Fan Days, scheduled October 19 – 21, has some big shoes to fill. The last two events that the Official Pix folks have thrown at the Irving Convention Center – the 2012 Sci-Fi Expo and Dallas Comic-Con – have been nothing short of mind-perforating. Record crowds flooded the Las Colinas site, with a cadre of headlining guests. Fan Days’ roster is just as slam-packed, and has something for darn-near any fan of movies, television, comics, artistry, sports, science-fiction, costumes, or fun.
The artists in attendance are a who’s who of the comics landscape, with legends Howard Chaykin, Bernie Wrightson, Al Plastino, Frank Cho, and Geof Darrow all on hand. Also, several webcomic writers (like the always-awesome Joel Watson of HiJinks Ensue) will be on hand. Spec art on request? Believe it. The ability to have the person who created your childhood memory sign that bagged-copy of your favorite comic? Boom.
Naturally, the slate of Media Guests will garner the headlines. All I’m saying is, before you get in line for the photo opportunity, or head up to the fourth floor for the awesome Q&As or the Costume Contest, take a slow stroll through Artist’s Alley and see some real genius at work.
Now, as for the aforementioned Media Guests:
Stan Lee To say Stan “The Man” has had a memorable year doesn’t even begin to cut it. The co-creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four saw the film version of THE AVENGERS decimate the box office this summer. Then, the 89-year-old dynamo had a pacemaker implanted – according to Lee, “to be more like my fellow Avenger, Tony Stark.” Living legend, people. Recognize.
Bruce Campbell The chin. The pratfalls. The biting sense of humor. Campbell is a one-man convention wrecking crew, and works a room like no one’s business. His work on “Burn Notice” has grown a whole new fan base, following the EVIL DEAD and “Xena” standout work. My soft spot, however, is “Brisco County.” When the foosh will we see that character again?
Ralph Bakshi Generations of impressionable youth were irrevocably twisted with Bakshi’s work, ranging from FRITZ THE CAT, WIZARDS, COOL WORLD, “The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse” and other genre-bending animation works. With the release of a new short (TRICKLE DICKLE DOWN) and rumors of a new series swirling, perhaps there’s more generational perversion coming. Please.
Ian McDiarmid After avoiding the convention scene for decades, McDiarmid had such a wonderful time at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year that he wanted to meet a few thousand more fans. How many other actors get to go back and play a younger version of a character they portrayed decades earlier? Ask the man. He’ll likely chuckle about it.
Gina Torres and Alan Tudyk As “Firefly” celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2012, North Texas fans have had a chance to thank the majority of the cast of Joss Whedon’s show at the Official Pix events. Torres missed the San Diego Comic-Con anniversary panel, as cons really aren’t her scene. Tudyk has North Texas ties – he’s a Plano native, prior heading off to Broadway and Hollywood. Both are a case study in how to not get pigeonholed in the sci-fi genre despite being intensely beloved by the fan base.
Sean Astin GOONIES? RUDY? 24? The LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy? Odds are, at least one of Astin’s credits from the last two decades is on your Desert Island DVD collection. (The first person who brings up the “Very Secret Diaries of the Fellowship” to him gets my unending love.)
Casper Van Dien and Dina Meyer Earlier in the year, I heard several dozen horror stories about director Paul Verhoven from his ROBOCOP actors and crew members. How many will his STARSHIP TROOPERS co-stars have to share?
Felicia Day You don’t have to be an MMORPG player (I’m not) to appreciate the web series “The Guild,” while you do have to be blind, humorless and mostly dead to not appreciate Day’s wicked comedic timing and savvy performances. Someone needs to get a crossover between “The Guild” (which just fired up its sixth season) and “The Variants” brewing.
Tara Strong I’m a voiceover dork. That’s why I’m jazzed about the late addition of Strong to the FanDays lineup. Her work on “The Powerpuff Girls” caught my attention, and she’s now got a legios of new fans with her lead role on “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.” (No, I never thought I would write that sentence, either. Just go with it.) If you need any proof of her genius, take a gander at this clip from Emerald City Comic-Con, where she steals the stage from Billy West, Maurice LaMarche and John DiMaggio.
Lance Henriksen It’s easy to just say “Bishop” and leave it at that, but Henriksen’s had a ridiculous run of characters in his screen time, from turns in NEAR DARK, “Millenium,” and the redux of WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. Plus, James Cameron tried to kill him – twice – and it didn’t take.
Donnie Dunagan There are three reasons Dunagan piques my attention: 1) He played the young son of Baron Wolf von Frankenstein in 1939’s SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, sharing screen time with Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone; 2) He voiced BAMBI, in his final Hollywood credit; and 3) Dunagan left movies behind, becoming one of the youngest Marine drill sergeants in the Corps’ history. The man has stories, people.
FanDays runs this weekend at the Irving Convention Center. Tickets are available at the door ($20 for Friday and Sunday, $30 for Saturday), with autograph and photo opportunity tickets available on-site. For more information, visit DallasComicCon.com
America's Sweetheart. Pixel monkey; media whore; recovering film critic; baseball fanatic; husband; Texan; human. 
