Press Release: The Great Allentown Comic Con! (Lehigh Valley’s Largest Pop Culture Convention) announced today that it had sold out a packed 10,000 sq ft dealer and artist showroom in advance of its upcoming July 16^th show.

Twitter Pitch: Great Allentown Comic Con returns July 16th! Full lineup details here: http://tinyurl.com/3d7j63u #LVComiccon

Allentown PA, (July 7^th 2011: 9 days until GACC Returns!) — Top creators and award winners have announced plans to attend the July 16^th 2011 edition of the Lehigh Valley’s largest pop culture extravaganza – The Great Allentown Comic Con!  With nearly 3 dozen guests, and an equal number of dealers, the GACC once again is providing a diverse mix of fun and unique buying opportunities for attendees of its shows.

“The participation of local independent artists, as well as bringing recognized award winners and media guests, are part of what makes this such a unique show.” – Christopher D. Wertz, Show Founder and Promoter. “Where else can you find such a diverse group of talents, from the self-publishing fresh new faces, to long time industry favorites such as Bryan JL Glass or Wrestler turned comic publisher Brimstone.  At the same time, we are always working hard to keep the show as fun and family-friendly as possible.  It’s one of the reasons why we don’t charge for kids to come to the show.”

Unlike larger shows that charge $25 or more regardless of age, the GACC remains committed to fan-focused entertainment, with free entry to all 12 and under (with attending parent/guardian).  Door prizes are also a staple of many shows, and the GACC doesn’t disappoint with Busts, key comics and toys as frequent prizes all day.  For the July 16^th show there is even a special prize – a CGC edition signed copy of Batman #232, the first appearance of Ra’s Al Ghul, by Neal Adams (Ra’s Al Ghul is to be featured again in the upcoming Christopher Nolan Batman movie, played by Josh Pence).  Fans interested in possibly winning this book can sign up online for free at www.allentowncomiccon.com

For a Full list of Guests attending the July 16^th show, please visit: http://www.allentowncomiccon.com/artistsandguests.html 

Those interested in Dealers and items of interested can visit: http://www.allentowncomiccon.com/dealers.html 

The following is a partial list of recent Guest Highlight announcements:

Bryan J.L. Glass is the two-time Harvey Award winning co-creator/writer of the The Mice Templar, the acclaimed Image Comics' series. His Marvel Comics credentials thus far are Valkyrie and Thor: First Thunder, as well as the adaptation of the Riftwar Saga. Most recently he produced Thor: Son of Asgard for the iPhone, Burger King's Kids Club Thor, and a special one-shot that teamed The New Avengers with the FDNY! 

Brimstone one of Americas top professional wrestler, actor, author, philanthropist and comic book / animated hero, in a nutshell, Brimstone has had a successful and rewarding career spanning well over two decades encompassing everything “entertainment.” As the co-founder and CEO of Hound Comics, Inc. -- Brimstone and his team of creators launched his comic book series, “Brimstone and The Borderhounds” (in which he appears as the lead character) on October 31st, 2010 at Borders Books and as of January 11th, 2011 went nationwide and worldwide via Barnes & Noble, Book World and Amazon. The title will also be featured in Diamond Distribution's Previews starting in July 2011, making the Borderhounds available to every comic book shop around the world!

Effigy Skateboards formed in 2010 by Philadelphia artist, David Rankin. Dave grew up skating and after taking many years off to become an illustrator, he found he was looking for a functional place for his art. When he was a teacher at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia he had given his students an assignment to create 4 skate decks, and this assignment is what propelled him to create his own skate company. The idea of Effigy is to combine Dave's dark, chaotic artwork with skateboarding. Effigy started with 1 sponsored skater, and is now up to a full team of guys dedicated to the visionary progression of Effigy. Based in the outskirts of Philly their decks are carried in 9 shops in PA and NJ. Come check them out at www.effigyskateboards.com

Chris Grillo is the writer and artist for the webcomic “Ninjas Don't Knit,” which tells (extremely exaggerated) tales of the daily antics of Chris and his friends. The comic started in 2007, and, after a two-year hiatus, has returned triumphantly and is now published weekly.

Chris will be selling original prints, each design limited to 100 copies. T-shirts are also available on his website. To read the comic and find out more information, visit www.ninjasdontknit.com.

Nick Mockoviak is a freelance illustrator. His talents have been put to good use as an artist on the “Night of the Living Dead: Re-Animated” project as well as being featured in the Drawgasmic Underground Artists Art Show. Currently he is developing a comic book that will see the light of day at the end of 2011.

Geekboypress is all about fun, geeky creations based on various bits of pop- culture influencing events to create comics, t-shirts, and other assorted types of art. Geekboy has been going for over five years and is slowly gaining momentum. The underground art of cartoon illustration is only enhanced by the sophisticated and ingenious cartoon designs of the anonymous Geekboy designers.

About The Great Allentown Comic Con! – The Largest Pop-Culture Comic Convention in the Lehigh Valley.  Founded in 2010, by Riverside Comics; The GACC is already one of the fastest growing Fan-focused events in the comics industry, with plans for a 2-day Mega show in November of 2011.  Located in the 10,000 sq ft Showroom of the Merchants Square Mall (1901 S. 12th St) in Allentown PA, it is dedicated to producing celebrations of comics and popular culture by providing unique access to talented artists and a family-friendly experience for fans.

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