Salt Lake Comic Con swaps Sandy for Salt Palace

The inaugural Salt Lake Comic Con is boldly going downtown.

William Shatner, Adam West, Kevin Sorbo and a bevy of geek-list celebrities, comic book artists and authors are now scheduled to appear Sept. 5-7 at the Salt Palace, not Sandy's South Towne Exposition Center.

The convention — for fans of sci-fi, comic books, various derivatives of comic books and essentially all things nerdy — seemed likely to push South Towne's capacity, and the Sept. 7 events created logistical quandaries for an annual Autism Speaks walk scheduled for the same day.

"It's a much better comic con environment downtown than it would be in Sandy," says founder Dan Farr. "It really does just kind of take a lid off of it. We felt like there was a lid on this."

Farr says the move will increase the availability of tickets. Whereas the four halls he had booked at South Towne could only hold about 20,000 unique visitors over three days, the Salt Palace's capacity is far higher. However, tickets will not be limitless, because the stars expect a favorable ratio of fans per celebrity — generally around 1,000 to 1 — to ensure demand for their autographs, panels and screenings.

What does that mean for you if you don't have a ticket? Move fast. Saturday tickets are limited and soon fans will need a three-day pass to attend the final day of the convention.

If you already have a ticket, you're good to go.

After a tease to this "big announcement" coming Friday, some on Facebook speculated that more superstars had been booked. Farr says he's hoping to finalize a few contracts that are "in limbo," and he has an offer out to another celebrity who is a particularly hot draw at recent comic cons.

But sorry, Facebook guessers. None of them are Harrison Ford.

mpiper@sltrib.com

Twitter: @matthew_piper —

Salt Lake Comic Con

When • Sept. 5-7

Where • Salt Palace Convention Center

Celebrity guests • Nick Gomez, Cerina Vincent, Adam West, Burt Ward, Manu Bennett, Ray Park, William Shatner, Richard Hatch, Tia Carrere, Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Sorbo, Sofia Milos, Claire Coffee, Ben Hansen, Brian Krause

Writers • Jake Black, Larry Correia, Jessica Day George, James Wymore, Rhiannon Paille, James Dashner, Tracy Hickman, David Farland, Jenni James, Mette Ivie Harrison

Artists • Steve Argyle, Derek Hunter, Bill Galvan, Howard Tayler, Sal Velluto, Batton Lash, Arthur Suydam, Ryan Ottley, Tyler Kirkham

Tickets • Thursday only: adults $20, ages 11-16 $12; Friday only: adults $25, ages 11-16 $12; Saturday only (limited supply): adults $30, ages 11-16 $15; three-day pass: adults $50, ages 11-16 $30; VIP pass $150. Children 10 and under get in free on all days. Visit http://saltlakecomiccon.com/utah-comic-con-tickets/ for more information.