Wizard World Philadelphia: The Countdown Continues

There are fourteen days left to wait before Wizard WorldPhiladelphia can begin. In 2011 this was only a three day event and expanded to four in 2012. The extra day was such a success that once again this year they will be ready for a slew of attendees over this four day period and will open their doors at 3pm, if you have a V.I.P. pass then you get in one half hour earlier. At the moment there are still tickets available. Since of course this is my home town convention, it is easier to get to than others. Although I have heard good things about the Louisiana show, I wish one day to make it to the one in Chicago.

(Billy Dee showed up in 2011)

Not including Philadelphia they have five more shows this year before they begin the convention circuit off again with Portland in January of 2014. Somehow Wizard turned from a small magazine talking about comic books to one of the largest shows of the year. In years past a V.I.P. ticket was maybe for one popular start or another but with so many Wizard catered to the masses. Firefly, Walking Dead, Charmed, and the WWE Triple V.I.P experience which has sold out. Smaller V.I.P. packages include Summer Glau, John Barrowman, and my favorite, Stan Lee.

They have tickets for individual days and a three day pass. All the while a lot of walking will ensure, and lines, let’s face it will grow. One day is not enough for an event this big and I recommend a few necessities. Bottled water is a must. Even the most anti social of people will love to talk about whoever they came to see. And whether you are in line to see William Shatner and can recite line per line of every Star Trek show there was, and maybe a few TJ. Hooker episodes too, a mouth can dry out rather hastily. Comfortable shoes are a next must have. Don't buy shoes the day before the event and feel that you will be fine, you won’t. And the third thing, other than fire safety and knowing your exits, with all the bottled water that you will be drinking…make sure to know where the bathrooms are. And of course the ATM’s too.

Hope to see you there.

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Wizard World 2013: A Roundabout Preview

In 1993 I went to my first major comic book event. It would be over another decade and a half before I went to another one. I attended this with my father and my son. The year was 2007. The following year in 2008 we did the same thing. It was in 2009 that I started to go by myself that this iconic event morphed into something different. Directly on the website WizardWorld.com a countdown timer has been worked onto the front page. I have been staring at it for the past two weeks watching has the chosen event has become a Mecca of a sort, a calling I cannot seem to deny. Last year with press credentials in hand, I did the impossible, I bought a ticket, How could I not, as a fan first, purchase tickets to meet Stan Lee?

I was part of a larger conglomerate then. There were a slew of us attending and we all had our own assignments. Mine was to find out about CGC. This was more my speed then all the others who were giddy about either this or that. The thing is Wizard World changed from a Comic Book convention into a pop cultural phenomenon. Joining the countdown timer on the homepage was a floating picture display changing from one major guest to another. Stan Lee being the most iconic comic book deity, was followed by Neal Adams (he will be at Chicago and not Philadelphia), another major legend, one of which Batman never would have been the same about, but even today, two weeks before the event they have not stopped adding, with tickets still available, the Ramones are making an appearance. Do I even have to mention various stars of the Walking Dead?

After clicking on the Philadelphia highlighted event, a slew of actors, artists, enthusiasts, and special guests could be seen listed. The top and foremost area are the Special Guests, currently there are 54 with pictures and a link for their bio. Next up are the Featured guest, these are mostly stars from shows like Firefly, past iconic movies, and Wrestling. The last category, the one I pay most attention to are the Comic Creators themselves, with over two hundred listed. But that wasn't enough, a fourth category for the fans themselves, there are at least 35 people presenting under the Cosplay & Fan communities section.

The countdown won’t stop. It will keep going until the event has begun and once it has I can only imagine that it will start again for the New York City Experience.

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