During the weekend of the annual Smallville Comic Con, Hutchinson transforms into Smallville, home of Superman and thousands of comic, film and literature enthusiasts.
The convention returns June 18-19 at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Some events include costume contests, Superman-related actors, and famous illustrators such as Jason Keith, an illustrator for the Marvel Comics series Avengers Forever, Thor, and Star Wars.
The congress organizers invited five celebrity guests, four special guests, five exhibits, more than 130 exhibitors and six cosplayers – cosplayers are people engaged in cosplay, which is the act of portraying a character from a book, film or video game.
Ticket prices remain the same from last year, with Saturday tickets for adults costing $25 and Sunday tickets for $20, child passes for $10, and two-day passes for adults $30 or $20 for children.
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What to Expect from Smallville Comic Con 2022
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Smallville presents a variety of activities, exhibits, celebrities and competitions at the Sunflower North, South and Meadowlark buildings.
Smallville Comic Con owner Jon Robinson said he uses two rooms for panels, with the main room hosting celebrity guests and exhibitors, while the other room will host artists, writers and workshops for visitors.
One of the exhibitors, The Smugglers Room, will offer demonstrations to the public during two panel discussions, one on Saturday 18 June at 4pm and one on Sunday 19 June at 1pm.
Participation in the panels is free with the purchase of a congress ticket, and the times for the rooms of the second panel can be found online.
“I like it when we see a lot of questions at panels and the panelists like to interact,” said Robinson.
Two Batmobile replicas, a full-size Star Wars A-wing, a full-size Star Wars TIE fighter, Boba Fett’s throne from Book of Boba, and the Flintstones car from The Flintstones will be available be for photo opportunities during the two-day convention.
Four special guests, including Keith, will talk about their careers in illustration. Others include Ed Lavallee, a comics writer for Archeon and Pop Star Assassin, Ed Bickford, an illustrator for American Chop Suey, and Rick Stasi, an artist and writer for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Lucas Films.
Celebrity guests in Smallville
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Five prominent guests will participate in panel discussions and meet and greet during the two-day conference to share their experiences in the industry.
JJ Cohen
JJ Cohen begins the celebrity discussion schedule at 12pm on Saturday, June 18, where he will talk about his career and share stories with fans.
Cohen began his Hollywood career in 1985 as shooter Spinelli in Paradise Motel. He later starred in all three Back to the Future films as part of Biff’s gang, one of only six actors to have had recurring roles throughout the trilogy.
Robinson said that Cohen enjoys giving gifts to fans while dressed up as Back to the Future characters.
“He’s got a whole lot of stuff that he brings to the table – he loves hanging out with fans,” said Robinson.
John Wesley Shipp
John Wesley Shipp starred as The Flash on the CBS television series The Flash in the 1990s and continues to portray characters in superhero films and on television.
His nearly 40 years in the television industry include the long-running television series One Life to Live, which portrays Eddie Ford. He plays Jay Garrick in the modern television series The Flash.
Shipp will appear on a panel Saturday, June 18 at 1:00 p.m. and meet and greet fans later during the convention.
Mariel Hemingway
Mariel Hemingway got her start in the film industry after her breakthrough role as Kathy McCormick in the 1976 film Lipstick. She later appeared in 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, where she starred as Lacy Warfield.
From 1976 to 1993, Hemingway received two Golden Globe nominations, an Academy Award nomination and a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award nomination.
Hemingway and Jack O’Halloran will appear on the same panel on Saturday, June 18 at 2 p.m.
Jack O’Halloran
O’Halloran broke onto the film scene as Moose Mallow in the 1975 film Farwell, My Lovely and later portrayed the Kryptonian character Non in 1978 and 1980 in Superman and Superman II.
He continues to act and has five films in pre-production and a television mini-series called A Study in Red Trilogy.
Stefan Kapicic
Stefan Kapicic, who portrayed Colossus in “Deadpool” and “Deadpool 2,” will appear on panels and speak to attendees in Smallville.
Kapicic’s career in Eastern Europe and the United States has spanned TV series, films and video games. He portrayed Nikolai in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Casper in Better Call Saul.
Kapicic will close the celebrity panels on Saturday, June 18 at 4 p.m.
Three of the eight invited celebrities canceled this year, including Jeff East, Brett Cullen and Sarah Douglas.