A Slate of Celebs Coming to Denver for FAN EXPO

FAN EXPO Denver is returning for its second year under that title, and its eleventh year overall as Denver’s comic con. Since its inception in 2012, the event has gone through its share of names and identities; what started as a comic con turned into a pop-culture con with not just four-color fun, but also authors, artists, video games, a floor full of vendors and scads of celebrities waiting for fans to line up and pay for fist bumps, signatures and maybe a selfie with their favorites from the world of entertainment.

All that and more will be on site at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, from June 30 through July 2. Advanced pricing on tickets continues through June 15 and start at $38 for a one-day pass and $89 for a three-day pass. VIP packages are already sold out, but Ultimate Fan Packages are still available for $119, which include a pass to all three days, early entrance into the convention on Friday, an exclusive ticket pickup (meaning no long lines), and a bunch of swell swag including a limited-edition Fan Expo Denver bag with Superman art by Jim Lee; a limited-edition Pink Ghostface Vinyl Figure; exclusive comics, lithographs, and a 10 percent off coupon for any con merch at the stores on site.

Of course, admission to the event is only step one. If you want to meet any of the celebrity guests, you'll have to pay a separate fee, usually starting around $50 and going up from there. A couple of examples to give you an idea: A photo with both Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal (Daredevil and The Punisher) will set you back $190, while a picture with Data (Brent Spiner) is $60. Chevy Chase's John Hancock will cost you $150, and getting a lightsaber signed by Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen) will cost $250. But if you just want Steve from Blue's Clues to sign something for you? Just $50. Prices, which are set by the celebrities themselves (or more precisely, their representatives), vary widely. Check out how much meeting your favorite celeb might be on the FAN EXPO site.
Much of the convention this year will be filled with things fans have come to expect from the event, but one element of the show seems to be shrinking: comic book vendors, especially locals who helped to bring about the Denver Comic Con in the first place. Mile High Comics went from taking up one of the largest pieces of real estate in the convention to reducing its presence to a small booth advertising a shuttle to take fans from the event to the mega-store on Jason Street in Denver. Even stalwart Time Warp Comics and Games up in Boulder is vanishing from the vendor floor: 2023 will mark the first iteration of the Denver Comic Con — which owner Wayne Winsett helped to launch — that Time Warp will skip.

Comics fans might be awaiting a return to priority regarding FAN EXPO Denver — after all, there are no comic creators listed yet as attending this summer’s show. But autograph seekers have cause to celebrate: The stars are coming out this year, and in force.

A complete list of superstar guests is still slowly being revealed, the most recent being ’90s teen heartthrobs from the cheesiest guilty pleasure of that era, Saved by the Bell. Both Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez) will be fresh from Bayside High, ready to meet and greet. No word on the chances of Elizabeth Berkley appearing alongside them; she’d make some bank signing pictures of her character, Jesse Spano, with the line, “I’m so excited.” (If you understood that reference, you’re officially the target audience for these guests.)

But Zack and Slater are only the latest announcements in a long line, not even including the authors, cosplayers and voice talent (with feature guests Peter Cullen, Tara Strong and a host of others) that have already been scheduled. For a complete list of all guests in all categories, be sure to check out the FAN EXPO Denver website.

As for red-carpet celebs? As of the end of March, here’s a list of just the highlights, listed by category where applicable:

Star Wars
Vivien Lyra Blair (young Leia), Obi-Wan Kenobi
Hayden Christianson (Anakin Skywalker), Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith
Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), The Mandalorian [And The Boys, etc.]
Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), The Mandalorian
Emily Swallow (The Armorer), The Mandalorian

Star Trek
Michael Dorn (Worf)
Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker)
Gates Mc Fadden (Dr. Crusher)
Brent Spiner (Data)

Marvel
Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle), The Punisher, Daredevil
Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock), Daredevil
Vincent D’Onofrio (Kingpin), Daredevil
James McAvoy (Professor X), X-Men

DC
Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen) and Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak), Arrow

Stranger Things
Joseph Quinn (Eddie Munson)
Grace Van Dien (Chrissy Cunningham)

Scream
Neve Campbell (Sidney)
Matthew Lillard (Stuart)
Jamie Kennedy (Randy)
Skeet Ulrich (Billy)

The Office
Leslie David Baker (Stanley)
Brian Baumgartner (Kevin)
Kate Flannery (Meredith)

Awesome and Semi-Random
Steve (Steve Burns) from Blue’s Clues
Notorious comedian and repeat offender Chevy Chase (National Lampoon’s Vacation, Saturday Night Live, Community)
Gabriel Luna (Tommy),The Last of Us
Legendary director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spiderman, etc.)
Christina Ricci (Wednesday), The Addams Family
Danny Trejo, from just being Danny Trejo
Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) Harry Potter

Who will be added to this already extensive list? Stay tuned. And maybe get your tickets (and scheduled photo ops) while they're still available.

Fan Expo Denver will take place at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, June 30-July 2. Ticketing and more information can be found at the event website.