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Since the Collector Times headquarters is based in Houston, it is a surprise to me that it has taken this long for anyone from this site to go to Comicpalooza in the same city. Even stranger, it took someone, me, flying halfway across the country to get there!
I've done a number of cons, from the large end scale of the spectrum with San Diego Comicon, to the more small end, with Wizard World Boston.
Comicpalooza definitely falls somewhere in the middle, almost squarely. It is not a teeny tiny local con. Not in a city the size of Houston. It's got its share of big name guests, like Sir Patrick Stewart, and a decent crowd. But it also isn't the sheer lunacy of SDCC. You can move around, you can breathe, there are large sections of no people, and you can stretch your arms and not smack someone, no matter how hard you tried not to.
It also doesn't quite have those big news breaking events. You're not going to see the season premiere of Heroes here. Not yet. You're not going to have Marvel announcing the revival of the Ultraverse here. Not yet. This isn't down the road from Hollywood, and it's not a Big Name con where everyone goes for the latest news. It isn't quite an event destination.
And quite honestly, that's refreshing. Not every convention needs to be huge. Not every convention needs to be crazy. This was one of the most pleasant experiences in con-going I've had, and is pretty much equivalent to one of the Chicago conventions I've been to, minus any big announcements.
But this is a fun convention. It does have a nice costume contest, and enough guests that there's a little something there for people. The artist's alley area could stand to have a few more notable names, but hey, they still had George Perez, and a bunch of great artwork being sold by the more independent folks. The dealer's area is decent too, with a fair share of comics, collectibles, weapons, and everything else you would expect.
The one thing I can definitely say about Comicpalooza; if you are a fan of comics/scifi and Steampunk? This con is a MUST for you. I would guess that a fair third of the panels were about Steampunk. From writing it, to costumes, to the culture and history of it. I didn't personally visit this side of things, but there is a TON of stuff there for that side of things. Along the same subject, there's also a lot of panels about cosplaying in general.
There are a lot of random panels, including things about the My Little Pony fandom, Brony karaoke of all things!, and of course the usual discussion panels with creators and actors.
I didn't go to many panels, but I did attend one about Chris Claremont. It would have been two, but his flights were delayed on Friday, causing him to be late. He gave a great overview of his career from the start, and focusing heavily on the X-Men, naturally. He gave some great stories of Marvel in the late sixties and early 70s, and he was such a treat to listen to.
Also, I attended a panel with two of the stars, and romantic interests of the star of the new Canadian hit scifi/urban fantasy series, Lost Girl. The panel was supposed to focus on the love triangle between the actor and actress, and the lead, and how the show is so open about it's sexuality, and treats everyone equally, but the questions quickly devolved into the usual fandom questions. It was still a good panel, with good stories from behind the scenes, but it would have been nice to remain a little more focused on the topic.
I have definite plans to return, and will be interested to watch the growth of Comicpalooza, even though I hope it never becomes the next SDCC. But becoming a little more important, with a few more names, with a few more things to do, would make this from a fun little con, to a great one. But it's not bad at all as it is.
Jason M. Bourgeois
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