By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
What began with a handful of vendors in 2011 has now grown into Del Rio’s premiere celebration of pop culture.
Del Rio Comic-Con returns this weekend to the Del Rio Civic Center for a two-day event. This year’s comic-con starts Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and concludes Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This is a ticketed event. Tickets will be available at the door or through eventbrite.com. Tickets are $10 for adults 17 years and older, $5 for kids ages 7 to 16, and admission is free youth ages 6 and under and for senior citizens aged 62 and above.
Along with dozens of vendors from Del Rio and neighboring cities, there will be video game tournaments, a skateboard competition, a martial arts demonstration, a painting session with Andrea Rodriguez, which requires a separate fee and registration in advance, a cosplay contest and more.
Del Rio Comic-Con was originally the brainchild of Marcos Campos. After attending San Diego Comic-Con, one of the biggest entertainment events in the world, Campos sought to bring a similar event to Del Rio.
The first Del Rio Comic-Con was held June 4, 2011 in the Casa de la Cultura and drew about 50 people. Campos held a second comic-con that year, but eventually it became a once a year event.
As the event became more popular it outgrew its original home and moved to the Del Rio Civic Center. Soon the event went from one day to two days and eventually occupied the entire civic center, bringing in guests and professional artists from the world of comic books and pop culture such as Sam De La Rosa, King of the Hill and Parks and Rec actor Jonathan Joss, musicians Michael Graves, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers alumni Johnny Yong Bosch and Nakia Burrise and others.
As organizers began to step away from the event, the difficulty in maintaining the popular convention grew and it departed the civic center. It would be held in the ballroom at The Ramada and again at the Casa de la Cultura. It would also suffer a brief hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But first director Paul Mancha, along with second assistant director Barbara Olguin and third assistant director Mario Alfaro have worked to bring the event back to the civic center in the hopes of reviving and reinvigorating Del Rio Comic-Con.
“This is a new rebirth, a new return to the civic center. It’s just like the old days. We’re just trying to bring something different, some different vibes to Del Rio,” Mancha said.
Alfaro said it was his daughter, Kassandra Alfaro, who helped introduce him to the comic-con world. A talented artist, Alfaro, who is known by the moniker Kolorful Kas, inspired her father to try and bring together Del Rio’s growing art community and help them get their work to be seen by the public at large.
Comic-con should play a big part in that, Mario explained.
“We are trying to put together a collective of these up-and-coming artists. We’ve been having meetings and what’s helped is that by working with my daughter I already know what will help them get to the next level,” Mario Alfaro said. “People say we should support the arts, but I wanna see it. My job is working with programming and spreadsheets, so I bring a sort of structure to comic-con and every organization needs some structure.”
The first 100 persons through the door Saturday will receive a goodie bag filled with items donated by sponsors and supporters of Del Rio Comic-Con. The hope is that will get people through the door and allow them to spread the word about what’s available for this community.
“This is going to be something of a nerd paradise,” Mancha joked. “We also want to get the folks from Laughlin included as well. We want to get the place packed and make sure people get their money’s worth.”
Mancha also credited the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce in its support of the event and their efforts to help bring Del Rio Comic-Con back to the civic center.
“Debbie, Mary and Blanca have been a blessing through the whole start of this thing,” Mancha said. “We’re glad to be back.”
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
