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Corpus Christi Comic Con 2026 – Day 3

I slept better last night, that doesn’t mean those people sharing the joy, driving their cars stopped, there were at least less of them that woke me up.

I decided not to go to the Con early this morning because I can’t resist the merchandise and I’ve spent too much on things. I will be making one final walk around before leaving today… I need more of these.

Thinking about those snacks has me wondering what to do for breakfast this morning.

Checking the weather there is a good chance of rain later this morning and these clouds are similar to the ones on Friday morning when it went from sunny to rainy in 30 minutes.

Wow, this was a busy weekend for outdoor events. Friday was the Art Festival and a 5k night run, Saturday morning was another running event and this morning there is a bicycle race.

I think I need to venture out for breakfast…

Today, we will be trying a Pfannkuchen, at Artisan Haus Bakery & Bistro. What is a Pfannkuchen? Well it is a German thin pancake very similar to a crepe. I’m here at 8 AM and the place looks closed, but checking the Google timeline thingy I’m here before the crowd, so as I’m leaving this place should be hopping.

Time to hear a drum line.

Corpus Christi Taiko Club

This club is a volunteer club that is about 3 years old. Corpus Christi Onami Taiko Club more information about them can be found here on their Facebook Page.

The next session I visited was presented by @fatecosplay where he introduce to DnD. It was a very well organized presentation with information on where and how to find fellow players. Online tools you can use to help you track your character and manage a game if you are a DM. I did have to leave early because of the unlimited access to Pecos Pete’s Sodas. You buy the mug once and pay $7.00 a day where every Pecos Pete has setup their cart. The diet root beer is top quality. So I think you can figure out why I had to leave.

Puzzle update Day 3

I worked on the puzzle this morning for about 15 minutes and I just came back at 1:30 PM and there is a couple working on it as I type. So I’ll post a picture later.

I went back to the food vendor area to buy another round of macarons but sadly they sold out.. Next year it is.

To tell the truth I’m tired and thinking of leaving early. With my VIP ticket I have discounts to the Art Museum, the Aquarium, the USS Lexington, and the Botanical gardens. I’m leaning towards the Botanical gardens, they close at 6 PM so there is still plenty of time.

I couldn’t leave without finishing the puzzle so I started working on it and a kid asked if he could join. He completed the Eevee in the middle and the upper right corner before he had to leave.

If anyone that helped complete the puzzle sees this blog, thanks and great teamwork. Next year if I return, I should bring a notepad and ask people to sign the notebook and post pictures to a public site. Let’s see if I remember…

As I left C4 for the last time this year I smelled pizza. I was reminded of a pizza place recommended by a few people so I think I will get pizza and assess if I want to do any more walking. Besides I need to do some minor editing on the video from the drum line. You should have already watched it, but at the time of my typing it is just raw footage. Non linear time lines are fun.

Well, scrap pizza, Marty McPie is closed on Sunday. There are a few others that serve pizza but now I just want to go back to my room.

Just to close out this blog and answer all question, I ended up ordering the flat bread pizza appetizer from the hotel restaurant. That’s dinner sorted. And now that I’ve edited the drumline video, uploaded and linked it; its time to close out this 3 day blog.

I should be back next year. I like this Con because it isn’t too big, yes, the “stars” are not the top tier actors, but I’ve been to the Con in McAllen with “bigger named stars” and that one is just too crowded and VIP ticket holders get less for their money, or maybe C4 just gives us more. I’ve never been to another Con so maybe the McAllen one is typical and C4 is special. I guess I need to venture out to a different one sometime soon to compare.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the prose. I’ve tried to provide links so if you visit Corpus Christi you will have a starting point of a few things to do. Maybe you will even want to attend C4 next year. I’m signing off for now. Next adventure is in a few weeks and I will be going somewhere on the east coast. Subscribe if you want to read about that adventure. Be blessed.

