Corpus Christi Comic Con Invades Hilliard Center

Courtesy of CC Comic Con

As is the norm for the annual event, hundreds lined up outside of the Hilliard Center awaiting entry to the annual pop culture event. Doors opened promptly and attendees were ready and willing to see what the event had to offer this year.

As always there was a smattering of different activities to participate in. This year the event offered not only panels but also a Drum Team, Guitarist, Cosplay Contest, and as has become tradition a Maid Cafe.

It was great seeing cosplay at the 3 day event as attendees in Corpus Christi always showcase what is an impressive amount of talent in their work. Braving the South Texas heat cosplays went all out in very daring costumes that must have had them sweating constantly.

It doesn't matter if you thing is Anime, Video Games, Sci-Fi or Comic Books there is something for everyone at the Corpus Christi Comic Con. Case in point, the Merch room had collectables, crafts, and general items from every genre in the realm of pop culture.

One vendor that is always a treat is Milky Tomato who's goods cover a broad spectrum from cute to borderline creepy, a mix of Kawaii and Cryptid if we had to describe it. If you like cute animal/food stickers, Teeth, Mothman, or Clowns Milky Tomato has something for you.

Photo by Izumi

In addition to the traditional merch which ranged from shirts to video games, to plushies, there were also the artist booths which offered handmade crafts. These artist booths will always have a special place in our hearts as it is always good to support independent artists.

Usually the artists (in what used to be called the Artist Alley *more on that below) do have smaller goods that can include Pins/buttons, acryllic items, and stickers but the creativity is what makes them worth checking out. For example, sure we can find pokemon merch online, but with these independent artists there is some more versitility including Mimikyu on pancakes, and Sableye on Pie.

Speaking of what was once known as the Artist Alley, we noted a few things from the past that are sorely missed at the current cons. The Artist Alley, After Hours Events, The Game Room, Live Music ect. Back before the con was called Corpus Christi Comic Con we never left the con before midnight unless it was to get a quick snack.

The Artist Alley was separate from the now standard merch room which gave the event a tad more charm, and more of the event space to explore. After hours events included Midnight Raves, Nerd Proms, and even movie showing that were either horror based or an always classic Rocky Horror quote along.

Photo by Nezumi M.

These are things that kept us at the con for a longer period of time and kept us moving from space to space. Yes you can go to panels and a maid cafe, but events feel smaller than what once was.

The game room for example took up one of the upstairs conference spaces and had consoles, PC's and REAL arcade cabinets set up and ready to play as opposed from the smaller 1up Arcade machines we have come to know. In addition the same room had space for tabletop gaming as well which made it a perfect spot to hang out with your friends.

These days it seems that even if an attendee does attend panels and music acts, a majority of time is spent meandering around the merch room with friends. There is nothing wrong with that and we have a great time doing it, but it also feels like we did less.

In addition to the standard events there is also the yearly cosplay contests for both adults and kids. This is the cosplayers time to shine and it is always great seeing the entries.

Honestly some of these cosplayers make us second guess the time we spent on our outifts, with the exception of one of our photographers this year (Pup) who came prepared. It never fails, no matter how much time we spend getting a costume ready, we arrive to find that the Corpus Christi crowd is on another level which deserves massive respect.

Special Guests for the event included Amy Jo Johnson of the hit 90's show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Dante Basco of Hook and A Goofy Movie. We did reach out to Johnson for comment but she was not available.

Photo by Izumi

In addition to everything mentioned above, there were also tattoo artists on hand to deliver flash art in a variety of styles ranging from Pokemon, DBZ, and some flash tattoos that were more in the NSFW category which let's be honest is part of the culture at this point. While we did see some discuss the price of said flash, feeling it was a bit expensive for the size and detail, we have to remind the public that every tattoo shop has a shop minimum.

That is to say, even if you just want a tiny heart, the minimum price is set. Please take into account that the artist has to prep the work station, use ink, and sterilized tools.

Think of all that prep and the material involved for a tiny tattoo. That being said, the prices were very reasonable when you take into account that this is a con setting which means that things have to be kept simple to get as many people taken care of as possible as this is a non appointment setting.

All in all, the con was a success and very fun as usual. Do we miss the charm of the old days with their after hours events and larger floorplan?

Absolutely we do, but that does not take anything away from the con in its present form. Corpus Christi Comic Con is an event that we look forward to every year and this year the event delivered fun, art, pop culture, and brought together a community that is largely neglected in the South Texas Area.

In short, the con was a success.