Indiana Comic Con Returns!

Scream it from the rooftops: Indiana Comic Con is back this year, hosted at the Indiana Convention Center over the March 13 - 15th weekend.

Tickets are $30 for Friday, $35 for Saturday, $30 for Sunday,or $60 for a three-day weekend pass. Kids 12 and under are Free, and do not require any kind of pass.

A few tips on Convention Etiquette:

• First and foremost, understand that your fellow attendees have paid good money to have a good time. Be polite and respectful to your fellow guests. Yes, waiting in lines can suck, but everyone is in the same boat!

• This goes double for the guests, who have oftentimes taken time out of their actual careers to attend a convention and meet fans. A convention is not a zoo filled with people in cages waiting to do your bidding; be polite, be cool.

• It should go without saying, but when it comes to Cosplayers, guests, and fellow attendees, Consent Matters. For instance, if you see Cosplayer and find his/her costume provocative in some way, don't take their costume as an opening to touch, photograph, or make lewd comments to them. Talk to them. Compliment the hard work they put into their costume. Ask for a picture.

There's always a lot to do at any convention, and Indiana Comic Con is no different! Here's a run-down on some of the show's biggest guests, as well as a few of the high-profile panels that will be hosted over the weekend.

Guests

There a few notable entertainment industry guests in town this year. Autographs and photo-ops vary in price, with a limit of 2 adults + 4 kids per photo. More information can be found here

Carrie Fisher (of Star Wars fame, duh) will be in town Saturday and Sunday, signing autographs, posing for photo-ops, and even participating in a Q&A panel on Saturday evening from 6:30 – 7:00 in Hall K. Autographs and photo-ops are $75 each. Photos are limited the restrictions above.

Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) will also be in attendance on Saturday and Sunday. Her panel will be from 3:30 – 4:10 in Hall K. Autographs and photo-ops will be $50 each, with the same photo restrictions listed above.

Jason Momoa, the recently anointed future Aquaman (and Dothraki super-star) will be on two panels, one from 5:00 – 5:50 on Saturday in Hall K, another from 2:30 – 3:20 on Sunday, again in Hall K. His autographs and photo-ops will be $40/piece, with the same restrictions listed above.

Another Game of Thrones guest, Rory McCann (the Hound), will be in town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He will host a panel each day; 12:30 – 1:20 on Friday, 5:00-5:50 on Saturday, and 2:30 – 3:20 on Sunday. All panels will be in Hall K. Autographs and photos are $40/piece.

If you're a fan of voice-acting, it would be worth your while to drop by on Paige O'Hara (Belle, in Beauty and the Beast), Linda Larkin (Jasmine, in Aladdin), or Billy West (Futurama). Each charges $30 for autographs, with included amateur-photograph on a attendee’s camera or phone.

Comic Guests

A full list of exhibitors can be found at Indiana Comic Con's Exhibitors page.

It wouldn't be a comic con without a few comic book creators, would it? Here are a few notable guests, and where you can find them. There are no charges to receive signatures, although individual artists may impose limits on the number of items they will sign. Most creators and artists in artist's alley will have items for sale; prices and products will vary table to table.

Mike Zeck, an illustrator of Marvel's original "Secret Wars," can be found at booth G11. Jim Steranko, the highly influential writer of Marvel's "Nick Fury, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, can be found at booths 1125/1127. Denny O'Neil, writer of the classic Green Lantern / Green Arrow series, can be found at booth G9. Mark Waid, current writer of Marvel's "Daredevil" and "S.H.I.E.L.D," as well as the modern classic "Kingdom Come," can be found at booth G23. Christina Blanch, writer of "The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood" for Dynamite and prolific writer & comic book educator, can be found at booth G24. She will also host several panels about social issues in pop culture over the weekend. Ethan Van Schiver, artist on Green Lantern, can be found at booth G1.

Keep in mind that these are only a few highlights. Many more guests will be present in artist's alley, and around the convention floor! As well, exhibitors will have plenty of comic & toy related merchandise on hand.

Panels Worth Checking Out

When you aren't waiting in line for an autograph or browsing booths, the rest of your day at a convention will be spent sitting in various meeting rooms, participating in panel discussions and watching guests discuss all manner of geekdom. Here are a few movie-related panels worth looking in to; the rest can be found here

On Saturday at 7:00 p.m (Room 136)., some of Indiana's foremost Hoosier Film Critics will host a Q&A panel about the art of film criticism, working as a critic and, well, anything else anyone asks them. In attendance will be FilmYap's own Chris Lloyd, Joe Shearer, Sam Watermeier, Bob Bloom (also of Reel Bob), as well as Richard Propes (The Independent Critic).

On Saturday at 3:30 – 4:20 p.m (Room 140), Paige O'Hara and Linda Larkin will share their experiences voicing disney princesses on the Classic Beauties: Disney Princess Q&A.

In addition to panels, Indy Cinema will host screenings throughout the weekend in Room 131.

Friday will be Anime Day 12:00 – 12:50p : Soul Eater ep. 1 & 2 1:00 – 2:55p : Summer Wars 3:10 – 4:00 : Card Captor Sakura ep. 1 & 2 4:10 – 5:00 : Fairy Tail ep. 1 & 2 5:10 – 6:25 : Sword Art Online ep. 1 , 2 ,& 3 6:35 – 8:35 : Wolf Children 8:45 – 9:30 : Toradora ep. 1 & 2 9:45 – 10:35 : Fate / Zero ep. 1 & 2 10:45 – 12:00 : Puella Magi Madoka ep. 1, 2 & 3.

Saturday will be "Best Worst Movie" Day. (for this writer's money, the last three are must-experience convention going experiences)!

8:15 a.m. - 9:50 a.m – TRON (1982) 10:00 – 11:50 – The Neverending Story 12:00 – 1:40 – Labyrinth 2:00 – 3:40 – The Princess Bride 3:45 – 5:30 – Gremlins 5:30 – 7:00 – Birdemic 7:00 – 8:35 – Troll 2 10:30 – 12:05 – The Room

Finally, Sunday will be Star Wars Day! 8:10a.m. - 9:50 : Star Wars: The Clone Wars 10:00 – 12:05 : Star Wars 12:15 – 2:20 : The Empire Strikes Back 2:30 – 4:45 : The Return of the Jedi

Indiana Comic Con offers considerably more to do than I was able to list here, and it looks sure to be another storied convention for the Indianapolis area.