Comicpalooza – Cosplay Recap

Curious about Comicpalooza? We were there to experience the cosplayers in action, take in the sights and sounds and enjoy the Houston heat! Read on for a recap of this exciting weekend of festivities!

COMICPALOOZA – WHAT TO EXPECT

If you’ve never been to a Comic Con of any sort, I’m sure you’re curious about what to expect. I sure was! Does everyone attend in costume? Or are there only a select few cosplayers out there who make their way around the “cosplay” circuit? Does everyone sew their own costumes? What types of vending can one expect at Comicpalooza? How many classes and what kinds do they offer? These are just some of the questions I had before attending this fun show, so I’ll answer them here for you!

First off, these types of Comic Cons happen all over the world, so I’m sure you’ll be able to find one near the largest city closest to you! You don’t have to be obsessed with comics or pop culture icons to attend and have a great time. There is truly something for everyone and (at least at Comicpalooza in Houston) they are very kid-friendly and inclusive.

What greets you at the doors of Comicpalooza? Why, a Mario on stilts, of course!

This guy set the vibe for the whole day, with his signature “It’s-a-me, Mario!” catchphrase as you walked in the front door. Always up for a photo op with kids and adults alike, and I never saw him break character! That being said, I was in that door so quick to get out of the heat, so I may have missed it if he did.

There is an App for the event as well, which keeps you updated on all the fun things happening every hour, on the hour. (I might suggest turning off notifications unless you want your phone dinging incessantly.) It was super helpful to always have a map in your pocket, because the place was HUG and there were three floors of activities.

COMICPALOOZA ACTIVITIES

The activities I was most excited about were for cosplay, of course. So I set my notifications on the App for the “cosplay track.” Not only were there panels and workshops on cosplay, but there were cosplay competitions, too. I personally LOVED the kids’ cosplay competition, which happened each day on Saturday and Sunday.

The kid competition happened in the “Kidtopia” area of the hall, which was so cute! Inside Kidtopia there were cooking classes, slime-making tables, face painting, bouncy ball igloo tents, and much, much more!

The competition began with the 0-5 age group, then 6-7, 8-9 and 10 and up. It was amazing to see the differences in costume quality and character development as the age groups progressed. Each kid took the stage, showed off their costume, and some said a catchphrase or did a pose. it was THE. CUTEST. THING. These two boys were a “group” costume and they won first place in their category.

I had assumed that the costumes had to at least have a LITTLE something handmade involved in their creation. But not for the kid contest! Some of the kids looked like they were wearing last year’s Halloween costume. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that. And kudos to them for having the guts to wear it, strut their stuff and be proud!) Some of the kids, however, compiled the items for their character from scratch and/or sheer creativity and ingenuity. I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t know a lot of these characters, but I appreciated every one of them!

ADULT COSPLAY

As for the adult cosplayers, they were a huge part of what makes Comicpalooza so special. The level of dedication and detail in these creations was mind-blowing.

This gal made animatronic wings that raised and lowered with the flip of a switch. Plus, the front of her dress was entirely hand embroidered (yes, by her!).

This couple, from Pokemon, made an “Onyx” Pokemon to hold and were super authentic to their characters, too.

This gal Shibori-dyed her fabrics for her robe and made her own wooden shoes!

I met all these folks at the Maker’s Meetup, which was FULL of SO MANY COSPLAYERS. So to answer your question – YES, a TON of people come in costume for these events! It’s not just a select few or those participating in the competitions. It’s literally almost everyone in attendance!

PANELS & WORKSHOPS

I taught a workshop titled “How to Sew Cosplay Fabrics,” which was very well received. These fabrics suitable (or desirable) for cosplay creations aren’t easy to sew, let’s face it. They’re slippery, stretchy and might have a coating or texture that makes them unwieldy at the sewing machine. I was there to discuss how using Sulky Stabilizers will change the way these fabrics behave, making them much easier to deal with. Plus, we discussed using specialty threads, like Glowy, CRY and Holoshimmer, to create special effects.

There were more cosplay-related classes, too, such as “Patternmaking for Star Trek Deep Space 9,” “Star Wars Character Building,” and more! There were also a lot of authors and artists in attendance for book signings, comic signings and photo ops.

CELEBRITIES

Did I mention that John Cena and Michael J Fox were among the celeb guests? Here’s my photo of Michael J Fox, Teen Wolf himself:

haha! That’s right – no photographing celebrities unless you’ve paid for that privilege. So that was the best I could do.

There were so many more celebrities I couldn’t possibly list them all here. Take a look for yourself HERE>.

In short, this was the experience of a lifetime. I met many people who make this part of their summer vacation every year, too, so they’ve been coming for 10+ years. How fun is that? I highly siggest you seek out an event like this near you and bring the whole family. Plus, take in a sewing class or two while you’re at it.