Updated 11:50 a.m. July 7 

As we round the final stretch ahead of this month’s convention, Comicpalooza is adding the finishing touches to its lineup. And that means more super-powered names. The latest star-studded celebrity monikers to join the already-packed list include CW stars Dominic Purcell and David Ramsey of the Arrowverse, as well as Machete himself, Danny Trejo.
 
Best known for his role Lincoln Burrows in Fox’s Prison Break, Purcell, who will appear in the Netflix action-horror feature Blood Red Sky later this year, has spent the last several seasons traveling through time as Mick Rory/Heat Wave in the Arrowverse show Legends of Tomorrow. Ramsey, meanwhile, has been a mainstay in the CW’s Arrowverse since the very beginning, playing Oliver Queen’s best friend and ally, John Diggle/Spartan, on Arrow.

And really, does Trejo need an introduction? Actually, this isn’t the longtime actor’s only July visit to the Bayou City. He’s also making a virtual stop by Brazos Bookstore where he’ll chat with Steve Buscemi and University of Houston-Downtown professor Daniel Peña about his new book, Trejo, on July 14 (From $17).  

How’s that for kerblam?

Updated 1:12 p.m. June 28

Comicpalooza announced some more new names to its 2021 lineup, and they’re each bringing the wham, bam, pow factor to this July’s convention.

On the comics front, illustrator Ariel Diaz (Witchblade, G.I. Joe) and Matt Hawkins, president of Top Cow Comics, have been added to the fray. But we’re especially excited about the additions on the pop-culture side: Martin Kove and Michael Rosenbaum.

Two ultimate baddies, Kove played John Kreese, vicious sensei of the Cobra Kai karate dojo in the Karate Kid movie franchise and Cobra Kai TV sequel, while Rosenbaum brought the villainous Lex Luthor to life in Superman origin story, Smallville. Is anybody else hearing the strains of Remy Zero or is it just us?

Updated 5:23 p.m. June 14 

A galaxy far, far away is getting a little bit closer thanks to Comicpalooza. Why? A cadre of The Mandalorian cast mates are grabbing the next starship bound for Space City in time for next month’s pop culture convention.

The newly announced panelists include four-time Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito, who plays villain Moff Gideon, and Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff, who appears as legendary Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze (a character she also voiced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels). Athlete-turned-veteran actor Carl Weathers (Bounty Hunters’ Guild agent Greef Karga) and Ming-Na Wen (assassin Fennec Shand), who just so happens to be the voice of Disney’s Mulan herself, round out this latest set of names.

And if that’s not enough to satisfy your Star Wars craving, Comicpalooza is bringing back the always fun 501st Legion, Star Wars Enthusiasts of Houston, and memorizing exhibitor Ultra Sabers, who will bring your greatest custom lightsaber fantasies to life.

We like these odds, ya’ll.

Updated 2:52 p.m. June 4 

While it’s not the resurrection of the witches we hoped for (damnit, Netflix), a tiny Greendale reunion is coming to Comicpalooza. Gavin Leatherwood and Tati Gabrielle, who both rose to fame on the supernatural-horror reboot of the ’90s sitcom, are the latest names to join the pop culture festival’s upcoming panels next month.

Leatherwood played Nicholas Scratch, Sabrina’s bad-boy warlock boyfriend, while Gabrielle got her witch on playing Sabrina’s frenemy and sometimes ally, Prudence Blackwood.

We can already anticipate the cauldron stirring this news will bring. 

Updated 10:10 a.m. May 27 

Comicpalooza’s keeping the power-ups coming. Yesterday, organizers announced voice actors Sean Schemmel and Christopher Sabat of Dragon Ball Z fame, as well as pro wrestlers Britt Baker and Christian Cage, will also be among this year’s convention panelists.

In addition to playing the main protagonist and arch villain, in the intentionally popular anime show, Schemmel has spent 20 years voicing characters in properties ranging Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Super Smash Bros. video games. Meanwhile, Sabat, who voiced Goku’s longtime arch-rival, Vegeta, has worked on more than 650 properties, including My Hero Academia.

Both multi-win champions, Baker became the first female wrestler to be signed by All Elite Wrestling while 22-time champion Cage (known out of the ring as William Jason Reso) left joined AEW back in March.

Also new this year is the Anime Car Show, featuring slick rides decked out in anime and pop-culture wraps. 

Updated 6:52 p.m. May 20

Wham, bam, pow. Comicpalooza’s released the names of a few more panelists, and they’re sure to get your geeky hearts pumping.

The festival has officially added comic industry pros Donny Cates (Doctor Strange, Thanos) and Ryan Stegman (Venom, Amazing Spider-Man) to the lineup. But the biggest name of the new announcement is prolific character actor Ron Perlman, who along with roles in tv shows Sons of Anarchy and Beauty and the Beast, brought Mike Mignola’s gruff-but-loveable half-demon to the big screen in 2004’s Hellboy and its 2008 sequel.

All three new panelists will join the previously announced Saved by the Bell costars and fellow ’90s heartthrobs Mario Lopez and Mark-Paul Gosselaar at the Houston pop culture convention this summer.

There’s still more names to come, so keep those phasers on stun, kids.

Updated 12:55 p.m. May 12

This morning, Comicpalooza announced the first guest of its 2021 convention lineup, and it’s none other than ’90s heartthrob Mario Lopez.

Best known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on sitcom Saved by the Bell, Lopez has enjoyed a successful career hosting and presenting on celebrity news shows Entertainment Tonight, Extra, and Access Hollywood. Most recently, the actor reprised his iconic Bayside role during NBC’s Saved by the Bell revival, which aired on streaming service Peacock last year and has since been renewed for a second season.

The rest of the lineup is TBA, but we’ll keep updating you as the saga continues.

Published 2:55 p.m. March 11

Keep on sewing those new cosplay costumes and dust off your LARPing gear, because Comicpalooza is makings its Houston return this summer. Originally slated for a May comeback, your friendly neighborhood pop-culture convention will instead welcome Bayou City geeks to the George R. Brown Convention Center on July 17–18. The extra couple of months, as well as adherence to the city’s stringent Houston Clean health and safety plan, “increases the odds that we can hold an event that more closely reflects a traditional Comicpalooza,” Aimée McCurtain, Comicpalooza's chief strategy officer, said in a statement.

Last year's event, which was expected to draw 50,000 attendees from across the country to Houston during Memorial Day Weekend, was cancelled because of the pandemic. It was the first time since the comic extravaganza began in 2008 that the convention had been cancelled. 

Just like the Comicpaloozas of old, the 2021 rendition will include the traditional Artist Alley, Dealer’s Room, and popular cosplay competition, as well as a variety of other yet-to-be-announced programming that will span the pop-culture landscape, according to the release.

If that doesn’t make you want to shout “Excelsior!,” we don’t know what will. 

Purchase passes and keep up to date with schedule announcements (including special guest appearances) at comicpalooza.com.