Courtesy graphic

What do cast members from The Outsiders, Sleepaway Camp, Twin Peaks, Little House on the Prairie, and several other cult classic television shows and films along with artists like Jim Henson cartoonist Guy Gilchrist all have in common?

They are coming to Fayetteville this month for the first ever Fayetteville Comic Show, set for Feb. 29-March 1 at the Fayetteville Town Center.

The first-year event has an impressive line up of celebrities, voice actors, comic book artists, illustrators, cosplayers, and photographers set to meet and greet fans, participate in panel discussions, and discuss their work at a series of evens taking place that weekend.

The event is being organized by MOD Entertainment LLC, created by Donna Joseph, Paul Wilkett and Jonathan Wilkett who live in Texas but have ties to the area.

Joseph said the three have 20 years of experience with conventions, and decided it was time to start their own thing.

Fayetteville, she said, was a perfect choice for a location.

“Paul Wilkett’s children when to U of Ark. and the Wilketts have family in the area, and have their family reunion every year at Devil’s Den, so, it made sense for us to look into Fayetteville being our first show,” she said. “The support from the community has been amazing.”

Some of the celebrities set to attend the event include John Wesley Shipp (The Flash, Dawson’s Creek), C Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, E.T., The Amazing Spider Man), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Ray Wise (Twin Peaks), Katherine Kamhi (Sleepaway Camp), Jonathan Tiersten (Sleepaway Camp), Maximo Sorrentino (Sleepaway Camp, Jersey Shore), Tamara Glynn (Halloween 5), Harry Goaz (Twin Peaks), Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), James Marshall (Twin Peaks), Dana Ashbrook (Twin Peaks), Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks), Eric Da Re (Twin Peaks), Gary Hershberger (Twin Peaks), Charlotte Stewart (Little House on the Prairie), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie), and others.

In addition to the actors, several artists will also be in attendance, including headliner and Jim Henson cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, former Marvel editor Jim Shooter, freelance artist Johnny Desjardins, and a host of others.

Several well-known voice actors and cosplayers will also be in attendance at the event.

It’s quite a lineup for a first year convention.

“It really came down having conversations with the comic book stores around store on the type of artist that they would want to see at a show,” Joseph said of the inaugural show lineup. “Mr. Jim Shooter is a legend, under Stan Lee, being the editor of Marvel…Twin Peaks was kicking off their tour and we happened to get them before they get started, which is exciting.”

Guy Gilchrist / Courtesy

The main comic show will take place in the Fayetteville Town Center, where the artists, vendors, and celebrity guests will be set up in booths, signing autographs and visiting with event attendees. In addition, several of the attendees are offering photo opportunities with fans for a fee.

Panel discussions, and Q/A sessions are scheduled to take place nearby at the Graduate Hotel. Here’s a link to the schedule for those.

On top of the main festival programming, there are also several related events happening around town, including a screening of Fire Walk With Me at Theatre Squared, a Cosplay Karaoke event, an unofficial Meet and Greet with Twin Peaks cast members at Damgoode Pies, and a Donuts and Coffee ticketed event with members of the Twin Peaks cast on Friday morning, a lunch with Guy Gilchrist, and others.

Tickets are $40 for a two-day pass, $25 for a Saturday-only ticket, $20 for a Sunday-only ticket, and $10 for kids 6-12. A $10 ticket for college students on Sunday, and several VIP options are also available.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit fayettevillecomicshow.com.