Finally, a large comic convention comes to Houston! In 2004, while working for Wizards of the Coast, I was able to attend both the San Diego Comic Con and GenCon. These are huge events, with tens of thousands, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of nerds in one place doing nerdy things. While Comicpalooza didn't have those numbers, it did have the scope of the big conventions. Everything was there, the dealers, the panels, the autographs, the game rooms, the costumes, and the nerds!I spent Friday working for my friend Bobby, at his booth in the dealers room. There were easily 50 dealers, on top of another 75 artists and fan groups. Bobby was selling action figures mostly, along with a great selection of Marvel and indy comics. Next door was a great artist, Kristen from Frilled and Feathered Hand Forged Jewelry. She had some great steampunk themed jewelry there, along with some really groovy statues. I highly suggest you check her website out.
On Saturday, I met up with my friend, and fellow nerd Jason at the con. During the day we saw wrestling, dancers, gamers, a dancing Master Chief, a Superman who had real muscles (!), Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games, Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quiddich players, and a whole host of steampunkers.
Near the end of Saturday, I saw a panel done by my friend Michael Varhola, who has an upcoming book Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in the Lone Star State. Mike is also a paranormal investigator, and had a great discussion about ghost sites, including the one that the movie The Exorcist was based on. After, we played a rousing game of Munchkin Zombies, where I ate all the brains.
Comicpalooza was amazing. I had such a great time, both with the con, and hanging out with my friends. I really hope this becomes a big thing in Houston in the coming years. We deserve a big con too!
