Houston’s beloved Comicpalooza knocks it out of the park!
This weekend thousands of Houstonians saw the return of our beloved pop culture convention, Comicpalooza. This long-standing event had to be postponed in 2020 for obvious reasons but came back in 2021 with a strong presence. The Southern United States’ largest multi-genre pop culture convention featured appearances by the cast of The Mandalorian, the Arrowverse, and even my own personal favorite, Dragon Ball Z!
This was a remarkable return to form with everything from sci-fi, comics, anime, and gaming represented.
Comic book writers and artists (including Texas’ own Donny Cates of Venom and the upcoming Hulk relaunch), merchants, and collectors were also in attendance. And it wouldn’t be a comic convention without the real stars of the show: the cosplayers!
@Captain_Wolf_Cosplay on Instagram 
@Krueger_Cosplays 
501st Legion
The event’s coordinators encouraged guests to arrive early and plan out their day via their convenient Comicpalooza app. So, of course, I did the exact opposite! I was running behind for my scheduled 4:30 photo op with Giancarlo Esposito. Finding parking downtown during a popular event is time-consuming, it turns out. So I had to run almost a mile to the convention center in the Texas heat. At least I got my cardio for the day! I also had a fun time roaming the hall, searching for exactly where I needed to be. Getting a glance at all the booths and attractions during my search was my miniature version of a sightseeing tour. Luckily, everything worked out for me!
Mr. Esposito was just as charming and polite as his character Gus Fring from Breaking Bad. He even remarked on my shirt: “What does this say, Nerdtropolis? I love it!” So Moff Gideon himself approves!
The Cosplaying Community continues to grow!
@Genna.Kat on Instagram 
@Pocketsize_Cosplays on Instagram
Another highlight was meeting the voice of Goku himself, Sean Schemmel. Sean adores his fans and made sure everyone at his booth got an autograph or selfie with him. My day at Comicpalooza ended with bumping into Nerdtropolis Mayor himself, Mr. Sean Tajipour, who spent some time with Martin Kove of Cobra Kai and Michael Rosenbaum of Smallville. And I also snapped a selfie with the lovely members of Pocketsize Cosplay. If Comicpalooza 2021 was a sign of things to come, I look forward to many more cons in the future!
Visit Comicpalooza.
