Word of the Las Vegas Comic Expo first came to me this spring not, of all places, in Las Vegas, but in Anaheim, Calif. at Wondercon, where a fellow Artist Alley exhibitor handed me a postcard-sized teaser for the event, claiming to have guests as prominent as Mike Mignola lined up. After returning home to Vegas, I got to talking with other folks in the local comic book community, to see whether they knew anything about the Expo. No one knew its organizers, no local talent or retailers had been consulted, and the whole thing seemed like it would be iffy at best.

Well, here we are, about six months later and five days away from the start of the inaugural Las Vegas Comic Expo. Its organizers, brothers Charles and Robert Lee, have since shaken anyone’s doubts of the event’s validity or their dedication to bring Las Vegas its first commercial, family-focused comic book convention since 2003. They’ve run up against some pretty damning hurdles, including a forced, last-minute change of venue due to the Alexis Park sustaining damage during the monsoonal rains of the last month, but they’re charging forward, and the results of their efforts will be finally be seen this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29 and 30, inside the Riviera Casino & Hotel’s Royal Ballroom.

As you might gather, I’ll be exhibiting there on behalf of Pop! Goes the Icon. You can find me most of the weekend at Artist Alley table T-87, which is located in the back corner by the Gaming Room (whether this ends up being a terrible or decent location remains to be seen). I’ll have the full line-up of in-print PGTI titles, many of which will be available at special convention pricing. I’ll also have a super-top-secret new story that will only be available at a few appearances this year, so … yeah. As well, I’ll have the one-and-only F. Andrew Taylor with me, who will be selling original art, doing sketches, and signing comics with me.

Tickets for the Expo are very reasonably priced: $25 for a single day, $40 for the entire weekend, and free for kids 7 and under. So if you love comic books, pop culture or gaming, toss on a cape, grab your pals, and come on out for some hometown geek fun. And if you’re one of the lucky folks who could afford tickets to the very limited-admission MorrisonCon also happening this weekend over at the Hard Rock Hotel, why not grab a cab or bus and swing by? When else will you be able to say you hit two comic book conventions in Sin City at the same time?