Reflections on Comicpalooza

As you can see from the pictorial posts from the last couple days, I was at Comicpalooza this last weekend, and had a wonderful time meeting the fans, creators, and professionals that came to Houston to show off our vibrant comics and pop culture scene.  Aside from taking a bunch of pictures of people in costume, I was also there in a professional capacity as a librarian, working the Houston Public Library booth on Friday and giving a presentation on libraries and their benefit to the comics industry with several co-workers.  Both experiences were fun, and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.

I bought a couple of art items from local vendors as well, as I'm very eager to support Houston- and Texas-based artists and creators in the comics industry.  Some of the vendors I patronized this year were:

• Tentacle Kitty, a monstrously cute creation from Houston, according to their website.  They had cute posters and other arty things on their table, featuring their mascot.  Check them out for ultra-cuteness!
• Mark Nasso, whose Land of the Rats I reviewed and enjoyed recently.  Mark creates his own comics here in Houston, and had an excellent Wolverine print that I had to have.
• Miguel Zamora, an artist based out of San Marcos.  His prints were excellent, and after my younger sister bought one of his Harley Quinns, I got a Nightwing/Batgirl and a Spider-Man from him.
• After Twilight, a comic published in Houston, set in Houston, about a dystopian future.  The protagonist is a librarian, so I can't wait to read it!
• Brass Comics, another local publisher, composed of Bruce Small and Zach Q.  Each creator had a comic I picked up, and can't wait to read and review.
• A few titles from CCP Comics, which is based in Austin.  I talked with the artists and creators for a bit, and was impressed with the quality of their products and happy that such a publisher was only a little ways away from Houston!

I bought wares from several other tables, but can't currently find contact information or cards for them.  Hopefully I can correct this soon.

I also spoke with some of the creators as an aspiring professional, particularly about gaining exposure for my work and finding an artist for it.  I've had lots of positive and challenging experiences working with artists on my comic, and it was good to have other creators give their perspective, experience, and advice on how to forge ahead.  I got lots of good advice and made a couple of prospective contacts among them, and hopefully they won't be too annoyed to hear from an aspiring comic script writer in the near future.  I hopefully at least made a good impression!

This was the first time I went to a con with even a semi-developed idea of what I wanted to get out of it.  I'm proud to say that I accomplished most of what I set out to do, and look forward to attending other cons in the future, as time, finances, and energy allow.  For now, thank you, Comicpalooza!  I enjoyed you this year, and look forward to 2013!