It’s May of 2024 which means the return of Texas’ largest pop culture festival, Comicpalooza. The three-day event, May 24 through May 26 touched down Friday at the George R Brown convention center bringing together fans of comics, anime, wrestling, cosplay, e-sports, and more under one roof downtown.

This year’s guestlist was composed of some heavy hitters including John Cena, Shannen Doherty, Robert Englund, Creed Bratton, Oscar Nunez, Rebecca Romijn, Kimiko Glenn, Rose McGowan, and more. Two of the biggest draws this year were, of course, Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future.

Comicpalooza celebrates its 16th year since its humble start in the lobby of a Katy Alamo Drafthouse Theater in 2008. The event has blossomed from 500 people in that lobby for a one-day meet up to 50,000 people scattered throughout the George R Brown’s 1.1 million square feet. And each year the convention makes sure to use every inch of space the three stories that the landmark building has to offer. This means a first time viewing of the showcase can be a bit daunting with pop culture opportunities at every turn.
“It’s not a little thing. Most of the time when you go to events at the George R Brown, they have half of the building blocked off. [Comicpalooza] has all three floors, fully open, and there is always something going on. It’s amazing,” says Jihad Powell as he takes a break from the events to grab a bite to eat. “I’ve been coming here since 2014 because I love cosplay. I love the atmosphere of goofing off with like-minded people where everyone is there just to have a good time. There are no egos. Everyone is just here for the love of pop culture.”

It’s the love of pop culture that is the convention’s specialty, compiling multiple arenas of media and putting them all under same roof. Comicpalooza still manages to keep everything organized in its own hodgepodge way. Guest have the opportunity to watch knights in full combat, take photos in front of a life size Appa statue from Avatar: The Last Airbender, view the many themed vehicles on the showroom floor, participate in an RC Car Expo, purchase wares from the many vendors, watch live recordings of podcasts, dance in raves, or enter cosplay competitions. Even that rundown of events barely scratches the surface of everything Comicpalooza has to offer. From panel discussions to board games, if it is a fixture in pop culture, there is space for it at the convention.
It’s not just the participants that get to enjoy the yearly event because vendors also look forward to the convention to not only sell to regular customers but get exposure to new fans. For Chris Gunnz of White Cup Entertainment, who sells a variety of clothing, posters, and memorabilia based with Hip Hop and comic mash ups, Comicpalooza has become an event he can’t miss.

“I’ve been coming here as a patron for years but finally started coming as a vendor in 2015. I enjoy coming here. I’m a big comic book nerd. I learned how to read from comics when I was younger and still enjoy the to this day. I just enjoy being around this environment, having the opportunity to experience the culture and showcase my art.”

For anyone that missed Friday or Saturday there’s still time to join in on the events with the convention ending Sunday. Doors will open at 10am with autograph and photo opportunities taking place until closing at four.