If you happen to be a diehard Marvel fanatic or totally grok Captain Malcom, Richard Castle, or Captain Hammer, get ready to squee. Comic book legend Stan Lee and Nathan Fillion, the actor behind the aforementioned roles, will be attending this year's Phoenix Comicon in early June.
Better dust off your mint edition of Spider-Man No. 1 and the Firefly box set and get 'em ready for signing. Oh, and be prepared to battle with members of the Arizona Browncoats for a good seat.
See also: Eliza Dushku and Brian Posehn Coming to Phoenix Comicon 2014
The Phoenix Comicon staff announced Fillion's appearance on the event's Facebook on Wednesday morning. And it's definitely got the local geek community excited (and probably your mom, too, particularly if she watches the actor every week on Castle).
In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if people started to jump around just like actor John Barrowman did at last year's 'con when asked his opinion on Fillion.
Local comic book fans or followers of the Marvel Universe have also been jazzed since Lee's appearance at Comicon was announced online this past weekend. The co-creator of such characters as the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk last appeared at Phoenix Comicon in 2011, when he spoke for more than an hour.
Like Lee, Fillion's a god among geeks (even Entertainment Weekly dubbed him as such) whose square-jawed countenance and excellent comedic chops brought Captain Mal to life in 14 episodes of the tragically short cult series Firefly, arguably his most famous role. He's also well-known for his portrayal of lunkhead superhero Captain Hammer in the unforgettable Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. (Spoiler alert: The hammer is his penis.)
Fillion has been a regular attendee of the San Diego Comicon and is making his first-ever appearance at Phoenix's biggest 'con. And by happenstance, Fillion won't be the only Joss Whedon regular who's coming to Comicon 2014, as organizers previously announced that Eliza Dushku is scheduled to appear at this year's event -- which takes place June 5 to June 8 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
A local geek named Kelli Simpson probably had the best reaction to the announcement when she posted the following on Facebook: "Nathan Fillion, Eliza Dushku and Stan Lee in the same weekend? I can finally die -- I've achieved my life long dream."
Fillion will be in attendance at Comicon on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, while Lee will appear only on that Sunday. Though no further details (such as times or locations) have been announced, we're hoping that both will appear in the North Building Ballroom (a.k.a. the biggest one at the center) to allow as many fans as possible to witness their Q&As.
But please refrain from asking Fillion about whether or not they'll ever resurect Firefly, because he's gotten that one before.
Phoenix Comicon 2014 is scheduled for Thursday, June 5, to Sunday, June 8, at the Phoenix Convention Center and other downtown venues. Advance tickets are $15-$35 for daily admission, and $60 for the entire weekend.
