Comic conventions started in the 1970's as small groups of comic book collectors and enthusiasts who were looking for like minded individuals to get together and trade, buy and sell books from their collections. The most famous to evolve from these small gatherings is now the San Diego comic-con that has grown into a massive event that features thousands of comic, gaming, and movie fans gathering at the San Diego convention center to have a great time in a shared experience with like minded individuals.
Comicpalooza is Houston's version of the comic-con. While not as well established as the older events Comicpalooza is quickly growing and from what I saw has not even begun to scratch the surface of Houston fandom. Starting with a few hundred attendees in an Alamo Draft House lobby five years ago they are now at the George R. Brown Convention Center with an attendance expectation of 20,000.Older, more established shows have made their name and my guess is that a few more years and Houston will see itself become the premier location for nerds everywhere.
Cosplay (Costume Players) are fans who spend amazing amounts of time recreating the costumes worn by their favorite characters. Star Wars, Batman and Dr. Who fans were the biggest majority. Getting into costume and walking around playacting your favorite character is a favorite activity of the convention goer. These are normal people like you or I who enjoy dressing up and having a good time as part of a different universe. At Comicpalooza I was impressed with the diversity of characters I saw represented. Half of the fun for me at the convention was naming the characters I saw as I walked around. My only problem was I didn't take the initiative to take pictures of the players to share with you. Next time I attend I will take my camera and not be so shy about asking for pics.
Each Cosplayer can sign up to take part in a sponsored contest. I don't know who won but here are some that I saw and was impressed enough with to remember.
Selene- The vampire from the Underworld movies. This young lady had every part of her leather costume recreated with the real dental vampire fangs that were glued on to her teeth.
Black Widow- The costume from the movie was very well done.
Daalek- Dr. Who fans were out in force with a lot of women wearing the TARDIS minidress. The Daalek robot someone had made was very cool as they drove it around the floor with a remote.
501st Legion- The Imperial troopers and Clone troopers were impressive. The strict rules for your costume set by this group make for a very impressive recreation. Ran into this group at Disney last summer for Star Wars Weekend if you ever get the chance to see them in full cosplay it is an impressive sight.
Everyone does! I knew that the nerds and geeks had gone mainstream but the attendees ranged from toddlers to geriatrics as the got their inner geek on. The best part was that this range of ages taught each other the history behind some of their favorite characters.
The best example I saw of crossing the age barrier is happening with Dr. Who now. The latest iteration of Dr. Who, Matt Smith, has gained a lot of traction on BBCA in restoring the popularity of the venerable British TV show. As a consequence the younger generations are starting to learn the heritage of TV's longest running sci-fi show. I saw plenty of ladies dressed in the TARDIS dress (look it up, pervert), lots of young men dressed as Doctor's carrying their Sonic Screwdrivers, and even Daalek creations like the robot I mentioned before. Old or young the best comment overheard was when three coed's yelled from the second to the first floor to get the attention of a fifties gentlemen in the costume of the first Dr. Who.
As you can imagine the stereotypical comic book nerd from the 70's has evolved as comics, sci fi and fantasy have become more mainstream with the success and cult status of iconic characters that baby boomers remember from their childhood. Typical portrayals of the convention goer in the media have us believe that Trekkies would be the mainstream. I found that everyone has their interest and they were comfortable expressing it.
The people watching was the best part. As flirty women got their exhibition on, overweight Batmen fought with under dressed Poison Ivies, and Trekkies argued with Clone Troopers I found that the grouping of people from such divergent backgrounds created a relaxed atmosphere. Everyone was friendly and kids were playing as artists sketched, movie stars signed and Comic books were sold. A couple years from now this convention will be filled out and everyone attendee will find something to entertain them. In the end everyone made a friend including Brad who found someone shorter to lean on.