Mahoning Valley Comicon will be back with some familiar guests and a new location for its 2025 edition.

This year’s pop culture convention, which has had several homes since it started at the long-gone Eastwood Expo Center, moves to the Metroplex Expo Center in Liberty.

“We were doing it at the Holiday Inn (in Boardman), and it just outgrew there,” said local filmmaker Travis Bowen, who started the event and is co-hosting this year’s edition with Carlos Rivera and Joe Mohn. “We tried it at the Calvin Arts Center, but there just wasn’t enough parking. What I like about the Metroplex is it’s so big, and we can build on that and make it larger next year. We’re going to rent even more space (at the Metroplex) for next year’s show, and that’s going to be Dec. 12 (2026).”

Returning to the event is Ming Chen, a familiar face in the View Askewniverse of filmmaker Kevin Smith. Chen was a regular on the AMC reality series “Comic Book Men.” He appeared in such Smith films as “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” and “Clerks III,” and he was a producer on “Dogma.”

Chen will be available for autographs and photos throughout the day and will close out the convention talking about his career at 5 p.m.

“He’s just fun, he’s a fun person,” Bowen said. “People that know Kevin Smith pretty much know Ming Chen.”

The other special guest is Robert Capron. He is best known for playing Rowley Jefferson in the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies, but he also worked with Nicolas Cage in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and Jack Black in “The Polka King” and voiced one of the characters in Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie.” Capron will speak at 4 p.m.

‘I’m a fan of the ‘The Three Stooges’ movie that came out around 2012, and he played young Curley in that,” Bowen said.

Bowen, who’s made several low-budget films locally, and some of his collaborators (Lisa Neeld, Matt Jefferson) also will be among the guests. Participating artists include Dan Gorman, who’s worked on Topps card sets for “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings” and DC and Marvel properties; Chris Ehnot (“Conan the Barbarian,” “Witchblade”) and Chris Kasmar.

The comicon’s costume contest for adults and children will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday with a $50 cash prize for the winners. New this year will be an art contest for aspiring artists.

Other events include a presentation by the Star Trek fan club U.S.S. Renegade at 11:30 a.m., Jefferson on low budget filmmaking at noon, Neeld on cosplay and acting at 1 p.m. and Gorman talking about his work on famous properties at 3 p.m.

About 40 vendors will be selling art, collectibles, comic books, toys and other items, according to Bowen, and the new location allows for more room for the vendors market.

If you go …

WHAT: Mahoning Valley Comicon

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Metroplex Expo Center, 1620 Motor Inn Drive, Liberty

HOW MUCH: Admission is $10 with children ages 10 and younger admitted free. For more information, go to mahoningvalleycomicon.com.