Now I’m sure you all know that The Philadelphia Comic-Con (Wizard World, its original name) has come and gone. It was May 31stto June 2nd if you missed out. I have been to several of Wizard’s Comic-Cons(Last 5 years after returning from Army service) and this one was certainly the better of them all. After Marvel and DC had pulled out of Philadelphia (due expensive pricing from the convention center according to rumor) Our Comic-Con had taken a huge blow. Without the booths from the big two companies, there was no longer any cool swag to be gained from either the booths themselves or VIP. There were no longer any cool exclusives that could only be obtained here, like that of the Illustrious San Diego Comic-Con or even the New York Comic-Con. With no cool exclusives or awesome swag a lot of people had no reason to attend. It also didn’t help that we were the only ones still being called Wizard World, causing fans to think we were a fantasy convention. With last year, Wizard changing the name to Philadelphia Comic-Con fans old and new realized what they were missing out on, through no fault of their own. With no swag, a mistaken identity, the only thing other reason to attend was for the celebrities who were usually B list at best and Artist alley. Now I’m not knocking the celebs at all. They were awesome to chat with, were never high and mighty, down to earth and reasonably priced, but were never a big draw. Artist Alley was always a good place to go down. Some well-known artist were always there as well as the up and comers and artist just trying to get in the door. I have purchased a bunch of prints and commissions from Artist Alley, but that will be later and another article. To reiterate Philadelphia Comic-Con has been lackluster the last few years. This year….. They changed that and then some, in a huge way! And I feel this is just the beginning…..
Day One: Preview Night!
4:00PM
One hour before opening and the VIP line is growing, as is the anticipation. Fans are excited and for good reason. Everyone in this line has purchased VIP passes to their favorite celebrity, myself included. Who are these celebrities? Well, let’s see we have:
The Boondock Saints, Norman Reedus(also Daryl of The Walking Dead), Sean Patrick Flanery & David Della Rocca (Nice!)
Thor of The Avengers, Chris Hemsworth (by Odin’s Beard!)
The Five Captains of Star Trek: William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew & Scott Bakula (Heart Rate increasing!!)
WWE Champion CM Punk (Brain Expanding)
Bruce Campbell (speech slurred)
Vampire Diaries Paul Wesley ( Never watched the show, but it brought in a wave sexy nerds to Philly so Im fine with it)
Hayden Panettiere (She hasn’t done much lately but is still beautiful)
Melissa Joan Hart (promoting her new show. I don’t know what, but I had a crush on her since Clarissa Explains it All)
The Man, The Legend, The Icon, possible Highlander, Stan Lee!!!! (Mind blown) For the first time at the Philadelphia Comic Con!!
And this was just a handful that showed up. Now it’s still preview night and the big celebrities won’t appear until the next day and after.
Finally Allowed in people begin to look around and plot out their destinations and days out. I look for the Stan Lee booth so when it’s time to get my Autograph I can get there right away.As I look around, I love the energy. People are excited; fathers are showing their kid’s the heroes they grew up with. It’s only preview night so not much is going on and some booths are still being setup, but I am excited.
I take a few pictures with some cosplayers, wander around plotting how to spend my money, and look through the schedule and plot my course.
Day 2: It Begins….
We all know who this guy is. One of the staples of any Con you go to. This is Boba Fett. Regardless of how many people cosplay as him, it is always awesome to see a good Boba Fett. I took this while waiting in line to get my comics signed by George Perez…… Yes, I know!! And for those not to familiar, he is the artist behind New 52 Superman, the New Teen Titans, and my favorite, JLA/Avengers!!! Which I got signed.
This was a great way to start my day. George Perez is a great man, artist and class act. I waited an hour and a half(I know), but he got up and thanked everyone in line for waiting, and being fans of his work. He didn’t have to, but he did. He also talked to his fans and even took photos with them, as seen here. Yes, that ugly mug is me with George Perez.
