The Times

Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: Entertainment

Hugh Jackman reprises his role as the amoral Wolverine.

The venerable mutant comes with a feral mind-set, adamantium claws and skeleton and many years of proven comic book selling and movie drawing power.

With comic-based movies still on the rise as summer closes in, considering the recent release of Watchmen and the upcoming release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the return of Houston's Comicpalooza is sure to draw potentially larger than usual crowds.

Comicpalooza, an annual convention in Houston that started last year, celebrates the comic medium and this year features guest appearances from many big names in the field, as well as hotshots from the anime and voice-acting crowd. Held this year at West Oaks Mall, the festival is set to coincide with the release of the newest X-Men movie and Free Comic Book Day. It is the largest free comic book festival in Houston.

A convention is a foreign experience for many people, but at its base a convention is special screenings, panel discussions and Q&A sessions with writers and artists, art shows and vendors. There will also be a charity art auction to benefit the American Red Cross. The festival is the best chance for anyone who might be interested to see if its worth the time.

"This festival is a great opportunity for anyone who has ever been to this type of event before and is interested," John Simons, spokesperson for the festival, said. "For the most part, conventions have entrance fees and stuff, but this festival is free, and it will definitely give you a feel of it. It's definitely something you can enjoy."

But aside from the draw of purchasing collectibles and meeting others with similar interests, the big seller of the festival is the opportunity to meet the creators of major comic sensations and potentially learn something about their take on the trade.

This year's festival hosts a plethora of featured guests including Doug Hazlewood, who has regularly worked on DC projects such as the Doom Patrol, The Flash and the Death of Superman story arc; Herb Trimpe, who has worked with Marvel Comics since 1966 and is known as one of the first artists to bring the character Wolverine to life, will be present as well. However, the guest of honor at the convention this year is Len Wein, creator of numerous DC and Marvel favorites, along with many other works in the field.

Wein's career started in the late '60s when he started his work with DC Comics, his first professional story being Eye of the Beholder for the Teen Titans comic. Since then, Wein has become renowned in the medium for his work as a writer. He has worked with DC, Marvel, Darkhorse and Disney comics, in addition to film and television adaptations of comic stories. Wein has also worked as an editor for the comic phenomenon Watchmen. Wein has done editorial work for major comic companies as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics and senior editor at DC Comics.

Wein is best known for his work as co-creator of comic book characters Swamp Thing, The Human Target and more notably Wolverine. Along with artist John Romita Sr. and Herb Trimpe, Wein brought Wolverine to life when the character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 and later when Wein and artist Dave Cockrum revived Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's superhero team X-Men, in addition to creating new characters Nightcrawler, Storm and Colossus. The upcoming X-Men movie features key elements introduced with Wein's creation, in addition to ideas by Chris Claremont, who played a significant role as the series continued.

Other featured guests include Ryan Burton, Matt Fraction, Mat Johnson, Rags Morales and a number of others listed on the Comicpalooza Website. Some, such as Kelly-Sue DeConnick, are sure to please a broader range of attendees with her work spreading into manga titles such as Kare First Love and Black Cat, for those who prefer this style to the American comic style.

"I enjoy working with manga and would really like to see more women enter the field. It's still male dominated with American comics, but not so much with manga. It's pretty balanced," Kelly-Sue DeConnick said.

Another great feature of the festival is the chance for independent comic creators to show and sell their work. Teams and individuals that work out of home rather than with a major company are allowed to set up display booths. This allows great opportunity for growth and diversity within the medium, especially with the success of writers such as Dirk Strangely.

"Anyone who is a fan of thinking differently and embracing the ab-normal I have found will be attracted to my work," Strangely, independent comic writer and artist, said. "But as a whole, in order for the comic and pop culture industry to continue to live, we must all come show our support."

Comicpalooza was an extremely small event when it started that was given little attention and drew in a little audience. But it has become a major event set to impress both those already immersed and those taking a dip for the first time when it hits Houston again May 2-3.

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