'Huge' 4-day GalaxyCon in Richmond features 'heart-to-heart communication'

RICHMOND, Va. — The four-day GalaxyCon Richmond is bringing together thousands of fans and celebrities at the Greater Richmond Convention Center this Thursday, March 19 to Sunday, March 22.

The event celebrates comics, pop culture, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, gaming, cosplay and much more. Guests are able to meet a large lineup of celebrities, voice actors, creators, artists and entertainers, including icons from "Star Wars," "Star Trek," "Jurassic Park" and DC Comics.

Beyond the celebrities, there are dozens of vendors set up selling art and books. Attendees can take part in cosplay competitions, catch panels featuring their favorite creators, get competitive in the tabletop or video gaming rooms and enjoy after-dark programming. Single-day tickets range from $45 to $75.

John Wesley Shipp, known for playing the Flash, said he enjoys the immediate response he gets at conventions, comparing it to live theater.

"Believe me, people will tell you what they think because some of these people have been comic book fans their whole lives. They know more about the Flash franchise than even I do," Shipp said. "So I love the heart-to-heart communication. I love them telling me what was meaningful to them on a personal level about the roles I've played over the years, and we have real human interaction and it's quite moving."

WATCH: John Wesley Shipp's connection to Virginia and Richmond

Shipp also noted his local ties to the area alongside fellow Flash actor Grant Gustin.

"Richmond is great. You know, Virginia is great. Grant Gustin and I are both Virginians. We were both born in Norfolk. In fact, we want to put up a sign, 'Welcome to Norfolk, home of the Flashes,'" Shipp said.

Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk, said he wished conventions like this existed when he was a child.

"I used to read comic books and people were very negative. They're saying, 'You're reading comic books. Why you read comic books because there's no life beyond comic books?' And they think that I was some kind of a fool — that instead of paying more attention to my school studies — I'm more fascinated with comic books. That became my passion," Ferrigno said.

Ferrigno said he loves hearing how his character affected fans' lives.

"The fact that I hear different stories about how the Hulk affected their lives. For example, growing up, they changed their physicality. They want to get in shape, especially if they learn more about me, what I've done in my life to overcome my hearing and my speech impairment," Ferrigno said.

WATCH: 'Hulk' actor Lou Ferrigno's childhood connection to comic books became his 'passion'

Steve Whitmire, known for voicing Muppets like Kermit and Rizzo, said working in a studio for years felt like a vacuum.

"So you know the fans are out there, but you never really get to meet them," Whitmire said. "And now I get this chance to say hello to them and hear what they want to say and stuff like that."

Guest Thomas Starkey said the convention provides an accepting environment for fans to share their passions.

WATCH: 74-year-old 'Hulk' actor Lou Ferrigno shares 'very simple' anti-aging secrets

"It's like if you like something, whether you like 'Star Trek,' 'Star Wars,' comic books or anything else, you, you've already met the bar to be kind of in that community," Starkey said.

Starkey added that the event allows people to express themselves freely.

"Everybody knows that you know the people around them like the same kinds of things they do," Starkey said. "Some people, they don't always feel that in their everyday life. They don't feel like they can sit there and tell somebody, 'Hey, I'm reading this comic book or I'm doing this cosplay.' You know, some people just aren't comfortable saying that in public, but here they can."

Click here for information about GalaxyCon Richmond.

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