ORLANDO, Fla. - Film director, writer and actor Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back) will be the guest of honor at the eighth annual MegaCon show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando February 22-24, 2002.

More than 15,000 fans are expected to converge on MegaCon 2002, buoyed by Smith's first appearance at MegaCon and an expansive guest list for the show. Smith will be holding a special 2-hour panel discussion about his film, television and comic book work, as well as host a charity auction that will benefit retired comic book creators.

In addition to Smith, who also writes the DC Comics best-selling comic book Green Arrow, MegaCon boasts a guest list that cuts across the worlds of film, television, science fiction, comic books, Japanese animation and role-playing games. Some of the guests include:

  • June Lockhart, from TV classics Lost in Space and Lassie
  • Bob May, the Robot from TV's Lost in Space
  • David Prowse, the man behind the mask of Darth Vader in the three original Star Wars films
  • Kenny Baker, R2D2 from Star Wars, and co-star of Time Bandits
  • Paul Blake, whose character Greedo was killed by Harrison Ford's Han Solo in the original Star Wars
  • Michonne Bourriague, who played the bounty hunter Aura Sing in the recent Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
  • Jeanette Goldstein, who played Vasquez, the heroic marine from Ridley Scott's motion picture Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver
  • Mark Rolston, whose character Drake defended Sigorney Weaver's character Ripley in Alien
  • George Perez, artist of CrossGeneration's quarterly CrossGen Chronicles and veteran comics creator currently working on the Marvel Comics/DC Comics team-up special JLA/Avengers
  • Brian Michael Bendis, who now chronicles the new adventures of Spider-Man in Marvel Comics' Ultimate Spider-Man comics
  • Joseph Michael Linsner, creator of the comic book Dawn, and artist on Marvel Comics' Killraven
  • Greg Land, artist of CrossGeneration Comics hot new fantasy adventure comic book, Sojourn
  • Sergio Aragones, classic Mad Magazine cartoonist, and creator of Groo the Wanderer
  • John Romita, Sr., classic Marvel artist, best known for defining the look of Marvel's trademark character Spider-Man.
  • Bernie Wrightson, classic Batman artist and legendary horror comics illustrator

In addition to the guests, MegaCon 2002 will feature Japanese Animation film festivals, costume contests for fans, discussion panels with popular artists and writers, more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit booths featuring publishers, art studios, comic book creators, dealers and other attractions. MegaCon is also the home of A Commitment To Our Roots (ACTOR), a charity organization founded to provide financial assistance for retired comic book creators. On Saturday February 23, 2002, Kevin Smith will be hosting the first 2002 ACTOR Art Auction, featuring rare and one-of-a-kind comic book art and memorabilia. Last year, the ACTOR Auctions raised more than $130,000.

Also, MegaCon will be the host of a special roundtable about the Golden Age of comic books, with a guest list including industry legends such as:

  • Martin Nodell, creator of DC Comics' Green Lantern
  • Harry Lampert, creator of DC Comics' The Flash
  • Dick Giordano, classic Batman artist and former executive VP of DC Comics
  • Nick Cardy, veteran golden age artist, known best for his 1960s run on Teen Titans and the thousands of covers he illustrated for DC Comics
  • George Tuska, artist for almost every publisher in comics from the Golden Age through the 1980s

MegaCon (http://www.megaconvention.com) is an annual celebration of modern popular culture that attracts figures from the worlds of film, television, science fiction, fantasy, comic books, animation, role-playing games and others. The show is supported by publishers, manufacturers, dealers, distributors, creators and fans. MegaCon has become known as a great marketplace for comics, toys, anime and collectibles, as well as one of the east coast's best-attended genre conventions. Over the past eight years, MegaCon has hosted some of the most recognizable names in the film, television, comic book, gaming and sci-fi/fantasy industries. By attending the convention, enthusiasts have encountered industry legends and discovered exciting new products. Movie producers, artists, authors and creative teams have been among the 1,000+ personalities that have attended the MegaCon event.