Wizard World Atlanta Comic-Con takes Cobb Galleria

• http://clatl.com/atlanta/ImageArchives?by=1223504
• Come face to, uh, face with the cast of ‘The Human Centipede’

Every year the national hype over the San Diego Comic-Con tends to overshadow Atlanta’s venerable Dragon*Con, since Hollywood uses the West Coast pop culture convention to geek out over its latest projects. This weekend, Comic-Con moves into Dragon*Con’s backyard with the touring event Wizard World Atlanta Comic-Con, held Dec. 4-5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Atlanta undead fans will be particularly interested in a panel of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” featuring, to quote from the press release, “Larry Mainland (who plays a zombie), Sonya Thompson (zombie), Chandler Riggs (“Carl Grimes”), Addy Miller (“little girl zombie”) and Melissa Cowan (“bicycle girl”).”

Other highlights of Wizard World Atlanta Comic-Con include:

An extended nine-minute preview of “It’s A Trap,” the third installment of the “Family Guy Star Wars Saga” video, introduced by Billy Dee Williams, who will also conduct a Q&A panel (Saturday, noon);
Q&A panels with Henry Winkler, Pam Grier and Mimi Rogers, as well as perennial Comic Con guests Ernie Hudson, Adam West and Burt Ward;
Screenings of three full feature films: Hysterical Psycho, Rare Imports: A Christmas Tale and The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu;
Wizard Art School and Q&A’s featuring such artists as Greg Horn, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ethan Van Sciver and Atlanta’s Cully Hamner and Laura Martin.

Perhaps the most intriguing group of guests are Ashley C. Williams, Ashylnn Yennie and Akihiro Kitamura, who play the title “character” in this year’s notoriously repugnant horror flick, The Human Centipede.

Wizard World Atlanta Comic Con. The Cobb Galleria Centre, 2 Galleria Parkway. Sat., Dec. 4, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; and Sun., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 866-882-5860. www.wizardworld.com/atlanta.html