Today I attended Wizard World/Chicago Comicon for the 4th consecutive year. Every year it gets bad-mouthed for not being a legitimate comic show. But every year I find something to enjoy and usually have a good time. This year, anticipating what appears to be a dwindling comic presence, I decided to forgo the 4 day pass and only picked up a Friday ticket. I'm glad I did.
In what I can only assume is an attempt to please disgruntled retailers, Wizard completely revamped the floor layout. Comics on the left, celebrities in the middle, wares on the right, and artists squashed against the back wall. They were the wallflowers of the dance. And they weren't even organized in any cohesive manner; independent comic artists next to jewelry makers? Doesn't fly. Artist Alley was a pain to navigate, and for the first time in many years, I didn't want to be there.
The celebrities rule the show. People stood in long lines just to spend 5 seconds with Stan Lee. And I get it. Everyone admires someone for a plethora of reasons. I just feel that a lot of the tinsel-town sparkle is lost when you have to hand Dean Cain $40 for an autograph. But if people enjoy it...
Oddly, I still had a decent time at the show. I picked up a neat vintage movie poster, an issue of X-Men I've been searching for, and a deck of 'Buffy' game cards (I'm not sure why). I'll probably continue to check the show out, but I'd like to go with casual fans and convention noobs. It's fun to see them geek out over Lou Ferigno and Adventure Time hats.
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