SPECIAL EVENTS

After adding a major sponsor and enticing some cult-figure science fiction entertainment celebrities to make appearances, Comicpalooza 2010 is making the jump from a shopping mall to the George R. Brown Convention Center on March 26-28. Comicpalooza has grown into Houston's comic book, art, and entertainment festival, featuring guest artists from around the country, dance troupes, music, hollywood celebrities like Bruce Campbell, Nicholas Brendon, and Ray Park, a celebrity auction where you can win brunch with your favorite celeb, a three-day film festival, a costume contest, Q&A sessions, workshops on films, writing, and costuming, and more!

Comicpalooza  is an annual multi-genre convention held in Houston, Texas, and features comics, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, steampunk, New Media, film, and celebrities. The next Comicpalooza will be held March 26-28, 2010 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Comicpalooza was first held July 19, 2008 in the lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Katy, Texas. It wasn't a comic convention; it was 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. We had no idea what it would rapidly grow into.

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. We 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. The event was so successful we drew more fans than any other Houston comic convention in 15 years.

2010 will see Comicpalooza re-invented again, this time 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. Our venue has again changed, this time to the most prestigious convention center in Houston, the George R. Brown Convention Center, where we hope to serve both creators and fans as we have in the past.

2010 Guest List:

The current guest list includes (click here for details and updates):

* Celebrities -  Nicholas Brendon, Bruce Campbell (Saturday only), Francis Capra, Jason Dohring (Saturday only), Tyrese Gibson, Brea Grant, James Hampton, Dichen Lachman, Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Ray Park, Mike Quinn, Tracy Scoggins.

* Webcomics creators -  Phil Foglio, R. K. Milholland and David Malki.

* Artists - Brian Denham, Andy Kuhn, Larry Elmore,Josh Howard, Rob Liefeld, David Mack, Jim Mahfood, Chris Nicholas, Humberto Ramos, Christopher Sperandio, Dirk Strangely, Ben Templesmith, Ethan Van. Sciver, J. H. Williams III, Bernie Wrightson, Capstone Comics, Orang Utan Comics.

* Authors - Catherine Asaro, Steven Brust, Alexis Glynn Latner, Ari Marmel, Skyler White, Mat Johnson, John Moore, and Gene Wolfe.

* Entertainers - Air Ship Isabella, Chanson de Vie, DEAD P.A., Ghost of a Rose, Kim Infiniti,

Click here for a detailed schedule of events.

Sponsors for Comicpalooza 2010 include the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the University of Houston Creative Writing Department, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, the Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP), and MTGFanatic.com.