Emcee Joey Mills, left, of Pop Goes the Culture podcast, takes a group selfie with Matthew Lewis, right, known as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter franchise, and panel attendees at Mississippi Comic Con 2023.

Longview Comic Con returns to the Maude Cobb Convention Center this weekend for a day filled with celebrities, gaming, shopping and more.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Saturday and includes celebrity Q&As, panels presented by professional cosplayers and comic artists, costume and video game contests, board gaming and photo opportunities.

Jay Branch, owner/promoter of VXV Events, said although Comic Con has been to Longview before, this is VXV’s first time hosting it.

“The company that I co-owned did one in 2018 and another in 2019 in Longview,” he said. “So for this company, which I solely own, this will be our first time out there.”

Celebrity guests include actors from “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” “Star Wars,” WWE Wrestling, “Pokemon,” “Demon Slayer,” “Dragonball” and comic artists and cosplayers from across the United States.

Branch said he received a lot of requests to bring Comic Con back to Longview.

“We always got … Facebook messages and emails asking when we were going to be back. So, I’m really excited we can come back and do it again,” he said. “People really seemed to enjoy it out there and I think it’s going to be a really good event.”

Branch said they host about 10 to 15 shows a year across the country and the turnout is always great.

“For the one in Longview we expect a couple of thousand people over the one day,” he said. “We do some shows that are up to 20,000 people in other parts of the country.”

Branch said the event is family friendly and offers something for everyone.

“There’s stuff for everybody — kids, parents, grandparents,” he said. “They’re all going to find something that they enjoy.”

Branch said the celebrity guests and costumes are the event’s biggest hits.

“We have costume contests at 5 p.m. and that’s usually the biggest event of the day,” he said. “People enter costumes that they have either bought or made and our cosplay judges will decide on all the winners.”

During the Q&A, Branch said attendees can ask the celebrities questions about their careers and their lives.

“And there are panels that cosplayers and comic artists will present so people can learn more about making costumes or how to start getting involved in the comic industry.”

The event also will include vendors.

“There also will be vendors and artists from all over the country selling everything from comics and collectibles and swords and T-shirts,” Branch said. “And of course, there are the artists with all their creations, whether they’re hand-drawn arts or prints or jewelry or many other things. There’s plenty of stuff to come out and look at and plenty of stuff to purchase. So, there’s a lot for people to do.”

Branch is no stranger to event planning.

“I started doing events when I was 20 and I’m now 46. I started by doing concerts and I did concerts for a long time and then transitioned into doing comic and anime conventions,” he said. “These have been the most successful events I’ve ever done and every year they get bigger and better.”

Growing up in a small town in Mississippi, Branch said he never thought that one day he would be in the company of celebrities.

“You never think you’re going to be standing next to the people from ‘Back to the Future’ or ‘Star Wars,’” he said. “When I was a little kid in a town that didn’t even have 1,000 people in it in … I never thought that I would be standing next to Christopher Lloyd … so it’s been an interesting journey.”

What: Longview Comic Con

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Maude Cobb Convention Center, 100 Grand Blvd., Longview

Tickets: $20 advance, $30 at door

Information: https://www.longviewcomiccon.com/