Pensacon 2021 is a comic convention in Pensacola, Florida that is coming up May 21-23. The event has so many big-time celebrity guests it’s overwhelming! (there are more than 80.) So, we organized guests by genre, highlighting the work they’re best known to the fandom, and added lots of helpful links — all to make it easy for you. You’re welcome.
Here are five gigantic reasons to attend Pensacon.
Gigantic reason # 1: Big-time guests from science fiction movies and TV
Pensacon has a deep roster of celebrity guests from science fiction movies and TV.
Science fiction movies
The top science fiction guest, in our humble opinion, is Michael Biehn, who has been in some of the most iconic science fiction movies of all time. He played Sergeant Kyle Reese in The Terminator (first image below), Lt. Coffey in The Abyss (second image below), and Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in Aliens (third image below.) (photo credits in order: tvropes.org, thejayaffair.wordpress.com, horror.wikia.com)
There are other old-school movies series with actors at Pensacon. From Return of the Jedi is Steven Constantino, who played Jabba the Hut’s Gamorrean, as well as Gerald Home. From Back to the Future (first image below) is Donald Fullilove, Claudia Wells, Jeffrey Weissman, and Harry Waters, Jr.. And from Planet of the Apes is Linda Harrison (second image below) as well as Lou Wagner and Austin Stoker. (photo credits in order: themoviedb.org, ebay.com)
Science fiction TV
From The Mandalorian is Emily Swallow who plays the Armorer (image below), as well as Misty Rosas, and Chris Bartlett.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is represented with Denise Crosby, who played Lieutenant Tasha Yar on Star Trek: The Next Generation. But Pensacon’s not done yet: From the X-Files is Annabeth Gish, and from Stargate SG-1 is Corin Nemec.
Gigantic reason # 2: Guests who bring movie and TV action
Movie action: Godzilla vs. Kong
Straight from theaters (or more likely your living room TV) is actor Kaylee Hottle of Jia Godzilla vs. Kong (image below.) Something to keep in mind if you meet her: Hottle comes from an all-deaf family, spanning four generations of deaf relatives on her father’s side. Her native fluency in American Sign Language. (photo credit: hiddenremote.com)
TV action: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and a Thundercat
And there are turtles (what would a large comic con be without TMNT?) From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is Ernie Reyes, Jr., Kenn Scott, and Judith Hoag. Another guest celebrity staple of large conventions is Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which at Pensacon includes Karan Ashley, and Jason David Frank. And Pensacon didn’t forget the Thundercats, which are represented by Larry Kenney.
Gigantic reason # 3: Voice actors in anime and comedy
Anime voice actors
There are anime voice actors from My Hero Academia, which includes: David Matranga as Shoto Todoroki (first image below), Alexis Tipton as Mei Hatsume (second image below), Christopher Wehkamp as Shota Aizawa (third image below) (image credits in order: walllpapersden.com, five-world-war.fandom.com, practicallytyping.com)
In addition, The Clone Wars is represented with Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano.
Comedy voice actors
There are voice actors from two big movies: Monsters, Inc. and Up. From Monsters, Inc. is Mary Gibbs who voiced Boo (image below); and from Up is Ed Asner who voiced Carl Fredricksen. Also from TV’s PowerPuff Girls is E.G. Daly, who is the voice of Buttercup. (image credit: entrepreneur.com)
Reasons # 4: Guests from iconic horror movies and TV
There are guests from the iconic horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well as from the highly popular, long-running TV series The Walking Dead. From The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is John Dugan, who played Grandpa Sawyer, and Edwin Neal who was the hitchhiker. And from The Walking Dead is Michael Cudlitz, who played Sergeant Abraham Ford. (photo credits in order: comicbook.com, cbr.com)
Reasons # 5: Artists and authors
Pensacon 2021 offers a wide range of top artists and authors who have worked on titles ranging from Hulk, Spiderman, Venom, Godzilla and Star Trek to The Simpsons, Futurama, My Little Pony and The Micronauts. Additionally, Pensacon tops off the talent with a horror and pulp award-winner as well as the co-creator of Fray.
From Marvel Comics is artist Peter David of The Hulk (first image below), artist Sam de la Rosa of Venom (second image below), and inker John Dell of the Amazing Spiderman. (photo credits in order: marvel.wikia.com, ebay.com)
If you want more Godzilla and Star Trek” The Next Generation, there is artist Matt Frank of Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (image below), and author Melinda Snodgrass, who wrote the popular Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Measure of a Man. (photo credit below: mysanantonio.com)
In addition, Pensacon features Bill Morrison, who was illustrator and writer for The Simpsons (first image below) as well as director for Futurama (second image below). And there is Thom Zahler of My Little Pony, and Pat Broderick of Micronauts. (image credits in order: auction.catawiki.com, ebay.com)
A couple of more names who will be there for you: Karl Moline, who co-created Fray with Joss Whedon, and Mark Maddox who has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award and Pulp Factory Award.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale: Three-day pass is $80, Friday is $35, Saturday is $40, and Sunday is $40.
Bonus gigantic reason: Florida Cosplay Digital Magazine alum @Celosia_Cosplay will be at Pensacon 2021
Florida Cosplay Digital Magazine, published by Florida Comic Cons, featured Pensacola cosplayer @Celosia_Cosplay in the May/June 2020 issue called “10 Florida Cosplayers You Need to Know About.” The talented cosplayer is planning to attend Pensacon. Below is her cosplay of Mukuro Ikusaba from Danganronpa!, which we proudly placed on the cover. In our video interview, @Celosia_Cosplay explains how she crafted the costume.
Florida Comic Cons has your back when it comes to cons
Florida Comic Cons is a news media website that covers comic conventions and cosplayers in The Sunshine State. The 2021 Florida Comic Con Calendar provides a month-by-month listing of upcoming conventions and the Florida Comic Con Map illustrates where comic cons are happening throughout the state.
