Phoenix Comicon Announces Sci-Fi/Fantasy Sirens and Comic Book Legends as 2013 Guests

Fox/Syfy/HBO

From Left: Firefly's Jewel Staite, Stargate's Amanda Tapping, and True Blood's Kristin Bauer, all of whom are coming to Phoenix Comicon in 2013.

Browncoats, Gaters, and Fang-Bangers of the Valley, we've got a suggestion for your Christmas wish lists: A full, four-day admission package to next year's Phoenix Comicon. That's because organizers of the have announced that some of the female badasses from your favorite science fiction and fantasy-oriented TV programs are going to be special guests at next year's event.

Jewel Staite, who portrayed pixie-like starship mechanic Kaylee Frye on Joss Whedon's beloved cult Fox show Firefly (as well as Dr. Jennifer Keller on Stargate Atlantis), is scheduled to appear at Comicon's 2013 edition. She's not the only alumnus of the planet-hopping Stargate multiverse who will visit the Valley during Memorial Day weekend as Amanda Tapping (a.k.a. Samantha Carter) will also appear.

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Tapping -- who starred on a combined 15 seasons of television programs from the Stargate franchise (including SG-1 and its spinoffs Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe) -- is also famous for her role as the 157-year-old scientist Dr. Helen Magnus on the SyFy channel's Sanctuary.

Rounding out the trio of sci-fi/fantasy heroines coming to Comicon is Kristin Bauer van Straten, who portrays evil sorceress Maleficent on ABC's fairytale series Once Upon a Time and has vamped it up for five seasons as Pamela Swynford De Beaufort on HBO's True Blood.

This will be van Straten's second appearance at Phoenix Comicon in three years, as she appeared at the event in 2011. (Check out Jackalope Ranch's interview with the actress prior to her last visit to the Valley)

The organizers of Comicon have also recently announced a slew of other special guests recently for next year, like the creators and artists behind some rather fanous characters from the world of superheroes and sequential art. Chief among them is Mike Mignola, the 52-year-old artist from whose mind and pen sprung Hellboy, the demon with a heart of gold and scourge of Nazi occultists everywhere.

Other renowned artists that are scheduled to appear at Phoenix Comicon include the venerable Neal Adams (a veteran who's worked on both Superman and Batman), Ethan Van Sciver (New X-Men/Green Lantern), penciller Greg Capullo (Spawn/X-Force), and Brett Booth (Teen Titans/Backlash).

Organizers have previously announced that comic book/sci-fi icon J. Michael Straczynski and a large contingent of actors from Babylon 5 are in the lineup for 2013.

Geeks who are interested in getting Comicon tickets for themselves instead of asking Santa better get a move on if they want to score a discount, as admission prices go up after December 31. Maybe your parents can spot you some cash (though you might have to move out of the basement in exchange).

Phoenix Comicon 2013 takes place May 23-26 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Pre-sale daily admission starts at $15-$25. More info in available on the Comicon website.