Published in:

on June 7, 2026 at 5:29 pm Comments Off
Tags: comic con, food, life, travel

Corpus Christi Comic Con 2026 – Day 2

First, to the idiots that kept running up and down Shoreline Drive at 2 and 3 AM blasting their music and revving their engines… You all suck… Now that I have that out of the way…

I started day 2 with a 5k run. About a mile into my run I joined an actual live running event I didn’t know about. I would have signed up and gotten another metal. 😁

So here is my fit and some pictures of me, before I got too hot and had to change.

I decided to skip going for breakfast and instead chose to eat when I got to the event. So, I had mac and cheese with pulled pork for my brunch. Right? If you eat fancy food that’s not typical for breakfast after 10 AM you call that brunch? Whatever it’s called, it hit the spot. Sorry no pic, I was hungry and forgot to take a picture.

The first panel I wanted to see was the historical connection to Anime and Manga to Japan folk tales. The presenter, Chloe from the Texas State Museum of Asian Culture, used a flip book to tell a story, a modern adaptation, about a kingdom being attacked by a monster and the king calling for heroes and only 2 respond, a Texas ranger and a samurai. The presenter read the story in Japanese and then in English. She mentioned that many of the Manga and Anime comics and shows link back to eastern mythology and common cultural experience that are not originally found here in the West.

The second tale was about a giant peach. This story she told in English only, but if you’ve ever played Pokemon Scarlet, you see this similar story, but instead of finding a baby boy, the player finds a baby pokemon.

If you are interested in the story, Chloe has published this book, and you can purchase it on Amazon and learn some Japanese.

The second panel was about the voice actors for the original Avatar: The Last Airbender

Michaela Jill Murphy (Toph) and Dante Basco (Zuko) talked about their experiences voice acting these characters for Nickelodeon years ago.

Michaela discussed at the time as a kid (13 years old) she just read the lines, did her job and didn’t really think much about the show. When the show ended, her thoughts were… time to focus on school and get ready to become a doctor (she changed her mind later); however, as an adult she has gone back and rewatched all the episodes and was amazed at the writers storytelling and how good it was, making her job as a kid easy and how that writing still resonates with audiences today.

Dante discussed his impact as a Filipino actor, giving representation to people normally not seen in leading roles in Hollywood. At the time he was still young, and even his role as Rufio in Hook, was letting in his words “brown people” be seen. Now as an adult, looking back, he can see the impact especially when he interacts with fans, when they tell him the impact his career has had on their lives.

And yes, the crowd did get him to say his immortal words from Hook, “Rufio, Rufio, … ” go watch the movie.

The 3rd panel of the day was another presentation on story telling and folklore but this one was connected to Pokemon more directly.

This was a presentation give by historians that work at Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures & Education Center. The presenter started off asking what, the capital of France, the tendon that connects your ankle to your foot, and the popularity of people being named Hector. Paris, Achilles, and Hector are all from the mythological history of Greece and the Trojan war. Those stores are 1000s of years old yet everyone in Western culture knows them in some fashion. The same is true in the Eastern world, but with different mythological histories.

Now, I missed the craze in 1990 when Pokemon came to US. I would have enjoyed the translation error that happened in the episode about “jelly doughnuts“. Confusion, needless to say, children in the USA were confused by these triangular rice treats.

Ninetales is based on the Kitsune (and Chinese Huli Jing), a mythical fox that gains magical abilities

The concept of a duck with an onion or leek in its mouth comes from a classic Japanese proverb, kamo ga negi o shotte kuru. This proverb translates literally to “a duck comes bearing green onions,” The proverb is used to describe a scenario that is unbelievably convenient or a stroke of good fortune.

In Japanese folklore, the Dorotabō (muddy rice-field monk) is a yōkai (spirit/demon) that rises from rice paddies. This demon punishes rice farmers that neglect their rice pads.

Just like our Greek myths in the western world, these myths listed about are just as common to Japanese people.

Yes, my experiment is working. I started one of the Pokemon puzzles yesterday and people are actually helping to complete it. I only did the edge and a bit of the right side.

Before the Adult cosplay contest, there is an Anime cover band out of Houston,Tx called, Itzakaiju, performing. Seeing as the majority of the people cosplaying are in anime dress, I will go check them out.

