This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Hill Country Comicon at the New Braunfels Convention Center in New Braunfels, Texas. You could sense the excitement from the crowd as they lined up around the building for their chance to make it through the entrance. The staff was professional and well organized, but the line wrapped around the building for close to two hours. The dedicated staff was there bringing attendees bottles of water to ensure that they stayed hydrated in the Texas heat. This was the first time I have seen this done by an event and I applaud them for being concerns about the health and safety of their attendees.
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You Remember… I Remember…
With the show line-up it’s no surprise that fans were excited for the return on Hill Country Comicon. This year the show really tapped into the nostalgia we all love with guests such as Dean Cain from Lois and Clark as well as the voice actors from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Do not worry the show wasn’t all about nostalgia. Many of the same voice actors such as Rob Paulson and Maurice LaMarche that younger fans may know from the newly rebooted Animaniacs.
Photos taken By Katarina Holler With Geek News Now Photos from left to right CTXBatman, Lauren Ray Cosplay , Silverback Props
One of the best aspects of this show from the stand point of a Texan is the way that the show locates local Texas artists, indie comic book creators, authors and cosplayers. More than 75% of the artists, comic book creators, vendors and authors were from Texas. At least 30 were from the Greater Austin and San Antonio areas. While at the event I had the pleasure of being able to sit down and get to know some of these cosplayers and creators and I’m excited to share more about them and their work with all of you in the weeks to come.
An Event As Big As Texas
Somehow this year’s show seemed to have more space to move around as a convention attendee. I’m not sure if it was just luck that resulted in the fans being more spaced out this year. Or if it was a result of how the event coordinators planned the layout of the convention floor. It was something that I greatly appreciated because it meant that people had more time to stop and talk to vendors and artists and look at what they had to offer and not feel like the crowd was rushing them through the event floor.
They were using the PA system in the event center more and they had a numbered system for celebrity autographs. This may have been enough of a change from previous years to open up the space and allow the large crowd to move around more freely.
Photos taken By Katarina Holler With Geek News Now Photos from left to right Bonfire Press, Dragonball Figures from RGV Rock Shop, Childs Play Comics
As with any major event Parking is always an issue. This year that seemed to be compounded by a few road projects that were being done by the city of New Braunfels in and around the convention center. But if you were willing to walk a short distance, parking was able to be found. When it came to feedback from the fans from the event in 2022 the Hill Country Comicon team did add food trucks to the event this year which gave the attendees a few more options when it came to getting food to refuel them without leaving the area.
Overall, the show was a pleasure to attend and I’m already looking forward to seeing what they are going to bring us for 2024. Each year is something new and I would give the event a five out of five stars. For more coverage of Hill Country Comicon be sure to tune into The Geek Gauntlet Podcast on Saturday March 11, 2023 where I will go into more detail about my experience At Hill Country Comicon. Be sure that you are following us on Facebook so that you don’t miss your chance to be entered in our upcoming giveaway.