Class Act that man is. After that it was a little bit of the same as the day before. Some wandering, trying not to cry because I missed the first Stan Lee signings, they were manly tears. Thought it was going to be a sign for my weekend…. And it was. After aimlessly wandering around like Ash in Pokemon I stumbled upon Greg Horn’s Table. He has done some fantastic covers for several comics, Like Ms. Marvel. As I am looking around I stumble upon a print I want for my wife, ( Harley Quinn, Arkham Asylum, with the Joker) as I am looking he comes up to me and asks if I served in the military. I reply yes, Army. He pulls out a print of his of the cover from Ms. Marvel issue 29, tells me no charge and thanks me for my service and only charges me half price for the Harley. Wow. He even signs it for me. That just made my day. I’ve never been thanked for that, never even thought about it and being thanked by an artist I like was amazing. That’s when I noticed that the artists here are here for the fans. Perez, Horn and the others all made it a point to talk and interact with their fans, not just make money.After that great experience I walk down to Miguel Sepulveda, the artist on Stormwatch. My friends and I had to talk through a translator, but he was really patient and awesome, he even signed my Stormwatch #1 for free!!
Now my legs are cramped and I’m hungry so my friend and I are heading out to take a break. As we are walking out, in comes Dean Cain. Yes, Dean Cain of Lois and Clark, Superman!! I didn’t want to waste his time so I kept going, but he steps right in front of me. He stops me and introduces himself to ME. He shakes my hand and says it’s an honor to meet me. He is proud and honor to talk to a member of the military as he is a huge supporter. We talk for a few and take a picture, by now I’m fighting back huge manly tears.
Yea, Superman Bro Fist! Superman Powers Activate!
Lunch Break! Dry up the tears I didn’t cry. And back to the convention.
Now after a few panels it’s the moment of truth….. the Stan Lee Photo-Op… using my elite skills acquired from the Army, I managed to be 2nd in line. (I got in line an Hour early) The line was incredible. Over 500 people. And they got through the line in under a half hour! I could not believe it. Unfortunately you don’t get any time to talk to Stan. It’s in, Smile, done. I did get to thank him.
After waiting 2 hours for my photo I went home to reflect on this day.
Day 3: Keeping it going
It’s now Saturday, 10AM. As soon as I’m allowed in, I head straight to Stan Lee’s Booth. It’s time for my autograph. My item to get signed? Stan Lee’s Superman. That started a nice debate in line. Now it’s the same as the photo op, they want to get you in and out because there are a lot of people in line and Stan is not as young as he use to be. Not that big a deal because he does try to crack a quick joke with the fans. He chuckled when he saw my comic, said it’s the only DC comic people should read. After getting it signed, I submit my comic to be graded, I’ll receive it in the mail in a few days. Soon after I rush to get a good seat at the Stan Lee Q & A. The wait is only a half hour and we are entertained by Jarrett Crippen, The Defuser, winner of season 2 of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? He tells a couple stories about Stan on the set. Ill be sure to post the video. Finally the Man himself shows. Does his introduction and allows the fans to ask questions which he knocks out of the park. Stan Lee who is 89 years young, is full of so much energy and life, you forget how old he is. He adores his fans and welcomes all questions. This is a man who has attained Demi-god status of fame. His charisma is unparalleled. I am glad I got to see this man this year, because unfortunately he only has so much more longer on our plane of existence. This could’ve been the last hour of the con and I would’ve been satisfied. After the panel it was time to spend my hard earned money. The Booths and Artist Alley I got my fair share of goodies.
Day 4: All things must end. (Sad face.)
Now it’s the last day and I have done everything I wanted. I stop by my friend’s booth. Shawn Alleyne, local artist in Philadelphia. He and I are discussing a comic I want to do and will get started later this year. Comic con was definitely good to him, got a lot of commissions, one of them being for the president of Wizard.
After catching up, I go back to my wandering ways and make a startling discovery………….
Now if you look dead center……. 2 from the left. Yes……. Action Comics #1 CGC 5.0. Price? $550,000. Which coincidentaly I’m pimping myself out for. Whatever you want…… need…..
Anyway, I finally arrive at the Interrobang Studios table and chat with them about their webcomics, site and future plans. That’ll be a separate post so look out for it.
My time at The Philadelphia Comic-con was astounding. And from I heard will get better over the next few years. Marvel and DC may return, and we may get even more celebrities to join us. If we get more attention, and more people clamoring for more content at the Philly Comic-Con we may get as big as the San Diego Comic-con. I look forward to it and will always give my love and support of it, please do the same.
Philadelphia Comic Con: B+
A step in the right direction.
My experience: A
Proud to be a fan.
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