If the link below works, this is a reel by the band as the enter Corpus Christi, walk the Con, Setup and play, then walk the Art Fest that happens the first of every month here in Corpus Chrisit.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZOteSPOXge/?utm_source=ig_web_button_native_share&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

I chose not to sit in the VIP section even though my pass let me, it was just too close. Crap, I should have brought my concert ear plugs. The ear plugs are awesome devices that drop the decibels noticable but don’t degrade the quality. Sorry, pictures only search for the cover band and you can find their Instagram and TikTok.

After the amazing performance by Itzakaiju, I headed back to the VIP lounge to get a snack, recharge my phone and work on the Pokemon puzzle a bit. While in the room an epic game of Jenga took place. These two girls ended up standing on chairs and using the second Jenga game to battle out. They actually ran out of moves and decided to call it a draw.

I don’t know half what these people are cosplaying… But here are the pictures from the contest.

OMG, almost no one paused to take a pose. I’m not sure how the judges even got a look. Once the official pictures are posted, I will link them here.

LiNK –> Corpus Christi Comic Con (the photos from last year (2025) are linked at the bottom of their webpage, so expect 2026 in the coming weeks.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18wouR9u8a

Until then here are the crappy ones from my phone.

Here are the winners…

3rd was The Mad Hatter

2nd was I don’t know. 🤷‍♂️

1st was the Chameleon from Kungfu Panda 4

Well, that’s the end of Day 2… Time for dinner and some editing of this blog via my laptop. Until tomorrow.

Published in:

on June 6, 2026 at 8:36 pm Comments Off
Tags: comic con, travel, vacation

Corpus Christi Comic Con 2026 – Day 1

Welcome to the first of three planned adventures this summer.

For my own memory this first adventure is taking place over the June 5 to June 7 weekend here in Corpus Christi, Texas.

I started the day with a short walk down to Norma Urban Park, which hosts Laundry’s, Harrison’s and Joe’s. This seems to be a man created peninsula to help protect the boats in the marina. It is also a good place to get a view of the sunrise with buildings or boats in the foreground.

This also gave me a chance to test out the gimbal I bought to use with my phone at the comic con. Ok it’s more of just a selfie stick, but gimbal sounds more professional. 😁

It’s going to be a few more hours, the doors open at 11:30, and after a shower to fully wake up; I needed breakfast.

Sure I could have eaten at the hotel, but that’s boring and I’m here with my truck so let’s drive…

I decided on a place called Hester’s. It’s a coffee shop with pastries and hot food. It’s only open for breakfast and lunch; hence it sounded great to me.

Ok, I’m inserting a short side story… as I was getting ready to leave I noticed the person in the gallery above taking pictures. The owner of the restaurant came out from the back excited that the photographer was still there. Why?, fresh baked sourdough bread is why… So I’m going to guess these pictures will be on social media soon. Thanks for joining me on this side trip. I enjoy finding life happening. Ok, back to breakfast…

I decided on the “Louis” Armstrong, which is your basic, 2 eggs, toast, potatoes and bacon. It is going to be a good day when the cook gets the eggs over easy right.

I really need to get an egg mold this size. The ones I have are for 1 egg, which means I use 2 every time I cook myself breakfast. Enough with my rambling about other things… (FYI, if you are new… I ramble a lot, you’ve been warned.)

I’m finishing my 2nd cup of coffee and waiting for the rain to stop, and my brain is wondering so I’ll take you with me… (see…)

The weather is fascinating… It was sunny and partly cloudy when I entered the restaurant but as I was eating the forecasted rain decided to move in a few hours early. One day maybe the weather apps will work as well as they did for Doc Brown in Back to the Future Part II.

Ok, back on topic… Well, sort of, its still over 2 hours until doors open and I don’t sit still especially after coffee, but the rain is going to limit outdoor activity, so back to the hotel to finish charging my cell phone and edit this post on my laptop.

