North Texas Comic Book Shows - Oct. 6

ARLINGON, TX—Back in 2010, two comic book enthusiasts living in North Texas had a conversation about the lack of small, frequent conventions in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The brainstorming session led to the North Texas Comic Book Shows, a quarterly mini-con held in Arlington (home of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers), which is centrally located between Dallas and Fort Worth.

The first of the North Texas Comic Book Shows was held Oct. 21, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel, drawing just four dealers and 70 customers. The ensuing shows have grown exponentially (the July event had 70 customers the first hour), with the upcoming first anniversary edition—taking place Oct. 6 at the The Crowne Plaza Suites—promising a packed convention hall filled with retro action figures, classic comic books, vintage paperbacks, original art, super-hero model kits, old magazines, and other collectibles and curios.

In addition to having comics-related memorabilia for sale, the show will offer prize drawings. To receive an extra ticket for a chance at a prize, simply bring in a non-perishable food item, the accumulation of which will benefit area food banks.

Past North Texas Comic Book Shows have featured local creators (such as Marvel Comics artist Sam de la Rosa), and the forthcoming show is no different. The special guest this time around is Jason Adams, a trading card artist who has done comic book and Star Wars work for such companies as Topps and Upper Deck.

Living in the shadow of the glitzy Dallas Comic-Con and Fan Days, which are big-time conventions in the area that boast household-name-celebrities and thousands of attendees, the North Texas Comic Book Shows is a small fish in a big pond, and this is perfectly fine with show organizer Chris Latshaw. He wants his labor of love to prosper, of course, but at the same time he hopes to maintain the vibe of a small, intimate, one-day affair. “I think the show will grow,” he said, “but our intent is to keep it a grassroots type of convention and not get too out of hand.”

CONTACT INFO:

info@comicbooksdallas.com

comicbooksdallas.com

 Venom artist Sam de la Rosa, shown here with the winner of a signed piece of art, was a guest at a previous edition of the North Texas Comic Book Shows.

Classic Gaming Expo 2012 Auction

My article on the Classic Gaming Expo auction appeared in AntiqueWeek West. Here's that article, reprinted:

LAS VEGAS, NV—The Classic Gaming Expo, held at The Plaza casino and hotel Aug. 11-12, has come and gone, but winning bidders at the always-fun Saturday night auction are left with some rare and unusual video game memorabilia, along with the satisfaction of helping out a good cause (or at least a fellow convention attendee).

For certain artifacts, the seller pocketed the money. However, proceeds from several items—including three “mystery boxes”—went to a non-profit organization: The Video Game History Museum, which CGE organizers Joe Santulli, John Hardie, and Sean Kelly are working hard to open sometime within the next few years.

There were a few disappointments at the auction—several Intellivision items didn’t sell, including a rare computer and unopened copies of Pole Position and Learning Fun II—but the event was a success overall.

Solid prices were realized for a variety of items, including: a factory sealed copy of Ms. Pac-Man for the NES ($100); a Dungeon Magic NES prototype cartridge ($100); a Nintendo GameCube employee promo kit ($130); an assortment of first edition video game magazines ($160); a factory sealed copy of Berenstain Bears for the Atari 2600 ($200); a complete Atari Jaguar system in the box ($200); a PAL PlayStation 1 development console ($400); River Patrol (1984) for the Atari 2600 ($525); an Atari engineering notebook ($700); a Nintendo NES M82 demonstration unit ($1,000); and an Atari Jaguar award presented by Motorola ($1,350).

There were three mystery boxes auctioned off, the contents of which were a total surprise for the bidders. Mystery Box 1, which went for $600, was a $25 gift card for each of the show’s 16 booths. Mystery Box 2 was a batch of miscellaneous vendor-donated items that sold for $1000. Mystery Box 3, a set of GameTime Watches, netted a surprising $2000.

Speaking of surprises, the biggest surprise of the night was when The Plaza’s showroom facilities coordinator entered the auction room near the end of the night and bid $350 on the privilege of having a beer with auctioneer Hardie, with proceeds benefiting the museum.

“He came out of nowhere,” Santulli said. “Seriously, he hadn't shown any real interest in what we do until that auction, so credit John or credit the CGE attendees for inspiring him to donate.”

Classic Gaming Expo is in its 13^th year as “the world's first and largest event paying tribute to the people, systems, and games of yesteryear.”

Football Players Turned Actors

My article on football players turned actors is in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram. You can check out the online version HERE.