Wizard World Philly: A fan's guide to the highlights

While last year's Wizard World Philly show — which featured more than half a dozen A-list actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe alone — is going to be a hard one to try to top, Wizard CEO John Maatta says this year's show, through Sunday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, has a variety of highlights.

KISS legend Gene Simmons will perform Friday night at the Trocadero. General admission is $38. A VIP pass for $299 offers early access to the concert, a meet-and-greet with the rocker, a digital photo, and a collectible, all-access pass to the con .

While Wizard has generally filled a slot aimed at younger TV viewers with stars from comic book adaptations like Arrow and The Flash, this year, planners have turned to stars from the new Archie Comics-inspired WB series Riverdale, including Cole Sprouse, KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, and Lili Reinhart.

Fans of  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will get to meet two stars from that franchise: Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn. Paul Bettany, who played The Vision in last year's Captain America: Civil War, is also set to attend, as is Jesse Eisenberg, the latest actor to play Superman nemesis Lex Luthor on the big screen in last year's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Famke Janssen, best known for her portrayal of Jean Grey in the X-Men films and her role in the Taken trilogy, will be part of the Philly lineup for the first time.

Martial arts and action movie legend Chuck Norris will be making his first appearance at Wizard World Philly, and it has been a while since pioneer Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek) graced the event.

Cast members of the long-running TV show Doctor Who are always a big draw, and this year, fans will get to see Who stars Billie Piper and Pearl Mackie.

Fan-favorite TV witch Holly Marie Combs — beloved for her portrayal of Piper Haliwell on Charmed — is coming, as is one of her castmates, Brian Krause, who played Whitelighter Leo Wyatt. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV alums James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, and Nicholas Brendon will be appearing. Additionally, movie Buffy Kristy Swanson will be bringing her stake to town, as will Heather Langenkamp, who played Nancy in three Nightmare on Elm Street films, as well as Chuck Russell (The Mask), Don Dokken, and Monster Squad favorites Ryan Lambert and Andre Gower, and Paul Wesley from The Vampire Diaries.

John Cusack (Say Anything, Better Off Dead), Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid), and C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders) are all coming, bringing with them memories of some 1980s movie favorites.

Perennial favorites Barry Bostwick (Rocky Horror Picture Show) and Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) are always crowd-pleasers — and they're back again.

As always, Wizard will have its wrestling stars: WWE superstars Alexa Bliss, Bray Wyatt, The Hardy Boyz, Enzo Amore, and Colin Cassady will be flexing their muscles.

Artist Alley will be brimming with artists and writers of comic books and graphic novels. A few of the better-known names are The Crow creator James O'Barr, Deadpool cocreator Rob Liefeld, and Arthur Adams, J.G. Jones, Guy Gilchrist, and Darkhawk creator and comics historian Danny Fingeroth. Other artistic talents coming this year are Joyce Chin, Amy Chu, and Rusty Gilligan.

In addition to merchants' selling lightsabers, samurai swords, classic comic books, T-shirts, and more, a number of movies will also have a major presence at the convention, some with interactive booths. They'll include: The All Eyez on Me Experience, a Despicable Me 3 tattoo parlor, Stephen King's IT, Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Emoji Movie, The Dark Tower, and  Transformers: The Last Knight.

Wizard World Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Convention Center
1101 Arch Street

Friday, Jun 2, 2017 - 12:00pm - 7:00pm
Saturday, Jun 3, 2017 - 10:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday, Jun 4, 2017 - 10:00am - 4:00pm

Tickets and info: http://wizardworld.com/comiccon/philadelphia