SPRINGFIELD – The city’s own pop culture celebration, The Bing Comic-Con, will return for a fourth year on Oct. 22 at Asbury Hall at Trinity Methodist Church, 361 Sumner Ave., from 11 to 5 p.m. The daylong show benefits the Bing Arts Center.

Artists, writers and crafters all from western New England will be at the show, which will also feature a cosplay competition, an “art fight” and, with paid admission, a free 30th anniversary screening of “Labyrinth” at 7 p.m. at the Bing Arts Center.

The show’s co-founder and producer, artist Mark Masztal said, “At a time when comic book conventions are known more for being a marketplace for autographs than anything else, the Bing Comic-Con is much more about building a community. It’s an opportunity for people to meet and talk with like-minded folks as well as find some great comics, artwork and books.”

The show will be the last appearance of comic book legend Stephen R. Bissette. The artist and writer who rose to prominence with his collaboration on “Swamp Thing” with Alan Moore and Jon Totleben won both awards and controversy with his horror anthology “Taboo.” His love of dinosaurs was on exhibit with his series “Tyrant,” about the birth, life and death of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and he sent up classic Marvel Comics characters in the parody series “1963” with Moore and fellow artist and writer Rick Veitch.

Bissette recently declared on his Facebook page the Bing Comic-Con would be his last show appearance as he wants to concentrate on his educational career as an instructor at the center for cartoon Studies in White Water Junction, VT, and future creative endeavors, such as a return to some of the characters he created in the “1963” series.

Appearing at Bing Comic Con for the first time will be writer Joseph Citro. Citro has received acclaim for his horror novels as well as his collections of odd New England stories – hauntings, folklore and unexplainable places, events and artifacts. These include “Weird New England,” “Passing Strange” and his new book, “The Vermont Ghost Experience.”

A key figure in the underground comic movement of the 1960s and ‘70s, Gary Hallgren will be making his second appearance at the show. Hallgren, who has gone on to a long and successful career as a cartoonist and illustrator, was a member of the “Air Pirates” group that challenged the laws revolving around parody as they had satirized Walt Disney characters.

Writer Stephen Murphy also returns to the show. Murphy became well known for his work on “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and has more recently garnered excellent reviews for his re-release of his graphic novel ‘Puma Blues,” with artist Michael Zulli. When the new edition – with added material – came out last year the A.V. Club said, “Now that it's done, ‘The Puma Blues’ can take its rightful place alongside the period’s other great monuments, such as Alan Moore’s ‘From Hell’ and Neil Gaiman’s ‘Sandman.’ Without it, any well-stocked comics library should be considered incomplete.”

Murphy is preparing a new edition of his graphic novel “Umbra.”

Other guest include Andi Boulanger, ?Mike Murray, ?Sean Wang, Michael Kelleher, ?Leonard Mihalovich, ? DJ Tom VanZandt, Jenn Iannaconi,?David Barsalou, Marc Lapierre, ?Gary Smith,?Brett Swanson,?Andy Driscoll,?Marshall Calmplex Couture,? ?Jim Taylor,?Brian LeTendre,?Scott C. Hamilton,?TC Ford,?Sabrina Zaremba,?Markellus Ragans,?Justin Bourget,?Charles Gardner,?Susan Alston/Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,?Jennifer Allis,?Ron Leary Jr,?Hector E Rodriguez,?Ed Salva,?Tom Ryan,?Michael Lavoie,?Lisa Cavalear,?Aradia Diane, Willard?Enrique Rodriguez,?Kristina Moy,?Tainted Sweets,?Karen Van Wagner,?Brian Kirk, Renee Pepin,?Jody Catellier, Charles Forsman,?Faustino Capat/ConnLUG Ambassador,?Renee Pepin,?Keira Asta-Ferrero, Aaron Wood and this reporter.

Admission is $5. For more information go to www.bingcomiccon.org.