The 2019 Long Beach Comic Con takes place on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. Here is a brief preview of what to expect at the convention!

Guests

Guest of honor Shea Fontana will attend both days of the event. The New York Times bestselling writer has written comic books like Justice League, Wonder Woman, and the DC Super Hero Girls, and she has written and developed projects for the screen as well, including Whisker Haven Tales with the Palace Pets and the DC Super Hero Girls animated shorts.

You won’t want to miss WWE wrestler Rikishi, who is attending both days of LBCC. A member of the Anoa‘i wrestling family from American Samoa, Rikishi is a two-time World Tag Team Champion, one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and one-time Intercontinental Champion. In 2015, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Another guest attending both days of the event is comic book artist and writer Matt Wagner, the creator of Grendel and Mage. His work has appeared in books published by Image, Dynamite, and Marvel, as well as in books featuring Batman and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

Also attending both Saturday and Sunday will be comic book writer Vita Ayala. Not only has Ayala written for DC, Marvel, Dynamite, and Image, they have written creator-owned work like The Wilds and Submerged.

Three of the voice actors from the cast of Invader ZIM: Enter the FlorpusMelissa Fahn (Gaz Membrane), Rikki Simmons (GIR and Bloaty), and Richard Horvitz (ZIM) – will be appearing on a panel from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm on Sunday.

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For a full list of LBCC 2019 guests, click here.

LBCC Cosplay Contest

The Long Beach Comic Con Cosplay Contest will take place at 6:00 pm on Saturday, where a panel of judges will award trophies to a number of categories, including “Best Space-Theme,” “Best Construction,” and “Best in Show.” Seating at the event is first-come-first-serve, so you’ll want to take that into account if you’re planning to attend!

GeekFest Film Festival

Billed as the “World’s Largest Traveling Geek Film Festival,” the GeekFest Film Festival includes awards, panels, special guests, and screenings of fan films. On Saturday from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, “GeekFest’s Women in Entertainment Panel: Breaking the Wheel in Genre Film/TV” will take place, and the “GeekFest Filmmaker’s Panel and Awards” is scheduled from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Sunday. You can find the full schedule on GeekFest’s website.

LBCC Space Expo 

In addition to the comic and pop culture-related exhibitors, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab is making the journey south from Pasadena to Long Beach for the LBCC’s Space Expo. Not only will there be tables highlighting the work and exploration undertaken by the JPL, but there will also be several panels, as well.

The Space Expo is taking place at LBCC

 

On Saturday from 10:30 am to 11:30 am is the “Space Unites: LGBTQ+ community making space exploration a reality” panel, where employees of JPL who are members of the LGBTQ+ community will share their experiences. On Sunday from 10:30 am to 11:30 am is the “Women of Space: Europa Clipper” panel, which highlights some of the women behind the 2020 NASA mission to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.

There are several more panels taking place as part of the Space Expo, and you can learn more about the event on the Space Expo’s Facebook page.

It’s all happening this weekend at LBCC!

“Comics culture is so much a part of the mainstream that sometimes it’s possible to miss that comics and graphic novels are a vibrant part of publishing and entertainment on their own, not just as adaptations,” said Martha Donato of MAD Event Management, the organization behind LBCC. “More than ever, this year’s Long Beach Comic Con celebrates the comics and creators that appeal to kids, young adults, and grown-ups in almost equal measure. From guests including bestselling author/Guest of Honor Shea Fontana, rising stars like writer Vita Ayala and Ryan Cady, superstar writers and artists like Matt Wagner, Mark Waid, and Denys Cowan, there’s something for new and longtime fans alike.”

There are plenty more guests, exhibitors, panels, and events to take part in at the convention, so be sure and check out the LBCC website to find all the details and get your tickets now!