Text reading 'Several Hours Later...' with underwater background and coral

Well, the rain clouds have moved off and the sun is out again so it is working out to be an extra nice June 5th here in south Texas. I’m getting ready to head off to the main event of the day. No cosplay for me today, but I did bring my Halloween Jedi costume that I’m thinking of wearing tomorrow. Today’s it’s just my frost dragon Hawaiian shirt from Geek Tropical. I’ve got some other shirts on order and hope they arrive in time for my next June adventure… Where you say? You will have to check back or sign up for email notification to find out. 😇

Now on to the CON!!!!!

For anyone interested here is the guest line up for the 2026 Comic Con and Anime

Some pictures from the vendors and the DJ pumping tunes into the exhibit hall and making announcements.

Check out this booth that seems to focus on creating Pokemon dioramas.

So after walking the exhibit hall a few times, I needed a break so it was time to take advantage of the VIP lounge.

A place to sit, games, puzzles and chargers

This is such a great idea for events like this. A nice place to sit and get out of the crowd, well Friday there wasn’t that big of a crowd but tomorrow I expect more people.

I skipped a meal last year at the Maid Cafe, so I had to try it this year.

What an exciting experience. You get a dinner and a show. Maybe.?.

Well, that was an experience. To be honest, I was expecting a bit more. The cupcake was one of those bitesize ones you can buy from Walmart. The soda pictured above was very good and was an import from Japan. It was a glass bottle with a glass bead sealing the top. You had to use the plastic topper to pop the seal to drink. So the unique drink counts as an up. The players were all very enthusiastic and if I had known more about these Japanese maid cafes and was a fan of Kawaii this would have been an awesome experience. Would I do this again, sure but with a friend or group. But if you are into this topic, this troupe is out of Houston and is available for hire for a gig. They are good at what they do, it’s just not my thing.

PAUSE… Next day me with an edit… Here is a post from Mim Cloud on her Instagram. I’m at the table on the left out of the shot. Another edit. This time the Instagram link worked

View this post on Instagram

Edit done..

So they don’t allow candid pictures of the meet and greet area, but I was able to sneak the one above of Scott Innes booth. I guess since he has lots of Scooby Doo merch to sell; his booth is extreme.

While walking around the exhibit hall, The Sea Breeze Singers, cornered me and forced me to sing a song with them. Just kidding they asked me to sing with them. I should have recorded it. Anyways they were walking the exhibit hall trying to drum up an audience for their 2 PM. Sadly it’s their only show of the weekend and I had dinner plans. See above.

I’m heading off to my first panel of the day and to be honest I don’t have a clue what to expect. Especially after the Maid Cafe.

The title is “The Butlers Did It”

This was a very cozy event with Steven Butler and his daughter Lily Butler. Both are graphic artists that draw for comic books. They are both freelance and work on Archie Comics and Sonic. Oh, if you happen to have a Spiderman themed wallet, Steven drew that. It was supposed to be a cover for an anniversary issue but Marvel decided to put on a wallet and other merchandise. Steven also showed some sketches of an upcoming Archie Comics crossover with a popular movie about time travel, but I need to Terminate this sentence so no one gets in trouble for revealing a secret.

Both father and daughter shared how they got into the trade and some important lessons they’ve learned about deadlines and getting your foot in the door. Basically to make it in the industry you need to be able to produce quality quickly and manage your time between various projects.

They both were very friendly and down to earth. They even host a live podcast on YouTube every Tuesday evening at 8 PM EST called, “Comic Book Chaos“. During this 30 minutes the draw on whatever random topic is selected. This would be a great opportunity to observe the drawing process in action. I’m planning on checking out a few episodes tonight before bed.

It’s now time for the first panel I wanted to hear. Let’s go check in on Eddie Mcclintock and talk all thing Warehouse 13.

A fun fact about Eddie, he is now a native of Corpus Christi. His wife is originally from Texas and they recently sold their home in California and moved here to Texas. So maybe he will be present at more Texas Cons.

We learned that Eddie is a fan of the horror genre, especially the Living Dead and Arm of Darkness. It’s amazing to hear from a star how much they sometimes fan over their heroes, such as Bruce Campbell, whom he met via a mutual friend and spent the lunch talking about the Living Dead movies.

