Wizard World Philly After Report

Well, it’s been a few days since the show, and it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted here, so I figured now was the time!

Sorry about the gap in Blogs, all six people who read this, but as the Coordinator for Wizard World, the last 2 weeks before the con are the absolutely most insane!

So, here’s what I learned at Wizard World Philly….

No matter how much you plan for a show, there are a million things you forgot to even think about.

Overall, I was hugely impressed with everyone at the show! It seemed to me that all the fans, media guests, artists and creators, vendors and dealers and my volunteer team and the Wizard staff - all had a great time. So that’s a plus.

Can we do better next year? Of course! I have so many new plans for next year to make it 10x better than this year.

Hopefully everyone reading this was there, and enjoyed it. Be sure to head on over to YouTube and look for some video from the Costume Contest, where I abuse one of the Wizard Staff Members, Larry. It’s HILARIOUS!! I almost feel bad about doing it. Almost.

Let’s see, what else did I do at the con…

Wandered over to the Hotel Bar Friday night and bumped into Mixed Martial Arts Fighter - Matt Serra!

He was so nice! I commented about how I thought he’d be bigger in person…

And that’s the last thing I remember until Wednesday.

Odd.

Anyway, I had a great time in Philly, hopefully I got to meet a few of you Blog Readers! And don’t be afraid to stop by and say “hi” at the next one!

-Spat

Con First Timers

I get asked this a lot from people I meet who have never been to a show, “What are Comic Comic Conventions really like? Will there be anything for me to do? Will I get bored?”

Really?

OF COURSE THERE ARE THINGS TO DO!! You have to try really hard to get bored at a convention.

But remember, the convention isn’t going to walk up to you and just hand you a list of things to do.

Oh wait, we actually DO hand you a list of things to do! It’s called a “Program Guide”! in there you’ll find a list of all the people there signing autographs, all the artists who’ll be around sketching for people and signing comics! It also has a list of special exclusives (that everyone else is going to buy and pop up on “The ‘Bay” that night) and… Programming!!

I’m always amazed at how many people who attend conventions spend all their time in the Autograph Area, Artist Alley and the Dealer’s Room, but never wander into the Panel Rooms!

Panels are an awesome way to learn about all sorts of cool stuff. You can ask questions of your favorite Comic and Media Celebs, learn how to draw, paint and sculpt like the pros, watch some cool movies, trailers, or premieres, and even check out some really cool contests!

We’ve spent a lot of hours putting together a huge set of panel rooms that cover a full range of topics from Media, to Kids, to Comics, to Toys and we even have something called, “The Wizard School”! Wizard School is where the biggies from the Comics industries come in and teach you how they do what they do! Do you have any idea what these guys could charge for a private painting or drawing lesson? And these panels are included with your admission! It’s FREE (after you pay to get in to the convention)!!

So why not take advantage of it?

And this year, our toy panels are being run and moderated by the staff of ToyFare magazine, and our comic panels are being run and moderated by the staff of Wizard magazine. So this is a great chance to meet in person the people whose articles you read each month in our magazines!

Be sure to head over to WizardWorld.com and click the Programming tab on the top of the page. All the awesome craziness that we have going on there will be listed as soon as we have it written up.

You’ll find all you need to know about movie screenings, parties, events and panels. Check it out and be sure to print out the Pocket Guide and make notes on it, set your alarm, and be sure to be at the panels on time!

Well, it’s about time for me to get out of here for the weekend.

This week I’ll be leaving you with a little story about the time I met John Schneider. I walked up and mentioned to him that I was a big fan of his. He thanked me and asked if I watched his show when I was a kid. I told him I did, and mentioned that “One Day at a Time” was my favorite show growing up, and that he did a lot to make Janitors seem cool.

And he punched me.

I didn’t even get to ask him what Valerie Bertinelli was really like. Oh well.

So, Shcneider the Janitor hates me.

You know, he kind of looks like a younger version of the Dad from Smallville.

Odd.

Oh well, until next week!

-Spat

Motor City Part 2

Well, after a quick jaunt to say hi to some old and new friends at the show, I did marvel at how much bigger the Motor City show has gotten over the years. I think the last one I went to was in 2001 or so, and in comparison, this show was 1,000 times bigger.

The Great Lakes Garrison of the 501st Stormtrooper Legion were on hand to take pics with fans and escort the Star Wars actors.

And I did manage to catch one Star Wars personality taking a break with a great read -

That’s everyone’s favorite choking victim, Richard LeParmentier (Admiral Motti) enjoying a Wizard Magazine!

Another great thing I found at Motor City was the Froggy Photo Booth!

For those that have never seen this, it’s basically a way to get a professional photo taken of you with your favorite celebrity at the con! Froggy then prints it out, and then you can take it over to the celeb and have them sign it! It’s a GREAT souvenir!

I know Froggy has been doing this for a little while, and in April Wizard signed Froggy up to work at all of our 2009 shows! So be sure to head over to his booth and check out the schedule of photo sessions, buy your ticket to the ones you want, and be there at the right time to get a great bit of memorabilia from the show!

Yeah, that was totally a plug for something at a future Wizard show, but I had to write it as the boss was looking over my shoulder.

Anyway.

One thing Motor City did have that Wizard doesn’t is…. Playboy Playmates!

Since Wizard is considered more of a Comics and Family show, suitable for all ages, we don’t have a Playmate area like some cons. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Who knows.

I wanted to invite some of them to a Wizard show, or at least pretend I was going to invite them just so they would have to be nice to me, but I’m just too nice a guy and can’t do that to them.

