One week left to Salt Lake Comic Con 2014

stars of TV and film at comic con
Stars of TV and film at Salt Lake Comic Con 2014

Only one week to go now and the Salt Lake Comic Con 2014 will burst onto downtown SLC like a Cylon Basestar on Dradis. Hmm sorry, I geeked out from excitement there a little. But who could blame me? The impending mega-show gets bigger and brighter by the day, aiming to draw more than 120,000 pop culture fanatics for the three-day festival.

Not that the event hasn’t already been without fireworks. On July 25, San Diego Comic-Con International sent Salt Lake Comic Con a cease and desist letter asserting that the company cannot use the term “comic con” for any event, logo, trademark or website moving forward. Dan Farr, Salt Lake Comic Con Founder and Show Producer was quick to comment:

“We’ve hired some of the best IP lawyers in the country so we can devote our full attention to our Salt Lake Comic Con 2014 event in September. Our show will go on and it will be bigger and better than ever, but we also hope that by fighting this attack by San Diego Comic-Con, we can set the precedent and eliminate any future baseless claims like this against our company as well as other comic cons across the country. Our first choice is to resolve this issue amicably, but we are also prepared to do what is necessary to defend Salt Lake Comic Con.”

Bryan Brandenburg, Salt Lake Comic Con Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer added:

“Part of what has helped us be so successful so quickly and to grow to be the third largest comic con in the country has been social media and creating a one-of-a-kind event. On Facebook alone we have more than 125,000 fans and Salt Lake Comic Con is the most popular comic con page on Facebook based on engagement. For this legal case, we will incorporate crowdsourcing to solicit supporting evidence, input and even legal advice from our fans, sponsors, partners, attorneys, other comic con promoters and the general public through our website, social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Hundreds of journalists, attorneys, law students, promoters and fans have already contacted Salt Lake Comic Con and given us evidence, opinions and advice supporting our position.”

Who knows, maybe San Diego Comic-Con have met their Adama and Tigh in these two — yes that was another Battlestar Galactica reference — I make no frakking apologies.

In addition to several guests announced earlier in the year, the roster has continued to build over the past months and weeks. Recent big name additions include comic book legend Stan Lee and actors Alan Tudyk and Danny Glover — not to mention a swathe of other well known names. The final tally promises to top 200 in total by the time the show arrives on Spetember 4.

Sadly, at time of writing, guests Christopher Lloyd, David Morrissey and Dean O’Gorman have all been forced to cancel their appearances due to filming projects.

stars at comic con 2014
Stan Lee and other stars at Comic Con 2014

In addition to the constellation of stars descending on SLC, the event also recently revealed the full line up of panels for the three-day event. If FanX was anything to go by these sessions can be fascinating affairs on a truly diverse array of topics. Attendees can sit in on talks covering everything from Ufology through to advice from renowned writers.

Its not just a day time blast either, the party goes on into the small hours. Be sure not to miss the official show party either, held Friday, September 5, 8 p.m. until midnight in the Salt Palace; tickets run $30-$100, the higher priced ticket allowing VIP access and a chance to mingle with attending stars. Note: $5 of every ticket sale goes to Millie’s Princess Foundation for Childhood Cancer Awareness.

For nerdy entertainment the following evening, the Utah Symphony’s Video Games Live show promises some quirky fun. Prices run $29-$80 for the show where the “Utah Symphony will perform along with exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive entertainment experience.

As the clock ticks down to all this fun, the organizers recently announced VIP tickets are also expected to sell out any day now, so move fast if you want priority access to this vibrant collection of activities.

Stay tuned for next week as we have on the ground stories, photos and video from the show!

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