Yours truly was lucky enough to attend Wizard World Chicago Comic Con on Friday and Saturday (Aug 25 and Aug 26).
Friday:
Michael Rooker Vs. The Audience
Micheal Rooker didn’t waste any time with his Q&A. He immediately jumped into the row of fans and began walking around taking questions. Rooker is a real class clown and it showed by his witty answer for some of his questions and his one-liners towards the fans. He also reveals to us why he wears that black jacket to nearly every con. According to him, it was made by a close friend. This panel alone was worth attending Friday. The room was full of laughter and cheers as Rooker was roaming the room. There’s just something about Rooker where you can’t help but smile.
Inside The Ring With Wwe® Super Star Kevin Owens was unfortunately canceled for Friday but I was able to attend the Charlotte Flair panel. I was quite surprised to see someone like Charlotte be so humble and down to earth. She truly loves her fans and her fans really love her back. Saw so many young girls dressed up as not only Charlotte but as a handful of WWE wrestlers. Her present and her panel were something we need more of. I’m all for more female representation in not just WWE but in cons and in all things nerdy.
DnD Role paying Panel with the audience. I, unfortunately, missed a seat at the Batman Panel with Loren Lester but decided to use my free time to check something different. Never been a fan of DnD but I’ve always heard about it and saw a bit from the TV film. Decided to give it a shot and see if it can hook me into a new fandom. While I still don’t see my self-submerged into that realm I can honestly say I had a blast at the panel. The role-playing, improv and how much the crowd was involved all made up for a great time. I can definitely see the appeal and how it’s actually a great social game with friends. I walked out of that panel with a greater understanding and respect for DnD players.
Saturday:
Life Given By The Mind Stone: Conversation With Paul Bettany
This panel was the one I was most excited to attend on Saturday. I’ve been a fan of Bettany since his work on A Knight’s Tale and had a couple of questions in mind to ask him. The panel was filled to the max and there were quite a few Marvel cosplayers in the room. I was able to get a spot in line to ask him a question. Bettany is probably one of the most fun guests I’ve seen at a con since Bruce Campbell at last years Wizard World. Bettany also told a couple of great stories about the business. Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to take any question about and up coming Marvel related projects as expected. I was able to ask my question and to no real surprise, we will not be getting a Legion 2 due to the low box office numbers.
Secret Agent Women: A Conversation With Cobie Smulders & Elizabeth Henstridge Agents Maria Hill and Jemma Simmons
The Agents of Shield panel are always a nice addition to any con. The room was just as packed as for the Bettany panel and was another I was looking forward to seeing. Much like the Bettany panel they couldn’t touch too much on the up coming season of their show. Smulders shared a funny story from her early years of being an actress and how HIMYM is actually her favorite role to date. Henstridge states her favorite part of working on the show is how people are conceived she really is that smart on and off-screen. Season four of AOS seems to be the cast favorite season for very obvious reasons. They also re ensured us that season five will be a great one! Also, I’m convinced Smulders does not age at all. She gets younger with each con I’ve seen her at.
Inside The Ring With Wwe® Super Stars The Hardys
One I wasn’t expecting to get in but I was able to get a decent spot. The Hardys are a big part of my childhood. Seeing them up close was a bit of a surreal moment but one I won’t forget. I saw quite a few WWE theme cosplayers and a lot of kids. Not that it’s a bad thing but I was kind of shocked to see kids young as five at the panel. It really shows how big they are in the business. They spoke about their time with the Young Bucks and working outside of the major wrestling federations. Seeing them up close at this panel was the perfect icing on the cake.
Overall two days at Wizard World Chicago was a great experience that was filled with great panels, wonderful booths and allowed me to discover new and up coming artists. I personally spent close to about two hundred on merchandise which as of typing this I don’t regret. I also picked up a couple of novel by independent writers and creators. I can not stress enough how important it is to support your local writers at these conventions. Often times rare gems get lost at the sea of cosplayers and big brand names. Not that there’s anything wrong with big names such as Marvel at these events but juts don’t about the little guys. This con is a reminder of why we love not just cons but all things nerdy.
