Lehigh Valley Comic Convention to mark 25 years this weekend in Allentown

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley Comic Convention will mark its 25th anniversary this weekend with a two-day event at the Allentown Fairgrounds Agri-Plex/Expo Center, expanding a show that its co-owner said began in a fire hall into a 59,000-square-foot pop culture gathering.

The convention is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 6, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 7, at 302 N. 17th St. VIP package holders may enter at 9 a.m. each day, according to the Lehigh Valley Comic Convention website.

Karen Rello, who co-owns the convention with her husband, Bob, said they brought the anniversary show back to June, the month when the convention was held for more than 20 years, and expanded it to two days because the Allentown venue is too large for many attendees to cover in a single day.

“We tested out this location for one day,” Rello said. “The location is just too big to cover in one day.”

The event will include more than 500 tables and more than 60 featured guests, with dealers, creators, artists, and vendors selling comic books, toys, anime and manga items, Lego, Funko Pops, video games, non-sports cards, and other collectibles, according to the convention.

The convention’s featured guest list includes comic book artists, writers, actors, voice actors, and creators tied to franchises such as “Transformers,” “Batman,” “Pokémon,” “South Park,” “Dragon Ball Z,” and “Masters of the Universe.”

Scheduled guests include Nathan W. Pyle, the Pennsylvania-based creator of “Strange Planet” and a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author; actor William Sadler, whose credits include “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” and “Iron Man 3”; David Joyner, known for portraying Barney the Dinosaur; Disney animator Peter Raymundo; Bob Budiansky, a key figure in the Generation 1 Transformers comics mythos; and Bob McLeod, co-creator of the New Mutants, according to the convention.

Rello said the convention remains rooted in comic books but has grown with changing fan culture.

“I know it says comic book convention, and we do have comic books, but it’s a pop culture convention,” Rello said. “That’s why it’s TV, movies, anime, manga, Legos, toys.”

The anniversary event will also feature movie and television vehicles, including a screen-used Megatron from “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” a fan-built Optimus Prime truck replica, and a “Stranger Things” Pizzamobile replica, according to the convention’s vehicle page.

Other scheduled attractions include a Sunday cosplay contest, gaming tournaments, a kids zone hosted by Crayola, comic book grading drop-off, and signature-series services through The Collectible Conservancy, the convention said.

Saturday admission is $20 and includes Sunday admission, while Sunday-only tickets are $10 at the door, according to the convention’s frequently asked questions page. Rello said children 12 and under are admitted free.

The convention has used several homes over the years, Rello said. She said it started as an earlier convention, which she and her husband took over and renamed Lehigh Valley Comic Convention in August 2001.

Rello said the event began in a fire hall, later moved to Lehigh Carbon Community College, and now uses the Allentown Fairgrounds site for its largest show. The convention still holds other events at the community college, she said.

“We started out at a fire hall 25 years ago,” Rello said. “We outgrew that location.”

Rello said the convention has also become part of her family’s history. Her husband has collected comics since he was 8, she said, and their daughter, Sarah, grew up around the convention.

“Everybody knows our family, everybody knows us,” Rello said. “And then we have staff that’s been helping us from the beginning, so everybody knows our staff.”

Rello said she has watched some early attendees return years later with families of their own.

“It is amazing to see, like 25 years ago, a little girl came in to get her photo taken with Supergirl, and now she’s 25 years old, and she has children,” Rello said.

The anniversary event is also intended to be accessible to a wide range of fans, Rello said, including people who may not consider themselves comic book collectors but connect with older toys, animated characters, television shows, or movies.

“We welcome everyone because we know how important the community is,” Rello said. “It’s just a good time, and we want everyone to enjoy it.”