If you had to name the biggest Comic Cons in the country, you'd probably start with SDCC, New York, Salt Lake and Denver. One you probably wouldn't name: Alamo City Comic Con in San Antonio. But as it kicks off its 3rd year of existence today, event founder and director Apple de la Fuente is estimating attendance to land between anywhere from 90,000 to 100,000 people.
That's a big Comic Con, which is going to put it on the radar of nerds looking for a new event and maybe an alternative to SDCC.
I've never been (though I'll be there this weekend) so I can't tell you firsthand why/if this Con is worth your time. A few things I do know:
- You can watch Syfytonians, a one-hour documentary about the creation of the Con and what it means to the local community. It's obvious that ACCC draws in a lot of cosplayers but also focuses strongly on comic books.
- It will include a film festival this year, featuring more than 30 documentaries, features and short films.
- Kristian Nairn (Hodor from Game of Thrones) will be hosting his Rave of Thrones party Saturday night, with attendees invited to dress up as Game of Thrones characters.
- On the family side of things, there will be more activities for kids, including interactive events co-sponsored with San Antonio Zoo, Witte Museum and the San Antonio Public Library. That means live animals, stories, art projects and 65-million year-old dinosaur bones.
- Special celebrity guests will include Michael Rooker, Edward James Olmos, Jon Bernthal, Ming Wa Nen, Ron Perlman and Stan Lee and more. There's also wrestling, a cosplay contest, local and national comic artists, all the usual Con fare.
I'm highlighting this Con because - as always - I think it behooves all of us to look beyond San Diego's hallowed walls and find alternatives that are just as fun while being more accessible. I know Alamo City is popular with locals, but I don't know if it's necessarily worth traveling to, so I'll give my opinion on that this weekend, and decide who this Con will probably appeal to. So stay tuned - and if you're going, let me know what you think of it.
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