Heroes and villains will be coming to life this year in Bristol when the 31st annual Rob-Con returns to Viking Hall in Bristol on Saturday and Sunday, July 30-31.
Comic book artists and writers will be the guests of the show which features some of the top talent in the South. Fans of the fantastic and legendary will find plenty ot enjoy with Star Wars, Dr. Who, the Ghostbusters and more represented at the show.
Vendors and craftspeople will be on hand with comics, toys, models and other collectibles and the popular costume contest will be on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Famous fantasy artists Charles Vess, Scott Hampton and Tom Lyle will be on hand to meet the fans along with top-notch comic artists such as John Hairston, Gregbo Watson, Kevin Sharpe and Alex Ogle. Many other outstanding area artists of the fantastic will be on stage in “Artists Alley” during the convention.
A character familiar to most comic strip fans in the area is the rascally hillbilly Snuffy Smith. John Rose, artist on that long-running strip, will be on hand along with New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Estep.
Other are writers include Gayle Trent, Misty Martin and Ronda Caudill. Comic creators Jeremy Massie, Matthew Smith, Brent Marcus Cook, Brett Harris and others will attend.
Dr. Who fans will enjoy the life-size “Tardis” and “Dalek” from the Cosplay Kasterborous fan club. The East Tennessee R2 D2 Builders will have radio controlled Star Wars “droids” at the show along with the Tennessee Ghostbusters with a replica of their famous car.
A huge number of vendors and craftspeople will be on hand with both old and classic comics, toys, jewelry, models and other collectibles. The popular costume contest has grown in popularity every year and is set for Sunday at 3 p.m.
The convention runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $15 for one day or $25 for both days. Children under 12 are admitted free. For more information, visit the website at www.robcon.org or call 423-274-0450.