For
the second year in a row, I attended the Texas International Comic
Con at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas on
Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, 25 May. I had noticed just from the maps
and information posted online that the venue was much larger this
year than last, taking up basically all of the third floor of the
huge complex, probably all of the second floor (which is smaller in
floor space than the first and third, allowing the first floor halls
to be two levels high), and about half of the first floor. All told,
probably three times bigger than the not inconsiderable space of last
year. Not that there were three times the attendees and activities –
this time there was room to breath and the effect was much less
claustrophobic than it was last year, especially on up in the
afternoon. That was one very pleasant change in what continued to be a
very well-run and enjoyable convention experience.
Another
pleasant change was that for the first time I was able to share the
con experience with a friend. Usually when I come to Houston for whatever reason, I stay
with my sister-in-law and her husband; last year, my wife and son
came as well to visit with her sister. But this year my
sister-in-law and her husband were away on a trip, so my wife had no
interest in spending the day in Houston. Therefore a friend came
with me. This was his very first convention, which was itself kind
of cool to observe.
