The co-creator of Rogue and longtime Marvel artist Michael Golden tops the guest list for this weekend's 6th annual Ark-La-Tex Comic Con held at the Texarkana Convention Center.
Golden joins voiceover artist Neil Kaplan ("Transformers: Robots in Disguise" and "Power Rangers"), "Walking Dead" zombie actor Chris Harrelson, writer Mike
They'll hold court Saturday and Sunday, along with Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator and the 501st Legion. The comic con opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. each day with costume contests for adults and children scheduled for the afternoons. Kids are judged at 1 p.m., adults at 2 p.m. On Sunday, the winners are the ones with the most applause for people's choice.
About Kaplan, organizer Ray Couch is excited. "He is a hundred guests in one. He is the voice of Optimus Prime from 'Revenge of the Fallen,' 'Transformers Armada.' He has done 50 or 60 video game voices," Couch said about Kaplan's numerous credits.
"They have a Voltron movie coming out, a brand-new Voltron movie. He's the voice of the bad guy, he's in the movie," Couch said, adding that Kaplan has a refreshing, light-hearted manner. "He's real comical."
Couch is just as excited for Golden, calling this guest "one of the godfathers of comics." He went to San Diego's Comic Con in 2010 to see Golden, whose credits include Detective Comics Batman, Uncanny X-Men, Savage Sword of Conan and The Amazing Spider-Man.
"He's an amazing artist," Couch said. Golden also co-created the Micronauts. Golden's career started in the 1970s but he's still working on big projects.
Expect guests to be involved in panels, Couch said, noting that Harrelson asked to return. He's a "Walking Dead" veteran, still appearing in the seventh season. "He's going to do a panel, absolutely," Couch said. But you won't hear him talk about this season.
In Steward, the Ark-La-Tex Comic Con has a local guest. Couch said Steward worked with KISS recently, so he will talk about that development and share new art.
"Then I've got the 501st Legion coming again. They dress up like 'Star Wars' and bring their Death Star," Couch said. For Star Trek fans, on the other hand, there's a U.S.S. Enterprise bridge simulator to entertain you at the convention.
"I got to do it last year and it was awesome you get to go on a mission and not all the missions are the same," Couch said.
When it comes to vendors, convention-goers can peruse action figures, toys, props, posters, cosplay outfits, DVDs, anime, collectibles, art, comic books and more.
"We'll have about 10 to 12 comic book vendors," Couch said. "There probably will be 50,000 to 60,000 books at this show, and I mean some nice stuff." It'll be comics that you normally don't see, pieces of comic history.
Couch said a unique aspect to Ark-La-Tex Comic Con are the creator tables, where he situates aspiring writers and artists across the row from pros in an artist alley. "Where they can get noticed and maybe get pointers from the professionals," he said.
The Vampire Masquerade Ball (for those age 17 and up) starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. It's a gothic party with costumes, dancing, karaoke and an Edgar Allen Poe reading. It runs until midnight. Admission is $5
Various game tournaments are scheduled, including ones for Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-OH! and Black Ops II. Check the Website for details and more information.
"There's so much to do that you probably couldn't even do it all in a day," Couch said.
(Admission: $15 per day, $25 for both days; children 12 and younger free, two per adult, additional children $5. More info: ArkLaTexComicCon.org. Texarkana Convention Center is located at 2910 S. Cowhorn Creek Loop.)