of this comic con.
Even before entering the George R. Brown Convention Center, people are able to see a line of characters outside and walking towards the convention center, literally characters from all genres. (I spotted a “Chapulin Colorado” and at least 6 Joker characters from Batman in the 3 hours that I was at the con) With everything from super heroes, zombies, Vikings and gaming characters, the diversity of the characters matches the diversity of activities hosted by the convention. You can walk down Artist Ally on the first floor and see anime, portraits and traditional comic book artist. If that’s not your thing, on the third floor you can watch a Quidditch match or see pro wrestlers take each other on. Perhaps you’re more into gaming, you can always walk by the products section and look at all the “old school” and hybrid consoles or participate in one of the many tournaments hosted by Comicpalooza. Even their panels and workshops include a broad variety.
So what can your average Latino who’s not a “fanboy” or “Otaku” expect to get out of this type of event? Well if you have any interest in getting into the comic book business, or movie business, Comicpalooza provides panels on how to start. If you’re like me, you can always go just to see what the big deal is about.
— Written by Isabel Martinez
About Isabel – Isabel Martinez is currently working towards her Master’s Degree in Theology. When she’s not working as a counselor, Isabel enjoys singing in her church choir and exploring new areas of Houston.
NOTES:
Photos provided by Isabel Martinez.
** Comicpalooza, Convention History Comicpalooza, 2012. Web. May 26, 2013.
3 comments
WOW!! How exciting! What a fantastic event and I hope it just keeps getting bigger and bigger! I think my mouth would be on the floor with all of the costumes! Sorry so many exclamation points, but it’s really neat! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Candy! Yes it was exciting! I’m kinda sad that I didn’t go for the duration of the Con. It was definitely pretty awesome from all the other pics and stuff. I only got to attend 1 Q & A which was with Danny Trejo and I got to ask him a question so that was GREAT! lol Hopefully next year I’ll be able to go for at least 2 full days. Also if you plan to go next year, get your passes early because the line for passes was REALLY long.
I have got to make it out to this next year. Looks like a lot of fun.