A man cosplaying as “Batman” checks out the art of Kathryn Crenshaw at the Holiday Inn on S. Broadway during the 2014 Rose City Comic Con on Saturday, October 25, 2014, in Tyler. The comic con will be open on Sunday too. (Derek Kuhn/Staff)

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In its second year, Tyler Rose City Comic Con is hitting East Texas with a zap, boom and a pow.

The burgeoning convention for fans of comics and the arts began Saturday and continues today at the Holiday Inn on South Broadway, with events scheduled at numerous satellite locations.

The affair features a stream of celebrity guests, including English actor Colin Baker, most famously known as the sixth incarnation of the title character in the long-running BBC television series “Dr. Who.”

In addition to photo-ops with sci-fi and horror performers of the large and small screen, attendees can participate in tabletop gaming competitions, workshops, and question-and-answer panels or browse offerings from merchants in its artist’s alley.

Holiday Inn sales manager Albert Santos watched the stream of wandering masked and caped fans known as cosplayers from behind the front desk.

“It’s a really neat experience,” he said. “There’s a lot of cool things going on and if you just are kind of a people-watcher, this would be the place to be today. We’re real proud to have this here.”

Among a handful of professional cosplayers brought in for the event was Holly Wolf, a Canadian model, dancer, actress and Playboy Czech’s current Playmate of the Year. Wolf, outfitted as a bunny-eared, bow-tied Stormtrooper, met and posed for photos with attendees.

Michael “Knightmage” Wilson, flown in from Youngstown, Ohio, donned spandex as Marvel Comics character Venom. Wilson, a deputy sheriff of 14 years, uses his cosplaying as a vehicle for raising money for charity and will be donating a portion of his proceeds to a Tyler aid organization of his choosing.

The family-friendly event brought out Tylerites David and Krystal Martinez, who toted their son Lucas in his stroller, costumed as a baby Spiderman.

It was fourteen-month-old Lucas’ second convention, the first coming in the Martinez family’s native Puerto Rico.

“We’re a geeky family, definitely,” Martinez said.

Professional illustrator Alex McVey, a longtime Tyler resident and recent Grapeland transplant, also had his children in tow.

McVey, a featured guest who has designed covers for best-selling authors Stephen King and Joe R. Lansdale, had his daughter, 12, and son, 10, at his side as he sketched up artwork on the spot for attendees.

“I’ve just been sitting here with a notebook, drawing pictures of Batman and Joker all day, just selling as people walk by,” he said.

“I never get to do that! Right now, that’s actually what I would like to be doing, just sitting there and sketching.”

The convention, which last year brought about $200,000 to the city of Tyler, is a boon to many Texan artists and vendors whose booths line the conference rooms and lobby areas.

Ty Tyner, a Whitehouse native who now lives in Austin, has been selling his comic artwork at conventions for seven years.

Tyner estimated that 80 percent of his sales come from dealing prints of his art at the events.

“These shows definitely make a huge impact on the bottom line,” he said. “Conventions are just the best way to get out to the fans and sell your work.”

Amateur Jacksonville cosplayer Johanna Cryer, 22, checked out the comic con’s offerings dressed as the iconic super heroine Batgirl.

Cryer, a returning attendee, praised the convention’s accessibility to East Texas comic fans, who previously had to travel more than 100 miles to reach events in larger cities.

“I went to the one last year and I really enjoyed it,” Cryer said. “I used to want do cosplaying when I was a kid, but I never got a chance until they started doing it here in Tyler.

“I love they have it here now and I can go to it. I only live 30 minutes away and it doesn’t take that long to get here. I don’t have to rent a hotel or anything. I can just go have fun.”

Merritt Stinson, 67, stuck out in a crowd dominated by teen- to thirty-somethings.

“Age is state of mind,” he said. “I’m 67, but my mind is usually at about 30.”

Stinson was cajoled into attending last year’s con by his now 18-year-old daughter Alyssa, an aspiring professional cosplayer.

“I didn’t think it would be all that much fun and when I got there it just kind of brought out a different side of me that I didn’t know was there,” Stinson said. “And I still have a lot of life left, so why not have fun?”

This year, Stinson came in costume, dressed as the bow-tied “Dr. Who,” once again accompanied by his daughter, who sported colorful tresses and foam wings to represent the My Little Pony character Rainbow Dash.

Ms. Stinson was impressed with the convention’s growth.

“It was really small last year because they didn’t expect the turn-out that they had,” she said, “and this year they stepped up to plate.”

George Jones, owner of Jericho’s Tours of Tyler, is the man who made it all happen.

“There’s nothing to do here unless you go see a movie, go smell a rose, and go out to eat,” he said plainly.

Jones is hoping to change that, and has big plans for the city. He said the convention, which surpassed last year’s opening day attendance within a few hours, will have to find a new, larger location for the increasingly popular event.

In addition to his company’s historic and haunted tours of the Rose City, he’s previously organized live-action murder mysteries, a vinyl record expo and an annual paranormal conference in Tyler.

“Honestly, I want Tyler to be the new Austin,” Jones said. “I want to bring in everything I can. I’m tired of roses. I’m tired of guns. I’d like to see something new and interesting around here.”