The fourth annual South Texas Comic Con hits the McAllen Convention Center this weekend bringing celebrities, artists, panels, cosplayers, workshops, Q&A’s and more.
The fourth annual South Texas Comic Con hits the McAllen Convention Center this weekend bringing celebrities, artists, panels, cosplayers, workshops, Q&A’s and more.
Pop culture, comic book, sci-fi, fantasy and gaming enthusiasts will gather Friday, Saturday and Sunday to meet the people behind some of their favorite pieces of entertainments.
Wrestling legend Sting, NBA champ Dennis Rodman, Ryan Hurst of “Sons of Anarchy,” NYSNC’s Joey Fatone and the voice of Nintendo’s Super Mario are among the featured talent.
Attendees can also pay additional fees for autographs and photos with talent.
Artist Alley hosts more than 100 vendors from around the country selling art, jewelry, clothes, books, memorabilia and more.
The Power Festival on Saturday includes outdoor music and lucha libre. Indoor wrestling matches are scheduled nearly hourly as well.
Each day will see a cosplay contest, and fans can learn how to make their own costume pieces. Attendees have access to a free arcade, and daily video game tournaments.
For more convention information, including a complete schedule, go to southtexascomiccon.com.
‘ANOTHER SIDE OF ME’
While the event celebrates nostalgia, some featured guests hope conventions like these can help bridge the gap between the past and the present. The original pink Power Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson, is in translation between a two decades of acting to directing.
“This is another side of me,” Johnson said.
Johnson is screening her first feature film, “The Space Between,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by a question and answer session. The independent film was shot over 17 days last year. Half of the film’s budget was raised through crowdsourcing site Indiegogo.
The filmmaker said she’s grateful to use her association with an iconic franchise to introduce fans to her new work.
“I honestly had no idea 20 years ago while I was doing my first acting job ever that it would be a role that would influence and impact so many people,” Johnson said.
Power Rangers was a low-budget operation, and she was making $700 an episode without residual pay. This isn’t something that would happen now, she said.
She recalled the times on set when she felt unsafe because of low-budget stunts — like a light falling into a recently-vacated pool or a head prop catching on fire.
The director is “captain of a ship,” she said. “You do have to think about everyone on your set.”
Johnson is currently working on the next draft of her second feature, which she plans to shot next year.
Her long-term passion project, “Crazier Than You,” is a script Johnson penned about her late mother, who she hopes to portray.
“(She) passed away from cancer and I also grew up in a religious cult she sort of dragged the family through for 12 years,” she said. “It is a dark comedy.
“I want to be ready as a filmmaker and a director to take on that project, so I’m waiting to tackle that one.”
