Houston

Texas' biggest pop culture convention returns to downtown for a weekend of stars, gaming, and more

Texas' biggest comic pop culture spectacle is back this weekend.

Photo by Ferni Cabello

The stars will be all the way out for this year's Comicpalooza, going down this weekend (Friday, July 15–Sunday, July 17) at George R. Brown Convention Center.

The pop-culture convention has rounded up a premier guest lineup this year. Look for Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Terry Crews (White Chicks, America's Got Talent), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Lance Reddick (John Wick, The Wire), Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The X-Files), rock legend Alice Cooper, and a host of others.

Festivities will kick off with the Friday Night Launch, featuring a neon-themed dance party dubbed CP Friday Bash, wrestling matches from Texas All-Star Wrestling, Mario Kart 64 tournaments (always a fave), and more.

Saturday and Sunday, fans will be immersed in the pop-culture festivities the moment they arrive, with live entertainment and engaging activities including chainsaw ice sculpting by Houston-favorite Reverend Butter.

Once indoors, visitors can check out a vast show floor featuring new and returning special attractions, panels, and art-pop-culture finds. As always, there will be a bustling exhibit floor, filled with diverse merchants offering an array of items. Shoppers can wander the aisles of unique finds, rare collectables, and other cool merchandise.

The special attractions are, indeed, off-the-hook. Robotica: A Robotics Experience will host intense battle bot tournaments in the U.S. Navy Battle Zone, featuring robots as big as 250 pounds and as small as 150 grams.

Returning bigger this year, the Itasha Showdown will display more amazing anime and pop-culture-themed cars. Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to participate in mock trials at Fandom Court, where they can state their case to a jury on a wide variety of topics, such as which team would be victorious in a battle royale: The JLA vs. The Avengers?

The Comicpalooza Cosplay Contest on Saturday will display unique, hand-crafted costumes and props based on favorite characters, while young, aspiring cosplayers will be able to showcase their budding talents in the Kid’s Cosplay Contest on Sunday.

Fans can experience witness interviews and lively shows in the Comicpalooza Podcast Program, which hosts sessions throughout the weekend with educational panels, game shows, and live podcasts covering various pop-culture topics.

The Live Art Charity Auction will come alive Saturday evening, where fans will watch and bid on unique pieces of art being created during the event by visiting Comicpalooza artists. Funds raised by the silent auction will go to Fresh Arts, a charity that champions our local art community to succeed in the business of art

On the second floor, fans can visit Cultural Arts Avenue, where guests can explore the Houston community’s history and culture with organizations such as 1940 Air Terminal Museum, The Printing Museum, Project Row Houses, Community Artists’ Collective, Houston Cinema Society, Houston Symphony, and Houston Climate Justice Museum ,and Cultural Center.

Also on the second floor, K-pop performances and demonstrations by local group KLOVR will wow spectators.

Gaming, a huge draw, will continue throughout the weekend on the third floor, joined by celebrity panels, the Neon Realm experience, and other programming.

For the most up-to-date information, including general details, special guests, admission prices, and schedules, visit the official site.

Texas' biggest comic/pop culture spectacle is back this weekend.

Photo by Ferni Cabello

Texas' biggest comic/pop culture spectacle is back this weekend.

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Movie Review

Rose Byrne and star-laden cast try to beat the system in new movie Tow

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Rose Byrne in Tow.

Actor Rose Byrne had a banner year in 2025, getting her first Oscar nomination for her starring role in If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You. Although she came up short in that race, she’s getting another chance to prove her acting bona fides in the new film, Tow.

In the “inspired by a true story” movie, Byrne plays Amanda, a down-on-her-luck woman who lives in her car and can’t find a job. Living in Seattle, she tries to stay in touch with her daughter, Avery (Elsie Fisher), who lives with her dad in another city, but circumstances sometimes limit their communications, especially when her car is stolen.

The good news is that her car is found relatively quickly. The bad news is that the tow company is charging her to get her car back, money she can’t afford. Now truly homeless, she does everything in her power to right the wrong, even taking the company to court. Without much luck, she has to start staying in a women’s shelter run by Barbara (Octavia Spencer), where she makes friends with Nova (Demi Lovato) and Denise (Ariana DeBose), among others.

Directed by Stephanie Laing and written by Jonathan Keasey and Brent Boivin, the film has relatively low stakes going for it and never really tries to make the story feel deeper than it is. The situation Amanda finds herself in is clearly a tough one, and any empathetic person would feel for her and want her to overcome her plight. But the filmmakers keep things light and never try to up the drama in any significant way.

The issue Amanda is dealing with, being price gouged by a predatory towing company, is one with which many people can relate. But aside from helpfully underscoring Amanda’s frustration by showing the increasing number of days she is without a car, they never establish why they felt this particular story was one worth telling. Her personal issues, including a growing estrangement with her daughter, fail to conjure any big emotions.

The filmmakers are very loose with their storytelling, especially when it comes to side characters. The presence of the women she meets at the shelter, and Kevin (Dominic Sessa), the young lawyer who offers to help her, never makes full sense other than a need for her to have other people with whom to interact. A tighter focus on what Amanda was going through would’ve helped both her and people around her feel more important.

Byrne is a dynamic performer who’s shown great skill at both drama and comedy, but there’s nothing special about her performance here. Hampered a bit by a blonde wig and false teeth, she feels out of sorts for much of the film. The unusually high-powered supporting cast — both Spencer and DeBose are Oscar winners — makes things interesting on first blush, but none of them outside of Sessa is given much to do, so they’re mostly wasted.

Tow will be a disappointment for anyone hoping to see more great stuff from Byrne. While she remains a fine actor, her performance and the story as a whole are nowhere near the level shown in her previous film. The real life predicament shown in the film also never rises to the level of being of something worth showing to the masses.

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Tow is now showing in theaters.

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