Comic-Con will return to Lodi in October following successful May run

Sep. 27—When a superhero is portrayed on the silver screen, titles to their sequel films are known to end with the word "Returns."

Superman and Batman returned, the latter of whom did so twice.

Now, Lodi's convention celebrating all things comic book, art, wrestling and pop culture is making a return this fall.

StocktonCon Events spokesman Alan Sanchez said attendance at the May Lodi Comic-Con was so great, organizers decided to hold a second one Oct. 2.

It will be the first time the Comic-Con will be held in the fall in Lodi.

"It was just the demand," Sanchez said. "And it wasn't just because of the turnout, which is always the number one reason to hold another event. But we have just a lot of people come out from the Bay Area and the Sacramento region, and this is the closest event in Northern California outside their areas."

Sanchez did not have exact figures, but said "thousands" attended the May event. The line at the front gate to the Lodi Grape Festival, he said, was wrapped around the entire block.

As a result, he said the October Comic-Con will be bigger, covering more than 40,000 square feet of Grape Festival grounds.

Past events have been primarily held in one pavilion, Sanchez said, but with more than 200 vendors interested in participating and with a number of special guests lined up, two pavilions and the outdoor area of the Grape Festival will be needed next weekend.

Mike Millerick, StocktonCon Events president, said the fall convention will have a bit of a Halloween theme with some of the guests making appearances next week.

Those include L2sa Loring, who played Wednesday Addams in the 1960s television sitcom "The Addams Family," Tony Moran, who portrayed a maskless Michael Myers in John Carpenter's 1978 classic "Halloween," and Edan Gross, who voiced the Good Guy doll before it turned into the psychotic Chucky in the 1988 cult classic "Child's Play."

Wrestling fans can meet WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner, who gained fame as one half of the Steiner Brothers tag team before turning heel and joining Hulk Hogan's New World Order in the WCW.

Other special guest actors include Alejandra Reynoso, the voice of Sypha Belnades on the hit Netflix video game adaptation of "Castlevania," Neil Kaplan, who voiced Optimus Prime on "Transformers: Robots in Disguise," and Keith Robinson, who played Joe Rawlings, the Green Ranger, on "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue."

Of course, a Comic-Con wouldn't be complete without artists, and attendees will see familiar faces in Mel Smith and Ramon Villalobos, who have appeared at past conventions.

Other artists include Scott Koblish, a penciler and inker on more than 600 comic books for Marvel, DC, DC, Platinum Studios, Z2, Heavy Metal and Acclaim; and Brandon McKinney, a television animation storyboard artist, comic book artist and children's book illustrator.

Some titles Koblish has worked on include "Punisher," "Thor," "Hulk," "Captain America," "Daredevil," "Wolverine," "Deadpool," "Batman," "Aquaman" and "Lobo," among others, and McKinney has storyboarded and directed the "Harley Quinn" animated series and is currently working on the latest "Scooby Doo" series.

While the Lodi Comic-Con happens the same day as the Downtown Lodi Street Faire, Sanchez said the two events should compliment each other.

"Most people who love the street faire are going to go just to the street faire," he said. "But at the same time, because (the events) are so close to each other, people can go to both. And why not? Take advantage of the day, go to the faire in the morning and the Comic-Con afterward."

Both Sanchez and Millerick said if attendance next weekend is as great, or better, than it was in May, then two Lodi Comic-Cons will be held every year.

"We're excited to bring back the Comic-Con for the fall," Millerick said. "We've had a great influx of folks supporting us, and we sort of wanted to test a fall event out. With the fans backing us, we want to promote a fun event for the entire family, and for Lodi."

Lodi Comic-Con will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 2. Tickets are $10 at the gate, and $5 in advance at lodicomiccon.com/tickets. Admission is free for children younger than 12 accompanied by an adult.

For more information, or for a complete list of special guests, visit lodicomiccon.com.