Last weekend, thanks to my friends Tammy and JR, I attended all 3.5 days of Wizard World Chicago, now renamed Chicago Comic-Con. Like most conventions these days, it featured plenty of dealers, costumes, celebrities and panels. What it didn't have was booths by any of the major comic companies. Apparently, DC, Marvel, Dark Horse et al have jumped ship to the upcoming
Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (or "C2E2") at McCormick Place next April.
One of the companies that did have a booth, Top Shelf Productions, turned me on to a
fantastic new book:
The Surrogates. My curiosity was primarily piqued because the book has been made into a movie starring Bruce Willis. There were posters for the movie all over town. I bought the TPB of the original 5-issue series and fell in love with the smart writing. Writer Robert Venditti signed my copy and chatted for a few minutes. If the movie does justice to the book, it will be a must-see.
Some other highlights:
Erin Gray, aka Wilma Deering of Buck Rogers TV fame is still smokin' hot. And speaking of Buck, the man himself, Gil Gerard, is looking mighty fine again -- a big change from when I originally met him at the same con back in 2003.
Among the celebs there for paid autograph/photo opportunities, several tempted my wallet:
Luke Goss, he of Hellboy II fame,
Andre Arlovski, former UFC champ, Christopher "Peter Brady" Knight, and Emma "Anyka" Caulfield. I didn't pay for any of them, but I did attend Emma's Q&A. She is co-creating a new online comic called "
Contropussy."
I literally walked into Edward James Olmos, Adama himself. I smiled and apologized, he smiled patted my arm and walked on. Awesome.
I brought my copies of Legion of Three Worlds #1 in the hopes of getting them signed by artist
George Pérez. No such luck. He was swarmed every time I tried.
On Saturday, I dressed in full Mooby Funployee regalia and had, like, 50 photos taken. I also managed to plug most of the holes in my comic collection.
The con was fun, but I enjoyed hanging with Tammy and JR even more. Good food, good times, great weekend!
