Comix Fair  Comix Fair was a comic convention that was held annually between 1983 and 1996 in Houston, Texas. It was produced by the Houston-based company Utopia Entertainment. Comix Fairs usually took place over two days in the summer, from Saturday to Sunday. The convention featured a large range of pop culture elements, primarily comic books and toys, but also television serials, science fiction/fantasy, film/television, animation, and horror. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, the convention featured a large floorspace for exhibitors, including comic book dealers and collectibles merchants. The show included an autograph area, as well as an Artists' Alley where comics artists signed autographs and drew sketches. "Tank McNamara" creators Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds, both based in the Houston area, were frequent guests of the show. Comix Fair was the successor to Houstoncon, a large multi-genre convention which took place annually in Houston from 1967–1982. The final Houstoncon, billed as "Ultimate Fantasy," was a fiasco; Comix Fair was much smaller in scale and, unlike Houstoncon, returned its focus primarily to comic books. The first Comix Fair was held in the summer of 1983, from July 29 to 31, at the Ramada Hotel West. An impressive guest lineup included media personalities Terrence Dicks and Bill Mumy, and comics creators Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart, Chris Claremont, Paul Smith, Kerry Gammill, Ernie Chan, Josef Rubinstein, Sam De La Rosa, Dick Giordano, Sal Amendola, Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Mike W. Barr, P. Craig Russell, Rick Obadiah, Mike Grell, Mark Wheatley & Marc Hempel, Dave & Deni Sim, Cat Yronwode, Dean Mullaney, Max Allan Collins, Terry Beatty, John Carbonaro, Jaxon, Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds, and Jerry Bittle. The convention program featured the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents characters NoMan and Dynamo (the most recent appearance of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents had been published by Texas Comics). Dave Stevens was a guest of the 1984 edition of the Comix Fair. The fourth annual Comix Fair was held August 22–23, 1986, at the Brookhollow Marriott. Official guests included Gary Groth, Gil Kane, Joe Pumilia, Jeff Millar, Bill Hinds, and Doug Potter.