Nerds and pop culture vultures from all corners of the fanverse will descend on San Francisco this weekend, as Fan Expo comes to the Moscone Center West over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Comic-Con-esque event includes appearances from Hellboy’s Ron Perlman, the stars of Smallville and the buddy comedy duo of Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith—better known as “Jay and Silent Bob.”
The convention revolves around a series of panels, art signings, workshops and red carpet events showcasing actors, artists, animators, authors and cosplayers from sci-fi, gaming, comics and anime.
Perlman, who was catapulted to fandom for his title role in Hellboy and Hellboy II, has around 250 film and TV show credits and a Primetime Emmy nomination for CBS’s Beauty and the Beast under his belt. He’ll appear for a photo-op and autograph signing on Saturday.
Smallville, a teen drama adaptation of DC Comics’ Superman that aired on The WB starting in 2001 (subsequently The CW), has attracted ride-or-die fans to nationwide conventions almost since the series ended in 2011. Kansas City even hosts an annual Smallville Con. Stars Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum will reunite for photo-ops and presentations throughout the weekend.
The three-day all-ages expo also spotlights relative newcomers to the comic book adaptation scene, like Mason Alexander Clark from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, which debuted on Netflix in August 2022.
“The Bay Area hasn’t had a fan experience like this for some years,” Andrew Moyes, vice president of event producer Fan Expo HQ, noted in a press release. “We’re committed to growing with the community for years to come.”
Fan Expo HQ bills itself as the largest comic con producer in the world, and has hosted such pop culture conventions as Megacon Orlando and Fan Expo Canada.
Fan Expo San Francisco
📍Moscone Center West, 800 Howard St.
🕑 Fri: 6-9 p.m. | Sat: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. | Sun: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
☎️ (415) 974-4000
🎟️ $30-$349
🔗 fanexpohq.com/fanexposanfrancisco/