Actors, artists and writers occupied downtown.
By Christopher A. Hernandez
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Masked vigilantes and extraordinary people of superhuman strength were spotted roaming the streets of downtown this weekend.
Superheroes graced the city Sept. 26-28 for the second Alamo City Comic Con, the city’s largest celebration of comic arts, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
People of all ages took the opportunity to dress up as their favorite comic characters, and meet and greet their favorite celebrities, voice actors, artists and writers.
Stars of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” Iron-E Singleton who portrays “T-Dog” and Scott Wilson who plays “Hershel,” were on hand posing for photos and signing autographs for $40.
Singleton said seeing all the loyal fans gives him all the joy in the world.
“To the college fans, I say stick with it,” Singleton said. “Never stop; love what you are doing because that is how you will succeed. With just a little show of respect for yourself and others, you will go far.”
Numerous vendors offered new and old comics, collectibles and toys, ranging from $5 to hundreds.
The original “Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles” cast answered questions in a panel discussion.
Fans lined up for photos with George Takei, Lt. Sulu from the original “Star Trek” series; Karan Ashley, the yellow Power Ranger; Clark Gregg, Marvel’s Agents of Shields’ Agent Coulson; and Ming Chen of AMC’s “Comic Book Men.”
Fans also bid on quick draw competitions between artists Sean Morales and Javier Avila. The winning picture of a zombie sold for $80.
Attendees could chill in a gaming lounge or check out the cosplay, short for costume play, contest.
The guest of honor was the modern marvel himself, Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics. Lee has created some of the world’s most iconic superheroes, mutants and vigilantes, such as “Wolverine” of X-Men and “Captain America” of the Avengers.
“I started this convention not because I’m a big comic fan, but I wanted to give people a better understanding of what pop culture or “geek culture” is all about,” said Alfredo “Apple” De La Fuente, CEO and founder of Alamo City Comic Con.
He said last year more than 33,000 attended.
“This year, we are prepared for 120,000 attendees, and we hope for a bigger turnout next year.”
Fox 29’s “Daytime at Nine” host Kimberly Crawford said it was exciting to interview the master of the Marvel universe and find out where his inspiration came from.
“My advice for college students is to go and get into the trenches,” Crawford said. “Take the extra step, get an internship as soon as possible. That’s the only way you will find out how this business works.”