Wizard World Chicago is for Collectors and Fans

We recently attended the Wizard World Chicago convention in Rosemont, IL. What I came away with was a mixed bag of feelings, but for the most part it was a positive experience. I found that WWC is truly a show for collectors or those who would like to meet some of the many celebrities that attended the show. If you go to the convention thinking that you are going to find out what Marvel is up to, or what DC has planned for Batman next month, then you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you are looking to find a good price on that one issue of “Justice League” that you are missing, then you have come to the right place.

The Comics:

For the most part, comic publishers are absent from the Wizard World shows (Chicago at least). I did get to speak with some smaller publishers, Avatar Press being the biggest that comes to mind, but the show is no longer publisher centric. As I said, it is a collector’s show. With that in mind, there were tons of retailers at the show selling mostly comics, but you could find almost anything you looked for including collectible toys, t-shirts, fantasy clothing, and many more. Looking for a plush “Companion Cube” from Portal? You could pick it up at Wizard World.

The comic retailers represented by far the great majority of booths present. If you did not have an opportunity to attend Comic-Con in San Diego last month, and you wanted some exclusive comic that was sold only at Comic-Con, you could probably have found it at a lot of the retailers at WWC. You’ll need to shop around though, as prices can vary wildly from retailer to retailer.

The Comic Industry Professionals:

Another smaller section of the show was the Artist Alley, where many comic and fantasy artists set up tables to showcase their work. If you are looking to get some of your comics signed by your favorite artist or writer, this was the place to do it. Most of them will sign their work for free, and they also have exclusives that you can purchase from them and get those signed as well. I stopped by Neal Adams booth and picked up several of his prints that I liked, and then paid to have him sketch a “Zombie Batman” lookalike head sketch on the “Zombie in a Batsuit” print he was selling, and it was so worth it. I now have a signed unique piece of art from Mr. Adams, one of the greats in comic art.

I also found that the people at the tables were very helpful in letting you know about other artists present that would sign your items. I picked up a few “Lady Death” exclusives from Avatar Press, and they let me know that Brian Pulido was signing comics in artist alley. I took them over and he signed them all for free, plus I saw that he had a few exclusives of his own for sale, so I picked up some of those to add to my collection (also signed, of course).

The Celebrities:

Another huge part of the show was the celebrity autograph area. This year, attendees had the opportunity to meet Stan Lee, William Shatner, Colin Ferguson, Scott Bakula, Avery Brooks, James Marsters, Norman Reedus, and many others. It is a collector’s area in itself, as patrons paid amounts ranging from $25 to $80 for an autographed picture of the stars of today and yesteryear. I get as thrilled as the next person when given this opportunity, and partook as much as my budget would allow. This year, WWC also offered the opportunity for fans to get pictures with their favorite celeb by paying for a “Photo Op”. Here you usually don’t get to say more than two words to the person you are taking a photo with, but you do come away with a beautiful picture of yourself with a Hollywood star. The stars themselves are a mixed bag. Some will take time to speak to you and listen to you gush about the thrill of meeting them. They obviously care about their fans and go out of their way to make it a day to remember, while others would just smile, sign their autograph, and turn to the next person.

For me, I am always on the lookout to get a simple sound bite for our podcast. Just a “Hi, this is so and so, and you are listening to The Gaming Gang”, and some stars are willing while others are not. My biggest disappointments were William Shatner, one of the heroes from my youth, and Holly Marie Combs, who looks as good now as she ever did on Charmed. They both refused, for their own reasons I’m sure, but it was a disappointment.

Colin Ferguson of Eureka was truly a class act. He introduced himself; he talked with me and my family, and went out of his way to get a smile from my five year old daughter. He also gave me a great sound bite that I used on our last show. Brian Krause and Amy Acker were also wonderful people who took the time to talk to me and show that they were there for more than just a few bucks. I didn’t get a chance to see anyone else, I just couldn’t afford it. So if you are looking to meet the star you’ve always wanted to meet, be prepared to shell out some cash. Wizard World is not the only convention that operates this way, almost every fan convention trades autographs for money these days.

The Panels and Workshops:

The panels and workshops were all included with admission. You just had to make sure that you were in line early enough to get into the room. There were a lot of panels for artists, comic enthusiasts, and fans of TV shows that had the opportunity to ask questions of the celebrities they had travelled to see. Budding comic book artists could even get their portfolios reviewed by professionals at the show, and the Jedi Lightsaber training class was great fun for the kids.

The Crowd:

There were a lot of people who attended Wizard World Chicago. I could tell that management tried some different strategies this year in order to correct some past mistakes. This year there were separate entrances and exits. Last year, traffic could flow both ways and many times there were log jams of people as everyone tried to fight to get in or out. It was a good idea and a lot safer I think, even though it was a bit of a pain having to enter through a different door than you exited.

They also used a large unadorned room to line people up each morning before the show opened. It was a BIG area and it helped to give a much safer and orderly experience if you got there before the show opened. There was no mad rush to get inside when the velvet rope dropped. Everyone proceeded in line in an orderly fashion, and those that paid to get VIP treatment were easily allowed to enter first without the entire scene devolving into the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

The costumes varied from the lame to the superb. A lot of people took advantage of attending a convention where it is accepted that you will dress up in costume, and people watching was just as fun as attending the convention itself. As with any convention, there were periodic traffic jams as costumed attendees paused to pose for pictures with people, but I haven’t been to a convention yet where this wasn’t the case. At least there was a large sized lobby area where those in costumes could stand and pose and not interfere with the flow of people. Unfortunately, I will have nightmares about the gentleman dressed in the vinyl Catwoman suit for a long time to come. The little girl dressed as a Dalek was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen though.

Overall, this was a good show. It isn’t for everyone, and the more disposable income you have the better it is. If you always wanted to get Stan Lee to sign your copy of Fantastic Four #100, then you were able to do it at Wizard World Chicago. If you were looking for a rare comic that you haven’t been able to find anywhere, then you could do it at WWC. If you wanted to meet some of your favorite artists and get them to sign some of your books, then you could do it at WWC. But, if you don’t like crowds and you are low on funds, then WWC probably isn’t for you.

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Elliott Miller

Elliott is well versed in all tabletop gaming subjects and brings his expertise mostly to bear on strategy, family, and Euro-style gaming.

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