‘Aliens’ cast reunion to be a major feature of this year’s Comicpalooza

Actors Michael Biehn, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser and Jenette Goldstein, in a scene from the movie 'Aliens', 1986. Actors Michael Biehn, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser and Jenette Goldstein, in a scene from the movie 'Aliens', 1986. Photo: Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection , Getty Photo: Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection , Getty Image 1 of / 165 Caption Close ‘Aliens’ cast reunion to be a major feature of this year’s Comicpalooza 1 / 165 Back to Gallery

Comicpalooza, the Texas International Comic Con, will welcome aboard members of the crew of the U.S.S. Sulaco this summer.

Wednesday, the organizers of the annual Houston pop-culture convention announced a major update to the roster of stars appearing at the popular George R. Brown Convention Center event set for June 17 through June 19.

Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, Paul Reiser, Mark Rolston, Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, and Carrie Henn from the 1986 film “Aliens” will appear at the convention and be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures with fans of the space thriller, directed by James Cameron.

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Information on prices and packages for all eight of the cast members can be found on the event’s official website.

Almost all of the actors and actresses appearing from “Aliens” have an extensive resume of films which will make them very in demand. Bill Paxton starred in “Apollo 13,” which was filmed partially at the Johnson Space Center. He also played Sam Houston in last year’s History Channel miniseries “Texas Rising.”

Lance Henriksen starred in 1995’s “Powder” which was filmed in Houston, Texas City, Wharton and at Prairie View A&M.

Child actress Carrie Henn, who played "Newt" in the film, only appeared in this picture before retiring.

Sigourney Weaver will attract fans of the “Ghostbusters” franchise, “Galaxy Quest,” and “Avatar.” She also starred in four “Alien” films as heroine Ripley.

Due to scheduling constraints Weaver and Paxton will only be appearing on Saturday, June 18. Reiser and Henriksen will only be appearing Saturday and Sunday.

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This will be the first reunion of this kind for the cast of “Aliens” on American soil. There was a previous reunion in April 2014 at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in Calgary, Canada.

“Last year someone asked me how we were going to top Comicpalooza 2015,” said John Simons, Comicpalooza’s founder. “This is our game changer.”

In addition to the “Aliens” reunion and the previously-mentioned appearance of actress Kate Beckinsale, Simon also said that an extended film festival and zombie survival exhibit are in the works for Comicpalooza.

Special guests already announced for Comicpalooza include David Prowse, Eliza Dushku, Lou Ferrigno, Walter Koenig, and Lennie James. Simon says that there are many still to be announced.

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In past years, that convention has been held over Memorial Day Weekend but this year it was pushed a few months back due to what Simon calls a busier-than-usual Houston convention schedule.

This will be the sixth edition of Comicpalooza, which grows by leaps and bounds every year with expanded programming options and vendors.

The weekend-long, family-friendly event attracts thousands of comic book, sci-fi, and anime fans. There is also a heavy emphasis on cosplay so seeing fans in costume as their favorite characters is the norm. The people watching is top notch.

The convention organizers reported that in 2015 they welcomed over 40,000 visitors, adding an overall economic impact of $20 million to the Houston area. Comicpalooza has partnered with the Greater Houston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to bolster its footprint.

Not too bad for a convention born in the summer of 2008 with a few dozen artists at the Alamo Drafthouse off Mason Road. Simons says that that essentially was a "throw-away" event but he soon realized Houston had a market for a big-time comic book convention.

In 2009 the event became a two-day party and in 2010 it moved into the GRB for good.