From further discussion about his career related to Warehouse 13, it seems this show was another victim of an TV executive decisions to maximize profit over public entertainment. It sounds very similar to what happened to the original Quantum Leap.

After hearing the discussion, I’m amazed to learn of all the times Eddie was on the screen, from his first roll in a Coor’s beer commercial to his appearance on a day time soup opera to his bigger hits such as Warehouse 13.

Well, day 1 is drawing to an end and I’m now in search of dinner. I’m going to check out Harrison’s Landing again. It had cold beer and good fish n chips last year.

Well, another unexpected event… Seems Harrison’s is going through some remodeling so their menu is limited. The beer is still cold. 😁

And with desert eaten, it’s time to put this blog to bed. Until tomorrow. Live long and my the force be with you…

Published in:

on June 5, 2026 at 9:27 pm Comments Off
Tags: comic con, South Texas, vacation

Corpus Christi Comic Con – July 2025

I attended this 3 day, weekend event just recently and seeing as this is most likely my last vacation of the summer I thought I’d share my thoughts, feelings and I wish I could share my credit card debt, (hehe). Stay away from the vendors…

I was expecting a big crowd, but thankfully it wasn’t huge. With my previous experiences with cons, Saturday is always the busiest and that was true for this one; however, the crowds were small and you could actually navigate around without running into to people all the time. (Which as my previous experience at a con, and put me off them for a few years.)

I enjoyed the handful of panels I visited.

Both Chris and Josh had some interesting things to say about filming Harry Potter. They compared the different directors and shared some moments they had with the bigger stars, like Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith.

If you haven’t seen Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones then you might not know who Daniel played. In those film he was young Boba Fett. He is from New Zealand and I just enjoyed his accent. He shared some moments he had with Ewan McGregor and Temuera Morrison who played Jango Fett his father in the film.

Mr. Jones played Flash Gordan in the 1980 movie. He has also acted in other various action movies, but I really can’t name them. One very interesting fact, about Mr. Jones and why I’m referring to him as Mr. Jones, when is he is not acting, he is a high-end security professional in San Diego, protecting executives traveling to Mexico and the age of 70, I would not want to get on his bad side. From the interview though, I think it would take a bit to actually do that. He was very friendly and polite, but in his own words, he would not hesitate for a second if he felt there was a threat.

Now about my credit card debit I would love to share with someone…

I honestly come to Comic Cons for the vendors. I’m looking for artists and authors. And at cons, like book signings you get to talk with the author and learn more about them and they get to sell your their book. At this con I meet two such, Texas based authors.

Henry Melton is the first author I spoke to. He is mostly a Sci-Fi writer and he has a series of books, but also a good number of stand alone. I purchased his Falling BAKwards book a stand alone. In his words it is about a guy that falls thru to another dimension and has adventures.

Mary Flint was the second author, also from Texas, I spoke to. She wrote her first book at 15 and got it published 2 years later. That was the first part of a trilogy titled Red Star. So far book 1, The Hunter’s Trials, and book 2, Water Bird’s Shadow, are out and her mother told me book 3 is completed and will be coming to a Kickstarter campaign soon. I did get a chance to speak to the author and she gave me a quick fell for the books. It takes place in a dystopia world on a planet were the surface is no longer habitable and there is one large multi-level city that everyone levels on with various levels supporting the city. So it has some similarities to the Hunger Games with its districts and that the main characters themself are young. While in the hotel, on Saturday I started the first book and I only put it down because I needed to go get something to eat. I went back on Sunday to tell Ms. Flint how much I enjoyed the book and I mentioned the getting hungry part, and she then asked which chapter I stopped… I’m not going to give any spoilers away, but Ms. Flint has a quick thinker. I do recommend this book. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter so you can know when the Kickstarter will begin. You should be able to get a deal buying all three of the books if you back the Kickstarter.

And after all I’ve written, I will end with a gallery of pictures from the con and along the shore here in Corpus Christi, Texas. I hope you have/had a wonder rest of your July 2025.