Comicpalooza (May 27-29, Houston, Texas)

Anyone who doesn’t already have anything planned for Memorial Day weekend should consider heading over to Houston and checking out Comicpalooza, the hottest new annual event being held in southeast Texas! It will be held May 27-29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

“We have a sci-fi/horror/adventure film festival running all three days, a DJ stage all three days, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, demonstrations, a huge dealers room, and dozens of artists showing off their work,” said organizer John Simons. The convention also has a very impressive guest list, and some of the many celebrities attending this year include Edward James Olmos, Tony Todd, and Sam Trammell.

Comic creators and artists attending include Larry Elmore, Athur Suydm, Brian Denham, and many more.

Gaming guests include legend Steve Jackson, Chris Perkins, Hyrum Savage, and Chris Syms.

Michael O. Varhola, founder of game company Skirmisher Publishing LLC and the author of 10 non-fiction books, will also be at the convention, where he will be giving presentations and sitting on panels related to gaming, ghosthunting, the paranormal, and his latest book, Texas Confidential.

Comicpalooza was first held July 19, 2008, in the lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Katy, Texas, as a simple signing event set to coincide with the release of “The Dark Knight.” Comicpalooza was conceived as a means of helping local comic creators reach the media and the public. It was fun for all dozen-or-so comic creators who showed up.

Comicpalooza 2009 was re-imagined as a two-day comic book festival set in a local mall, again with a strong emphasis on promoting creators, connecting with the media, and fostering new growth in the fanbase. It featured guests like David Mack, Terry Moore, Steve Scott, Tom Hodges, Mat Johnson, Andy Kuhn, Dirk Strangely and others, and added events like special screenings, Q&A sessions, and the charity live art benefit. It drew more fans than any other Houston comic convention in 15 years.

Comicpalooza was re-invented again in 2010 as 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.

“Comicpalooza's mission is to provide the best and biggest annual multi-format pop culture convention in the southwest region of the United States, serving not only the fans of comics, science fiction, fantasy, video and table top gaming, anime, music and film, but also as a trade show and showcase for the studios, publishers, and manufacturers in those industries,” its organizers say.