If you're obsessed with nerdy pursuits in Texarkana, there's one place to be this weekend and that's HYPECON.
The new anime and comic convention will fill the former Sears building in Central Mall with game tournaments, vendors, cosplayers, art, prizes, games, live panels and talented guests like Steve Cardenas (the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger) and both Cynthia Cranz and Justin Cook, two voice actors with credits like "Yu Yu Hakusho" and "DragonBall Z."
Held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, HYPECON is the brainchild of Jesse Darby-Tillis II, who says this event is three or four years in the making. He and McKayla Cox have been planning and promoting this event.
"It's just so much," he said about all that's planned. "If you're a nerd, there's something there for you."
Tournaments scheduled include "Super Smash Bros.," "Tekken 7," "DragonBall FighterZ," "Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite," "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" (the arcade machine), "Pokémon Ultra Sun," "Pokémon Ultra Moon" and "Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition." Card games such as "Yu-Gi-Oh!," "Magic: the Gathering" and "Pokémon" will be played (for $10). There's a DDR tournament, too (with a $2 entry).
"As more HYPECON goes on, the game room becomes the arcade room, a throwback," Darby-Tillis said.
True to one of HYPECON's aims, which Darby-Tillis describes as helping youth progress every day, $5 of every photo op purchased will be donated to Watersprings Ranch.
"The concept of me doing HYPECON was always to give back in some sort of way to the youth," Darby-Tillis said.
Photo ops will be available with the cosplayers, the voice actors and the Power Ranger. The cosplayers attending include Stormie Koi, Velvet Rose Cosplay, Courtney Cosplay and 2 Nerds in Love. They'll be judging cosplays and giving panels as professional cosplayers. There's a "Game of Thrones" panel, too, as well as panels on the 25th anniversary of both "Power Rangers" and "Yu Yu Hakusho."
"We're also with Pop Pop Shoppe forming a special flavor of HYPECorn," said Darby-Tillis. That's right, special popcorn for HYPECON to commemorate the appearance of the Red Power Ranger.
Entertainment includes a K-pop and J-pop dance party. "With a lot of big hits and songs going on," Darby-Tillis said.
Authors and artists are participating, too, as vendors. There will be an art contest and an artist's alley with both local and non-local artists. Vendors will be selling food on site, too, and cards, comics, T-shirts, figurines and more-even a magician from New Mexico. Attendees and vendors will be coming from the Four States area. In all, roughly 40 vendors are scheduled to attend.
Bonuses to the tune of $100 will be offered for the "Smash Bros." and "Dragonball FighterZ" tournaments, and a $50 bonus for "Tekken 7."
"Plus we have tabletop, and our tabletop is growing even more with GameStop bringing their special new board games," Darby-Tillis said, noting he plans to take up all the Sears space for this event, wall to wall.
And while this is a big event, look for HYPECON to add more down the road. Darby-Tillis envisions it happening twice a year.
(Tickets: $20 for one day, $30 for two days, free for children 10 and under. To buy tickets and for more information, visit HypeConEvents.com or via HYPECON social media.)