Great Scott! Salt Lake Comic Con Announces First Round of Celebrity, Best-Selling Author and Comic Creator Guests for Fifth Annual Event

SLCC17 announces over 33 new guests, including Hall of Fame and Magic: The Gathering artists, best-selling authors, and stars from Guardians of the Galaxy, Back to the Future, Boy Meets World, Firefly, Doctor Who, Batman Forever, Star Trek, Smallville, Psych and The Walking Dead

Initial Celebrity Guest Lineup for Salt Lake Comic Con. Dozens more to be announced. (Graphic: Business Wire)

SALT LAKE CITY--()--Today Salt Lake Comic Con (http://saltlakecomiccon.com/) created a new mix tape of greatest hits with an announcement of celebrity, artist and author guests for the fifth annual Salt Lake Comic Con to be held September 21-23, 2017 at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

Today’s 2017 celebrity guest announcements include:

  • Val Kilmer is a prolific actor and has starred in some of the biggest pop culture movies since the 1980s, including Batman Forever, Top Gun, Tombstone, The Saint, Real Genius, The Doors, Heat, The Ghost and the Darkness and Willow.
  • Catherine Tate is best known for her work on Doctor Who, where she became the 10th Doctor’s companion. She also appeared in the U.S. version of The Office.
  • Wil Wheaton played Gordie Lachance in Stand By Me and Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also plays a fictitious version of himself on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory and hosts the TableTop game show on YouTube.
  • John Barrowman is an actor, singer and dancer. He appeared in Doctor Who and Torchwood as Captain Jack Harkness, and had recurring roles in both The Arrow and The Flash. He’s also performed in a number of Broadway plays, including Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera and Sunset Boulevard.
  • Sean Gunn played Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy and Kirk Gleason in Gilmore Girls. He’s currently filming Avengers: Infinity War.
  • Michael Rooker is making his second visit to Salt Lake Comic Con. He played Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy and Merle in The Walking Dead series, as well as numerous roles in movies like Days of Thunder, Cliffhanger and Tombstone.
  • Christopher Lloyd is a returning Salt Lake Comic Con guest best known for his role as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy. He is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner for his role in the TV series Taxi and most recently was in the TV series Granite Flats that was filmed in Utah.
  • Tom Wilson is best known for his role as Biff Tannen in the Back To The Future Trilogy. He’s also an accomplished stand-up comedian, musician, voice over actor and podcaster. Since 2011, Wilson has hosted his own popular podcast called Big Pop Fun on the Nerdist Network.
  • Jewel Staite played Kaylee Frye in Fox’s Firefly and Serenity. She also starred as Dr. Jennifer Keller in Stargate Atlantis alongside con alumni Jason Momoa and most recently appeared in NBC’s hit series the Blindspot.
  • Michael Rosenbaum is an actor, producer and comedian. He played Lex Luthor in Smallville, earning a spot on TV Guide’s 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time. He’s also done voice work for The Flash in the DC animated series.
  • Corbin Bernsen most recently played retired police detective Henry Spencer on Psych. He’s also starred in Major League, Major League II and Major League: Back to the Minors, as well as the TV series LA Law.
  • Will Friedle is an actor, voice actor and comedian best known for his role in Disney’s Boy Meets World, and for his voice roles of animated characters in Batman Beyond, Deadpool, Ultimate Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy.

“Salt Lake Comic Con 2017 is our fifth annual event and we’re going to pull out all the stops to make this special anniversary one that will never be forgotten,” said Dan Farr, Salt Lake Comic Con Founder and Show Producer. “The celebrities we announced today are amazing guests that our fans will love and this is only the tip of the iceberg for what I know is going to be our best comic con yet.”

In addition to celebrity attendees, Salt Lake Comic Con also announced the first round of best-selling authors, comic creators and artists. Author attendees include Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, EK Johnston and Timothy Zahn.

The initial artists list features Bryan Pulido, JP Roth, Don McTeigue, Joe Rubenstein, Pop Mhan, Mike Zeck, Eric Ballasuda and Camilla d’Errico.

One of the new attractions for Salt Lake Comic Con 2017, Magic: The Gathering Pavilion, will feature a number of artist participants, including Steve Argyle, Ryan Yee, Mark Tedin, Mark Poole, Jeff Miracola, Jason Engle and Howard Lyon, who have created stunning art for this multi-billion dollar franchise. Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game. Each game represents a battle between wizards known as "planeswalkers," who employ spells, artifacts and creatures depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents.

In addition to the Magic: the Gathering Pavilion, Salt Lake Comic Con 2017 has added a number of new features for 2017, including Worldbuilders Party with best-selling author Patrick Rothfuss, and the Pop Life Entertainment Pavilion. Worldbuilders works to unite the geek community into a massive force to fund education, opportunity, and sustainable self-sufficiency for families and communities worldwide. At Salt Lake Comic Con 2017, fans can join creators from across fantasy and science fiction for an afternoon of gaming and partying to benefit Worldbuilders.

In 2016, Salt Lake Comic Con and Pop Life Entertainment announced a global partnership. Since partnering Salt Lake Comic Con has expanded its presence into Greater China and Southeast Asia. Pop Life Entertainment will have a pavilion, and will be showcasing its popular pop culture art and merchandise.

The 2017 convention is the fifth annual Salt Lake Comic Con event. In just five events, Salt Lake Comic Con has established itself as Utah’s most attended convention and a premier destination for celebrities, artists, comic book creators and authors of all genres.

“Salt Lake Comic Con is about the fans,” said Bryan Brandenburg, Salt Lake Comic Con Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer. “We take their input seriously, and then innovate to create new and exciting features and activities that differentiate us from other cons around the country, while delivering what our fans really want and demand. For the fifth anniversary of Salt Lake Comic Con we are certain this will be our most memorable event to date. It will capture the attention of the comic con fans and industry around the country and the world, and elevate us into yet another stratosphere of fandom and pop culture nirvana.”

For more information about Salt Lake Comic Con 2017 or to purchase tickets now, visit http://www.saltlakecomiccon.com/.

ABOUT SALT LAKE COMIC CON:

Salt Lake Comic Con is organized by Dan Farr Productions, in partnership with ABC4/CW30 of the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, and was co-founded by Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg. DFP is an event and marketing group devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium celebrities and brands in the pop culture arena. DFP is dedicated to producing spectacular celebrations of popular culture that lead the market in providing exceptional and rewarding experiences for our consumers, fans, celebrity guests, vendors and partners. Find out more at: www.SaltLakeComicCon.com, www.abc4.com/.

Notes to Editors:
For tickets
http://saltlakecomiccon.com/tickets/
Guest list
http://saltlakecomiccon.com/guests/
Salt Lake Comic Con newsletter
https://goo.gl/KF0o34
Comic Con FAQ
http://saltlakecomiccon.com/faq/
Hotel and Travel
http://saltlakecomiccon.com/hotel/
Salt Lake Comic Con Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/saltlakecomiccon/

Contacts

For Salt Lake Comic Con
Jeremy Kartchner, 801-703-4092
jdkartchner34@gmail.com
or
Salt Lake Comic Con
Bryan Brandenburg, 323-517-0669
Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder
bryan@slcomiccon.com

Release Summary

Salt Lake Comic Con Announces First Round of Celebrity, Best-Selling Author and Comic Creator Guests for Fifth Annual Event.

Contacts

For Salt Lake Comic Con
Jeremy Kartchner, 801-703-4092
jdkartchner34@gmail.com
or
Salt Lake Comic Con
Bryan Brandenburg, 323-517-0669
Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder
bryan@slcomiccon.com