Aliens, an Astronaut and a surprise Charlie Hunnam bring the action to Comicpalooza 2016

The date may have changed this year for Houston’s foremost celebration of the geek-dom and nerd-rule, but one thing about Comicpalooza stays the same: The comic and pop culture convention is still ginormous. With 2000 hours of programming compressed into three days, every year Comicpalooza’s event schedule seems to grow exponentially.

To help organize the fun and interactive chaos, the con designates programming by genre tracks. From anime, comics, films, literature, art, gaming, sports and science, convention-goers could probably focus on just one interest and still have enough to do the entire weekend, but I think it’s better to play the convention field, maybe literally if you feel like a game of quidditch.

So whether you’re an autograph collector, budding author, or cosplay artist here are just a few highlights from the weekend you might want to fit into your schedule, with special emphasis on both big stars and Houston’s own creative talent.

Get Face Hugged by Aliens
Game over, man, because the ultimate event of this year’s Comicpalooza will be the 30th anniversary Aliens cast reunion (yes, we’re all that old) with Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein, William Hope, Ricco Ross, Mark Rolston, Daniel Kash, and Cynthia Scott all attending. Besides autographs and photo opportunities, the cast will participate in an Aliens Q&A session Saturday at 2 pm. You might need to lineup early for this one.

First person to request the whole cast do their best variations on “Nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure,” wins my undying nerd respect.

Meet A Real Space Woman
Since H-town is also Space town, the Comicpalooza programmers perhaps feel it’s their duty to present many real science discussions and panels under their science faction and education tracks. Before meeting the Weaver, the woman who has probably been in Hollywood outer space more than any other actor, why not meet real astronaut, Dr. Shannon Walker, who’s logged 163 days in space, 161 of those days on the International Space Station. She’s be a part of a panel discussion on Friday.

Take a Page from the Literary Track
The stars aren’t just from the movie and television realms, so don’t miss meeting some great writers, who might even offer advise on your own creative endeavors. There’s plenty of authors and graphic novelists of all genres to choose, from but be sure to check out hometown favorite Mat Johnson, whose Loving Day will soon be a Showtime series. He will be hosting a panel with bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon titled “Working on Novels vs. Comics” on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hugo and Nebula award-winner Ken Liu will be contributing to several panel discussions and giving the solo presentation “Chinese SF in Translation: Conformance, Estrangement, and Translation as Practice and Metaphor.” I believe you’ll automatically receive some grad school credit for attending that one.

Have Some Weird Fun
Weirdness in all its lovely permeations will bloom throughout the weekend, but I always enjoy the quirky little presentations and performances sometimes hidden in the schedule. For example, every year I try not to miss what local thespians Classical Theatre Company are doing. For the Bard’s 400th birthday, they’ll be performing two dramatic readings of one of his lesser known works, William Shakespeare's Star Wars, (parts one and two) by Ian Doescher.

See a Flick or Learn How to Make Your Own
Besides showing 1,200 short films and several features during the Film Festival, Comicpalooza will also host film education programs presented from the likes of SWAMP, the Houston Film Commission, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival and NASA. If you didn’t get to see the finalists from the first annual CineSpace 2015 back in November, don’t miss the screening on Friday. On Saturday, local artists and first place winners, Mary Magsamen and Stephen Hillerbrand will answer questions about their film Higher Ground after a screening.

One Very Surprising Guest
Anyone paying attention to Houston con news or Sons of Anarchy and Pacific Rim star, Charlie Hunnam, news might be aware that the actor was recently in Houston on Memorial Day weekend for the Space City Comic Con. And while what happened here wasn’t quite as action-packed as giant robots fighting equally giant space monsters at sea, there was a bit of a kerfuffle. But the story doesn’t end there, because late Tuesday Comicpalooza announced that Hunnam, wanting to make it up to his disappointed fans, is coming back to Houston to try again.

Hunnam will offer free autographs to the Sons of Anarchy VIP ticket holders from Space City Comic Con and Wolf Studios will honor unredeemed VIP photo op vouchers from Space City Comic Con. Though Comicpalooza and Space City Comic Con are mightily unaffiliated, Comicpalooza officials stated they will issue one free adult 3-day pass to each of those Sons of Anarchy VIP ticket holders.

Will there now be peace in pop culture convention land? Head on down to George R. Brown Friday through Sunday (June 17-19) to see.

See Preacher man Dominic "Howard Stark" Cooper at his Q&A on Sunday.

Comicpalooza Courtesy Photo

See Preacher man Dominic "Howard Stark" Cooper at his Q&A on Sunday.

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Movie Review

28 Years Later revives zombie franchise for new generation

Photo by Miya Mizuno

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later.

The 2000s brought two of the best zombie movies ever made in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Both films, despite being made by different filmmakers, featured intense action with fast-moving zombies, harrowing sequences, and real emotional connections with their main characters. Now the original director and writer — Danny Boyle and Alex Garland — have returned with the first of a possible three sequels, 28 Years Later.

The rage virus from the first two films that turns humans into insatiable monsters has successfully been contained to the United Kingdom, and one group of survivors has managed to band together on a small island off the coast of England. We’re introduced to the group through Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and his son, Spike (Alfie Williams).

Isla is sick with an unknown illness, while Jamie is set to take the 12-year-old Spike on his first trip to the mainland to hunt zombies. That trip not only gives Spike an education as to the different types of feral zombies that now populate England, but also a clue that other people have survived there. When he discovers that one of them may be a doctor, he makes plans to take his mother there in hopes of finding a cure for whatever ails her.

While the first two films were notable for their brisk pace that kept the potency of the stories high, Boyle and Garland almost go in the opposite direction for much of this film. The first 90 minutes are relatively slow, with only a couple of sequences that raise the blood pressure. The final half hour or so go a long way toward filling that void, so it’s clear that the filmmakers were biding their time for the story to come in the sequel. A bit more balance in this film would have served them well, though.

What they do show involves some weird, wild stuff that is objectively upsetting, even for fans of the genre. The zombies have evolved in strange ways, giving them a variety of body shapes and abilities to suit the environment in which they live. These storytelling choices may thrill some and have others scratching their heads. Another human character living on his own (played by Ralph Fiennes), appears to have gone the way of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, with a revelation that is bone-chilling.

Boyle, who’s directed everything from Trainspotting to Slumdog Millionaire, doesn’t have a signature style, and he makes some choices in this film that test your patience. He occasionally employs an odd technique in which the film stutters, for a lack of better term. It’s a bit jarring, especially since it doesn’t seem to improve the storytelling. He also inserts scenes from older films involving medieval warfare that emulate the bow-and-arrow weaponry used by characters in this film, but the exact connection he’s trying to make is unclear.

The young Williams has a lot put on his shoulders in the film, and he proves to be up to the task of carrying the story. He isn’t precocious or annoying, instead reacting almost exactly like you’d expect a boy of his age to do when faced with extreme situations. Taylor-Johnson and Comer are good complements for him, drawing him out with their polar opposite characters. Fiennes makes a huge impression in the final act of the film, while Jack O’Connell makes a very brief appearance, teasing a bigger role to come.

It’s difficult to fully judge 28 Years Later because it’s designed to only give you part of the story; part 2, The Bone Temple, is due in 2026, while a third film will follow if the first two do well. This film has its moments and winds up on the positive side of the ledger, but it’s also a frustrating experience that could have used a more stand-alone story.

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28 Years Later is now playing in theaters.

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