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Alamo City Comic Con 2013

Story by David A. De La Rosa

Pictures by Joseph Martinez

Alamo City Comic Con 2013

The inaugural Alamo City Comic Con which ran from October 25th – 27th at the Henry B. Gonzales convention center was a big success. This event provided great family entertainment, and gave convention goers an opportunity to dress up as there favorite superhero/villain or favorite TV/film character. This was also a great place for the fan boy to go get that hard to find comic book or collectible. Artwork was being sold there at very affordable prices, from comic book legends to local artists all were represented there. Most people who attended wanted to meet a special guest celebrity to take a photo with them or get an autograph. When I attended this event I wanted to see and do all of these things.

One of the greatest things about an event such as this is that people have the opportunity and are encouraged to dress up in costume. There were hundreds of people who attended the con dressed up in costumes ranging from the absurd to the brilliant, from the homemade to the store bought. This event also shows that we are all hams at heart everyone who wore a costume without hesitation would pose for a photograph if asked nicely. In my opinion the most abundant costume worn at the show was the Harlequin. There was also a good amount of women dressed up as Poison Ivy also was a good contingent of X-men (Mystique, Beast, Storm, and Rogue) represented there. Beyond the dressed up convention goers there were a few fan clubs represented there dressed up to help recruit new members (Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Dr. Who fan clubs).

I attended this event Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t have much of an opportunity to look or shop around for comics Saturday, but I made up for that on Sunday. There were many vendors selling comics, action figures, and limited edition porcelain figurines. I bought a good amount of dollar comics that plugged many holes in my collection. While I went from vendor to vendor looking through their inventories I overheard several of them say that they were taken by surprise by the huge turnout for this convention. When I heard these statements made over and over again it made me feel the success of this event was assured.

There were many artists at the convention selling original works or prints all at very affordable prices. The week prior to the event there was a three part comic book documentary on PBS called Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle, this program showed the evolution of comic books from the golden age to the present. One of the featured men in the documentary was the great artist Neal Adams. Mr. Adams was there at the convention signing prints and drawing sketches for a small fee. I bought a print that Mr. Adams signed that I’ll treasure forever. There were local artists represented at the convention like Mr. Eric Pinto ( www.ArtofEricPinto.com ) who was selling art prints there.

The convention also had its share of big name special guests which ranged from TV personalities from the past and present, film stars, and old school wrestlers. In my opinion the main headliners there signing autographs were TV’s Batman Adam West and Burt Ward. Also Danny Trejo Who plays the anti hero Machete in that film franchise. Lord Of The Rings fans Sean Astin (rudy) was there. Other fan favorites included current cast members of the popular TV show The Walking Dead (Lauren Cohan, Addy Miller, Kylie Szymanski, and Travis Love). Myself I’m a huge Star Wars fan so when I heard Drath Maul Mr. Ray Park, and Mr. Peter Mayhew (the Wookie himself Chewbacca). Mr. Dirk Benedict was there some of you might remember him as the original Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica. Wrestling fans got to meet such favorites, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, and Buff Bagwell to name a few. Famous vehicles from TV and film that convention goers could view such as the Batman Begins Tumbler, the A-Team van, the DeLorean from Back To The Future, and Ecto-1 from The Ghostbusters.

There was a costume contest that had everybody clapping. It was great fun watching the people in the audience reaction to the costumes as they walked in front of the stage. Smiles and chuckling was in abundance.

The inaugural Alamo City Comic Con was in my opinion a great success. It had everything you would come to expect from a premier convention. The reasonable admission prices and VIP passes are posted on www.alamocitycomiccon.com the event has come and gone but you can gauge how the prices will be for next year’s convention. This cultural event and its scope has been what South Central Texas has been lacking. The potential for this event to grow in the coming years and become a major tourist draw has to make local businesses in the area very happy.  I have read from the Alamo City Comic Con Facebook page that next year’s con will have more space, and with that I hope more vendors with more special guests. I’ll return next year hoping the organizers of this event can top this one.

Story  David A. De La Rosa

River City Attraction