The Going Ons at Salt Lake’s First Comic-Con
The 44th annual Comic-Con in San Diego drew more than 100,000 fans, featured some of the business’s most popular actors and writers, and revealed several new movies and TV shows for the upcoming year. For many fans, Comic-Con isn’t a vacation, it’s a pilgrimage. But not everyone has the time or resources to make the trip. And though many cities have Comic-Cons of their own, some are still left without an event to call its own. Salt Lake was one of those cities, until now.
Salt Lake will host its first Comic-Con Sept. 5-7, and expects roughly 20,000 in attendance throughout the weekend, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. This debut is looking to compete with what other cities can offer on day one.
Big Names
Salt Lake organizers skipped right over “B-listers” and booked some recognizable faces for the convention — William Shatner, Adam West, David Prowse (the original Darth Vader), Ray Park (Darth Maul), and Lou Ferrigno. Many worked Comic-Con in San Diego, so the chance to pull this sort of roster bodes will for Salt Lake. Other stars like Richard Hatch of “Battlestar Galactica” and Cerina Vincent of “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” will also attend. Former shows that get a lot of replay time like “Battlestar” and “Power Rangers” on networks through Direct-ticket.net draw in a lot of lifelong fans.
Cheaper Prices
If you spent the whole weekend at the flagship Comic-Con, your badge cost $175. That just gets you through the front door. It doesn’t include any VIP panels or autographs. A three-day pass at Salt Lake’s Comic-Con will only set you back $50, and prices for kids are even cheaper. That makes it affordable for the whole family.
Film Festival
While Salt Lake residents can’t count on a preview as big as “Man of Steel” or a new “Hunger Games” trailer, Comic-Con will have its own film festival where independent filmmakers can show off their work. Some of the work is still being reviewed for submission but two films have the green light for exclusive showings — “Dragon Lore: Curse of the Shadow,” directed by John Lyde (“Christmas Oranges”) and “The Last Man(s) on Earth” which features Brady Bluhm of “Dumb and Dumber.”
Creative Commons image by Gage Skidmore
