Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Mar 19, 2015 18:46:23 GMT -6
The Heart of Texas comic con is coming to Waco, Texas, this weekend, and organizers are making a concerted effort to make it family-friendly, with free admission for children 10 and under and plenty of kid-friendly attractions. Last year’s con drew a crowd of 9,000, but a horror-themed event last fall didn’t do as well.
www.wacotrib.com/entertainment/accesswaco/festivals/family-friendly-hot-comic-con-returns-with-celebrities-comics-cosplay/article_4531e984-589e-59f4-8add-38d8e6145682.html
Family-friendly HOT Comic Con returns with celebrities, comics, cosplay
The Heart Of Texas Comic Con makes its second spring appearance this weekend at the Extraco Events Center’s Exhibits Hall and Creative Arts Building, and organizers hope that history repeats itself, but last spring’s and not last fall’s.
The debut event, the brainchild of organizers and owners Aaron Foster and Larry Ostwald, drew nearly 9,000 people over two days. A horror-branded con in September, however, failed to draw more than a third of that number.
“It didn’t take as well as we thought it would,” Foster noted. “We’ve learned from both shows.”
One lesson learned was to boost the event’s family-friendly side, which they’ve done by allowing free admission for children ages 10 and younger. There are separate cosplay — costume play — contests for adults and kids. And there’s a full-sized replica of Halloweentown from the Tim Burton animated feature “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (OK, grown-ups and kids might get into that).
This year is heavy on actors’ appearances. Verne Troyer, who played Mini-Me in the popular “Austin Powers” film comedies, will be coming, as will Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura from the original “Star Trek,” and World Wrestling Federation’s Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
Rounding out the celebrity lineup are Jeremy Bulloch (“Star Wars’ ” Boba Fett); Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Walter Jones, Karan Ashley, and David Fielding; a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle team; and voice actors Christopher Sabat and Chuck Huber (“Dragonball Z”) and
Olivia Olson (“Phineas and Ferb”).
Sorry, “Buffy” fans, but Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander on television’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” won’t be coming due to a recent brush with the law in Tallahassee, Florida.
Comic book artists and publishers, including Waco’s animator Greg Peters, will be on hand, and there’s even a celebrity car lined up: the Impala from the television series “Supernatural.”
Celebrities will be available for autograph and photo sessions all three days of HOTCON for an extra fee — most Comic Con events are cash-only and there’s an ATM on the premises — with free question-and-answer sessions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Celebrity photo times are between 3:15 and 5:45 p.m. Friday, 11:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Q&As with individual celebrities are:
Christopher Sabat, 11 a.m. Saturday
Chuck Huber, noon Saturday
Jeremy Bulloch, 1 p.m. Saturday
Nichelle Nichols, 2 p.m. Saturday
Jake “The Snake” Roberts, 3 p.m. Saturday
Olivia Olson, noon Sunday
Verne Troyer, 1:15 p.m. Sunday
Walter E. Jones, Karan Ashley and David Fielding, 2:15 p.m. Sunday.
A cosplay contest, in which participants dress up as pop culture, sci-fi or fantasy characters, is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Saturday, with a children’s one at 4:15 p.m. Sunday.
This year’s convention will offer more vendors — 143 booths’ worth, Foster said — and organizers think it will draw fans from across the state and beyond. Last year’s HOTCON had attendees from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, California and Utah.
Foster said those planning on attending a Waco Comic Con shouldn’t wait for another later in the year. “This will be the one for 2015,” he said.
www.wacotrib.com/entertainment/accesswaco/festivals/family-friendly-hot-comic-con-returns-with-celebrities-comics-cosplay/article_4531e984-589e-59f4-8add-38d8e6145682.html
Family-friendly HOT Comic Con returns with celebrities, comics, cosplay
The Heart Of Texas Comic Con makes its second spring appearance this weekend at the Extraco Events Center’s Exhibits Hall and Creative Arts Building, and organizers hope that history repeats itself, but last spring’s and not last fall’s.
The debut event, the brainchild of organizers and owners Aaron Foster and Larry Ostwald, drew nearly 9,000 people over two days. A horror-branded con in September, however, failed to draw more than a third of that number.
“It didn’t take as well as we thought it would,” Foster noted. “We’ve learned from both shows.”
One lesson learned was to boost the event’s family-friendly side, which they’ve done by allowing free admission for children ages 10 and younger. There are separate cosplay — costume play — contests for adults and kids. And there’s a full-sized replica of Halloweentown from the Tim Burton animated feature “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (OK, grown-ups and kids might get into that).
This year is heavy on actors’ appearances. Verne Troyer, who played Mini-Me in the popular “Austin Powers” film comedies, will be coming, as will Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura from the original “Star Trek,” and World Wrestling Federation’s Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
Rounding out the celebrity lineup are Jeremy Bulloch (“Star Wars’ ” Boba Fett); Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Walter Jones, Karan Ashley, and David Fielding; a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle team; and voice actors Christopher Sabat and Chuck Huber (“Dragonball Z”) and
Olivia Olson (“Phineas and Ferb”).
Sorry, “Buffy” fans, but Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander on television’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” won’t be coming due to a recent brush with the law in Tallahassee, Florida.
Comic book artists and publishers, including Waco’s animator Greg Peters, will be on hand, and there’s even a celebrity car lined up: the Impala from the television series “Supernatural.”
Celebrities will be available for autograph and photo sessions all three days of HOTCON for an extra fee — most Comic Con events are cash-only and there’s an ATM on the premises — with free question-and-answer sessions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Celebrity photo times are between 3:15 and 5:45 p.m. Friday, 11:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Q&As with individual celebrities are:
Christopher Sabat, 11 a.m. Saturday
Chuck Huber, noon Saturday
Jeremy Bulloch, 1 p.m. Saturday
Nichelle Nichols, 2 p.m. Saturday
Jake “The Snake” Roberts, 3 p.m. Saturday
Olivia Olson, noon Sunday
Verne Troyer, 1:15 p.m. Sunday
Walter E. Jones, Karan Ashley and David Fielding, 2:15 p.m. Sunday.
A cosplay contest, in which participants dress up as pop culture, sci-fi or fantasy characters, is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Saturday, with a children’s one at 4:15 p.m. Sunday.
This year’s convention will offer more vendors — 143 booths’ worth, Foster said — and organizers think it will draw fans from across the state and beyond. Last year’s HOTCON had attendees from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, California and Utah.
Foster said those planning on attending a Waco Comic Con shouldn’t wait for another later in the year. “This will be the one for 2015,” he said.