Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo is coming back for another weekend of fun, games, dreams and sales! HSV Expo is once again being hosted in the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on April 12 – 14, 2024, and features an extensive list of vendors and guests, including George Takei (Star Trek, Mulan), Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop, Star Wars Rebels, Samurai Champloo, Naruto, Call of Duty, Valorant, Ben 10), Paige O’Hara (Beauty and the Beast), Charles Martinet (Super Mario Bros.), Johnny Yong Bosch (Power Rangers, Bleach, One Piece, Devil May Cry), Trish Stratus (WWE), Khary Payton (The Walking Dead, Teen Titans, Teen Titans GO!), and many more!

I interviewed Jeremy Long, the showrunner in charge of HSV Expo, over text. I’ve attached said interview below:

Borsella: What inspired you to start running this event?

Long: I’ve always been into comics and have enjoyed going to comic shows. There wasn’t anything in Huntsville and I thought there should be. After discussing with my wife we decided if nobody was going to do anything, then I should give it a shot.

B: How long have you been running this event?

L: The first show was in 2016 but planning started in 2015.

B: How does this event compare to other events, both in and out of state?

L: This is the largest event of its kind in the state. This year we will have over 20,000 attendees. That makes it a medium sized show. Some of the largest shows will get 300,000 people.

B: What does this event mean to Huntsville and/or Huntsville residents?

L: People of Huntsville who attend love that there is such a big show in their hometown. As far as Huntsville goes, it is a huge tax revenue boom for the city. It also has an effect on local businesses such as restaurants, hotels, stores, and more. People came from 38 different states last year as well as Canada and Mexico. It is great for the local economy.

B: What were the attendance numbers for last year?

L: 18,410

B: What, if anything, are you looking forward to in the coming years?

L: I’m really looking forward to just how big we will grow the show. We take up all of the South Hall but in the coming years we are expanding to other halls within the VBC. I am also looking forward to what kind of guests we will be able to get. Last year we had William Shatner and I never thought that was possible. This year we have a ton of guests I never thought we’d be able to get.

Long also manages a set of vendor booths run by his staff under company name The Long Box; these booths mostly sell comic books that you can pull out of the titular long boxes lining the tables, but they also offer action figures, collectibles, statues, and Funko Pops!, to name a few items.

           According to HSV Expo’s ticket page, kids 12 and under can get in free, while everyone 13 and older must have a ticket for admission. You can get tickets for singular days, with Sunday tickets costing $35, and Friday and Saturday tickets costing $40. Another option is the weekend pass, which grants you access to the event for all three days and costs $70. You can also get VIP tickets, the bonuses to each varying depending on your purchase. Your options include regular VIP tickets for this year’s show ($150), Ultra VIP tickets ($200), and Lifetime VIP tickets ($1,500). Consider coming to this event in April, whether it’s just for one day or for the entire weekend – this is something you don’t want to miss out on.