In 1991, Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo made an appearance at AnimeCon, which transformed into Anime Expo. Announced today, Otomo will make his first appearance at the popular anime convention in 18 years as a Guest of Honor.

Otomo will announce a brand new project during a panel on Thursday, July 4. The panel will take place inside Live Programming 2 / JW Marriott Platinum Ballroom from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM. Recently, Otomo worked on 2013’s Short Peace, which is a collaborative anime film between him, Shuhei Morita, Hiroaki Ando, and Hajime Katoki.

Badges for Anime Expo are still available for purchase here. The event takes place from July 4 through July 7 inside the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. If you can’t make it to Anime Expo, you can stream it live over on their Twitch channel.