It’s back and better than ever.

O Comic Con, an independent indie pop culture convention, is back for its fifth year. The 2019 convention will be held July 28 to July 30 at the Mid-America Center. Attendees can purchase tickets for individual days or buy a three-day pass at the door or ahead of time. Pre-sale tickets are cheaper and they save time as attendees with passes don’t have to wait in line to purchase tickets.

This year’s media guest list includes: “The Office” star Kate Flannery, Sam Jones (aka Flash Gordon), voice actor Steve Blum, WWE wrestler Amy “Lita” Dumas and Muppets puppeteer Steve Whitmore. Creator guests include comic cartoonist Alison Wilgus and Eisner-nominated comic book writer Mark Russell. This year’s special guest is award winning author Tusca Lee.

Convention guests will have the option of purchasing photos or autographs from these stars at their respective agencies’ price.

While each day will provide panels and entertainment, in the form of Q&As, games and more, there are still different experiences attendees can expect.

The costume contest will return. The form to register will open later in May but will be capped off at 70 contestants. While the novice category is first come first serve, the master category includes a vetting process and prejudging. Progress photos must also be submitted for the master category.

“This year we are hoping to expand the production value of the costume contest because it’s usually very low-key, but this year we are wanting to do a little more flash and bang and a lot of visual interest,” event coordinator Rebekah Burchfield said. “We’re hoping this year there’ll be more of a wow factor.”

Burchfield best describes Friday as a preview day where new attendees can get a feel for the convention and know what to expect for the weekend.

“We try to have programming that gives people a real sampling of what’s gonna be there all day,” Burchfield said. “It’ll be more introductory programming. How to, what to expect, convention etiquette. We’ll try to make sure we have a really exciting panel or two to kick everything off.”

Saturday is the most popular day of the week. Out of the 10,000 attendees who come over the weekend, this day usually sees the most.

“Saturday is always really popular because of the costume contest,” Burchfield said. “That’s kind of what Saturday is always all about and it’s always kinda leading up to.”

Sunday is best suited for families. While there will still be panels and events for older audiences, this day offers the most relaxed experience.

“Sunday we try to make that a really low-key day where people who have families can bring your kids,” Burchfield said. “[There’s] more kid friendly programming so that you know if you want a kind of quieter vibe.”

Panel information will be available soon. This is due to community requests and updating information. Popular events such as the wrestling match or bubble soccer matches will be returning. Tickets for one or all three days are available online at ocomicon.com.