Stars of science fiction and fantasy come out for Salt Lake Comic Con opener

Jess Harnell, the rock star of cartoon voice actors, knows how to rev up a crowd.

“I go to a lot of these cons, and Salt Lake City is the best comic con in the world,” Harnell said from the stage of the Salt Palace Convention Center’s Grand Ballroom, ushering in the 2017 Salt Lake Comic Con.

The event, in its fifth year, will have 60 celebrities and some 300 hours of panel programming over three days for fans of science fiction, fantasy, horror and other genres, said co-founder Bryan Brandenburg.

“We’ve grown a lot, and we’ve got to the point where we feel this year will be our best year ever,” said the other co-founder, Dan Farr.

An estimated 100,000 fans are expected to attend between Thursday and Saturday, seeing celebrities, getting autographs and photo ops, buying art and geek-friendly merchandise, and admiring the vast array of cosplayers dressed as their favorite characters from TV, movies, video games, comic books and other media.

For the celebrities, it’s a chance to bond with fans.

“I’m a science fiction fan and a nerd,” said Vanessa Marshall, a voice actor best known for her work on the animated series “Star Wars: Rebels.” “I used to go to San Diego Comic-Con by myself.”

Going from being a fan to a participant in the “Star Wars” universe, she said, “is very jarring, but kind of a dream come true at the same time. … It touches my heart to be connected with it.”

Conventions like this, she said, are “important, to get together and tell stories.”

“We spend so much time in dark little booths, recording,” said actor Richard Horvitz, who gave voice to the cartoon alien Invader Zim. At a convention, he added, “I get to see the fruits of our labor.”

Harnell, known for his voice work in shows such as “Animaniacs” and “Transformers,” said he looks forward to comic conventions for “the opportunity to hopefully make a positive difference to people.”

“A lot of the people who attend comic cons are sort of socially outsiders, so they don’t get a lot of encouragement from the world,” Harnell said. “When they come to something like this, and they get encouragement from somebody whose work they like — or used to like or still like — it can make a huge difference to them.”

Harnell, a Salt Lake Comic Con regular, plugged two events this weekend that he’s involved in: Friday night’s 21-and-over after-party at Club Sky, where his comic-metal band Rock Sugar will perform; and the “Twisted Toonz” panel, Saturday at 4 p.m. in the ballroom, in which Harnell, Horvitz, Marshall and other guests will deploy their voices in a comic reading of the “Back to the Future” script.

One cancellation that will disappoint Salt Lake Comic Con fans: Comedy legend Dick Van Dyke will not appear at a panel, or do photo ops, as previously scheduled. Event organizers cited health concerns. Van Dyke, 91, will sign autographs.