This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Stan Lee is planning one last trip to Salt Lake City.
Lee, the longtime editor and publisher of Marvel Comics who helped create such characters as Spider-Man and the Hulk, will be appearing at Salt Lake Comic Con's FanX in March, organizers announced Wednesday.
Lee's appearance at FanX, set for March 17 and 18 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, will be one of his last public events, said Salt Lake Comic Con co-founder Dan Farr.
"We felt like it was really important to get him to come back again," Farr said. Though Lee is 94, Farr added, "If you meet him, you know he's going to live to be 130."
Lee appeared at Salt Lake Comic Con in 2014 and told the cheering audience, "You people have the greatest comic con in the world."
Lee will lead a roster of FanX celebrities announced Wednesday by Farr and business partner Bryan Brandenburg at a news conference at the Utah Capitol, surrounded by cosplaying fans.
The celebrities are:
• "Weird Al" Yankovic, the frizzy-haired musician known for his parody songs. Farr said Yankovic's appearance won't be a concert, though they are in negotiations about some kind of performance.
• Cary Elwes, the British actor who played the romantic Westley in "The Princess Bride," as well as roles in "Saw" and "Ella Enchanted."
• Chris Sarandon, the actor who played the villainous Prince Humperdinck in "The Princess Bride," a vampire next door in the 1985 version of "Fright Night," and voiced Jack Skellington in "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
• Judge Reinhold, the comic actor best known as the overeager Billy Rosewood in "Beverly Hills Cop."
• Adrian Paul, the British actor who played the immortal Duncan MacLeod in the '90s TV series "Highlander."
• Tara Strong, a voice actor with more than 400 credits, most famously as Twilight Sparkle on "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic," Raven on "Teen Titans Go!" and Timmy Turner on "The Fairly Oddparents."
• Khary Payton, an actor best known for providing the voice of Cyborg in several DC Comics animated shows, including "Teen Titans Go!"
Three other celebrities have been announced previously: Michael Cudlitz from "The Walking Dead," John Rhys-Davies ("The Lord of the Rings," "Raiders of the Lost Ark") and Wallace Shawn ("The Princess Bride," "Toy Story").
"You can see we've got a nice 'Princess Bride' theme going," Farr said, "and you'll see other themes as we go."
Brandenburg stressed that FanX will be a smaller, more intimate event than the massive Salt Lake Comic Con in September. It will run two days, rather than three, and ticket prices have been reduced accordingly.
"At the core, it's still a comic con, but we're going to continue to focus on fan experiences," Brandenburg said.
Among the fan-friendly extras announced for FanX: A Hollywood swordplay training session, taught by Adrian Paul; a Stan Lee booth, featuring Lee-branded merchandise; and a tattoo pavilion for people who wear their fandoms on their skin.
FanX 2017 will be dedicated to the memory of actress and writer Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia herself, who visited FanX in 2015. "Her life was a celebration," Brandenburg said, "and we're going to celebrate her life."
Twitter: @moviecricket —
FanXperience 2017
The comic con runs March 17-18 at the Salt Palace, with tickets and passes for adults ranging from $25 to $180. Visit saltlakecomiccon.com for details and schedules.