Tucson Comic-Con is back for another year of fan fun, and organizers say it’s bigger than ever — with more venue space and the largest lineup of celebrity and industry guests yet.
The three-day event takes place over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-6, at the Tucson Convention Center and will be packed with celebrity guests, vendors, fan events, and a few exciting additions.
“Last year, one of our big highlights was that we were adding the arena to our show floor. So last year we had 119,000 square feet of vendors and artists. This year, we're bringing back the arena, and we are also expanding even further,” said Shelbie Turnbeaugh, director of public relations and marketing for Tucson Comic-Con. “We're also taking over the North Exhibit Hall of the Convention Center.”
The exhibit hall will be transformed into “The Hall of Heroes,” where attendees can interact with professional cosplayers and cosplay groups.
“People can come up to take pictures with the cosplayers or just be in these immersive zones,” Turnbeaugh said. “As people are exploring the convention, they can just wander in, engage with each of these groups individually. Sometimes they'll have different interactive things that they're doing. In the past, I know some of the pirate groups have done a ‘walk the plank’ activity, or sword fighting, or some of the Star Wars groups do lightsaber fights.”
This year, Turnbeaugh said close to 40 celebrity and industry guests are expected to be in attendance, more than any previous year. This is the 17th annual event.
Some of the notable celebrity appearances will include:
William Shatner, who originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the television series Star Trek, and played the title role in the hit television series T.J. Hooker;
Lou Ferrigno, who played Hulk in the classic television series The Incredible Hulk;
Deep Roy, known for his roles in Corpse Bride, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Return of the Jedi;
E.G. Daily, actor, voiceover star and hit singer/songwriter who has starred in over 40 feature films including Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and voiced Tommy Pickles in the Nickelodeon Rugrats TV series;
And Tracy Lynn Cruz, best known to fans as Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Ranger, from Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers In Space.
Shatner is scheduled for appearances on Friday and Saturday at booth H19 of Tucson Comic-Con.
Shatner is scheduled for appearances on Friday and Saturday at booth H19. Ferrigno will make appearances at booth H10 Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a spotlight panel at 11 a.m. Saturday (panels 101/102). Daily will be in attendance Saturday and Sunday at booth H18 with a spotlight panel at 1 p.m. on Saturday (panels 101/102). Deep Roy will make appearances at booth H16 Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a spotlight panel at 2 p.m. Saturday.
James O'Barr, creator of The Crow, will be featured this weekend.
“We have some really big icons in the comic book industry,” Turnbeaugh said. “We have James O’Barr who created The Crow. We have icons from the history of Marvel, D.C., we also have Jim Starlin, who is known because he created the Infinity Gauntlet storyline for Marvel. He created the characters Thanos, Drax, Gamora, all these that we have now seen in movies.”
Tucson Comic-Con is also proud to have several Arizona-based guests featured in the lineup, Turnbeaugh said.
“Arizona has such a good collection of artists, creatives and professionals. There are creators for name businesses like Marvel and DC that are Arizona based,” she said. “At least 10 to 15 folks are from Arizona that we'll be having on the floor, and that's artists, writers, everything in between.”
Among the local artists who will be featured are illustrator and graphic designer Chiara Bautista, and muralist Pen Macias, who will be live painting a mural over the weekend for Tucson Comic Con.
During the weekend's spotlight panels, fans can learn more about their favorite celebrities, artists and comic creators, hear stories about their work, and participate in Q and A’s. Fans can also purchase photo-ops with their favorite celebrity guest online ahead of the event. Prices range from $65-$155.
Tickets for Tucson Comic Con can be purchased online at tucsoncomic-con.com. A full weekend pass cost $78.65. Friday general admission tickets are $38.75, Saturday general admission tickets are $55.85, and Sunday general admission tickets are $38.75. You can also find a full schedule on that website.
Cosima Williams, then 2, sported her baby Yoda costume during the 15th annual Tucson Comic Con at the Tucson Convention Center in 2024.
Whether this is your first Comic-Con, or you’re a seasoned fan, Turnbeaugh said the exhibit hall is a must-see to make the most of the experience.
“The exhibit hall is always fun to go through, it's just a really huge center of shopping, artists, creatives,” she said. “It's all kinds of people. Maybe they make baked goods and they're superhero themed, or they make jewelry, or they sell trading cards. There's anything and everything.”
But the fun doesn’t have to end when the convention center closes for the night. This year, Comic-Con is partnering with local venues including Hotel Congress and the Rialto Theatre to provide extra entertainment for fans.
“We're expanding our downtown interactions by engaging with a lot of downtown businesses to create more after-hours events, more like things that people can do beyond the convention and convention center.”
The post-convention fun kicks off Friday, Sept. 4 at The Rialto Theatre with a Disney-inspired rave.
“The Bop To The Top rave is going to be a nice big blowout,” said Valerie Richarme, director of marketing and PR at the Rialto Theatre. “It's Hannah Montana, High School Musical, anything in that era. So it's definitely targeting a myriad of age ranges for sure. Anybody's welcome to come over here and dance.”
And Comic-Con attendees can get a percentage off their ticket price at the Rialto box office.
Richarme said The Rialto’s R Bar will also be open for free music and events all weekend.
A little girl said hello to a person dressed as Squilliam Fancyson III, a character from the SpongeBob SquarePants television series, during the 2024 Tucson Comic-Con.
“We're expecting lots and lots of fun stuff. We're hoping to do a costume contest at R Bar as well,” she said. “We just want the community to come hang out, and we'll keep the party going.”
On Saturday, Sept. 5, Hotel Congress will host its own property-wide takeover to celebrate Tucson Comic-Con, said Chris Monzon, director of entertainment and operations for the hotel.
“Hotel Congress is going to be the official after-party destination for the Con,” Monzon said. “We'll have activities both in our club and our plaza spaces. This is in collaboration with Good Day Good Night, a DJ promoter that we collaborate with very closely.”
He said attendees can expect featured DJs, themed drinks, and booths of local vendors.
“Comic-Con themselves will be here, and there's a lot of vendors who do a lot of different local goods that are inspired by Marvel subculture,” Monzon said. “We always make some special drinks for all of our events, so we have something in the works.”
There might also be some special surprises and guests, Monzon said.