Wow, I actually wrote that last sentence with a straight face!

HA! I totally pretended like I could get them a table at other cons! But I’m evil.

One of the models, Josie Lee, actually ended up picking up a Slave Leia costume from a buddy of mine that runs Leiasmetalbikini.com

I got a pic with Josie while she was wearing the outfit. I mentioned before the pic was taken that if she were my slave girl, I would totally be her Jabba…

…so she wrapped the chain around my neck and choked me.

I really have to be more careful about what fantasies I talk about in public, huh?

-Spat

Motor City Comic Con After Action Report

Ok, so I just got back from Motor City, or Detroit Rock City as any self respecting KISS fan would call it. Of course, the convention is actually held in Novi, Michigan, but it’s still close enough that it can be considered a Detroit Convention.

Overall, it was a great event for me because it was the first time I got to greet people as the “the guy running Wizard World Philly”. While there are a ton of people working on the show in so many capacities here at Wizard, I know for a fact that if the show fails miserably, I take all the blame. Of course if it succeeds, it only did so thanks to the team work of all the individuals who took part in it. But if it all goes to hell, it was Spat’s fault.

So with that kind of confidence boost behind me, I got to go around the convention and meet the artists, media guests, agents and vendors who will be coming to future Wizard World shows.

Obviously, I can’t sit here and name everyone, and if you’re not mentioned, it’s not because you didn’t mean a lot to me, it’s just that I only have so many letters I can type here before Wizard starts charging me. Bandwidth is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive, and anyone who works in the Wizard offices on a wireless laptop knows that for some unexplained reason, our internet shuts off at exactly 4:55 pm EVERY SINGLE DAY. No one can figure out why. But it does. I personally use it as a way to tell when it’s time for everyone else to start packing up to go home. You’ll notice that I say, “everyone else”. Because I seem to be one of the last people to ever leave here at night. In fact, it’s 9:30pm on Friday night of a Holiday weekend, and I’m here writing this Blog.

Technically, I came back to the office after dinner just to write it here because I can’t remember my Blog password to log in and do this at home, but I think it should still count as “staying late at work”.

Anyway, back to the con! Key amongst the people I got to meet at the show - Billy Tucci! He came up with an idea for a new Shi exclusive for the Philly show! Details to come soon! He also came up with some great ideas for our upcoming NY show, but we’ll get to that later.

Mark Sparacio! He also got inspired and came up with ANOTHER exclusive for Philly, which I hope to unveil on Tuesday.

Philly is starting to really heat up with exclusives!

Brian Pulido, who will be bringing Lady Death to Chicago with a vengeance!

Primo, who asked for a better booth at Wizard, and described himself as the Cher of our generation. Or something like that. I stopped paying attention after seeing some close-up drawings of Lady Death.

And Eric Mullarky who showed off his Motor City exclusive comics and hinted at the upcoming ones for Philly and Chicago.

I also got to talk to Mark Texeira, Dirk Strangely, Russ Heath, Tommy Castillo and a host of other creators, artists and writers before even making it to the Autograph area.

Once in the autograph area, I got the warmest welcome possible! Mr. Hogan (Col. Tigh of Battlestar Galactica) saw me walking by, wrote “Go Frak Yourself” in giant letters on one of his photos, signed it, crumpled it up, and threw it at my head.

Very odd.

I couldn’t figure out why he would do something like that until I looked through some of the pics on my digital camera. Once I saw the pic of he and I, it all came flooding back to me…

I met Mr. Hogan in the hotel lobby the night before. I asked to take a picture with him, and handed my camera off to someone else to take it for me.

He said, “Let’s make this a good one, eh?”, and I remember commenting that he sounded more Canadian than Australian. He asked why he would sound Australian, and I said, “Because you’re Crocodile Dundee. Paul Hogan.”

I remember me choking a lot, begging for air, and him yelling, “MIKE Hogan, not PAUL!!”.

Lesson learned.

Oh well. Time for me to head home and nurse my sore neck.

Until next time, remember that no two Hogans are alike!

-Spat

Convention Advice for the Noob… Part 2

Continued from last week…

26 – Swag. One great thing about the bigger conventions is the Swag. Swag is the goodies that Exhibitors and Vendors give away for free! And it’s not just junk (though sometimes it is), many times it’s key chains, toys, t-shirts, hats, all sorts of goodies, and they give it all away for FREE! So be sure to bring an extra bag, or a backpack to haul it all away in. But please be considerate. Don’t be the guy who keeps getting back on the line again and again!

27 – And speaking of bags and backpacks… You’re at a Comic Book Convention, not on Safari in the Serengeti. You don’t need a gigantic rucksack! And if you do, please be careful when making sharp turns, you might knock over someone’s booth!

28 – You will meet a lot of people at the show. They will forget your name. You will forget their name. Don’t be embarrassed about it. It’s why they give out name-tags.

29 – Be careful where you decide to plop down for a break. Don’t be that guy that everyone has to step over when walking down the aisles!

30 – Most of the celebs will charge you for a signed pic of them (usually between $20 - $40). Many will charge to sign an item that you bring them ($5 - $20), and some will charge you to take a pic with them. Be sure to ask about the prices BEFORE you commit to anything!

31 – If you are at a party, or at the bar, and you catch a celeb being naughty, or getting a little too drunk, be discreet. Taking pics or egging them on is in poor taste, and it ensures that they will not be coming out to party in public again in the future. Call me over, so I can take pics and egg them on. I’m better at it than you.

32 – If it’s your first time at a con, it can be a bit overwhelming. A great way to get involved with the con, AND meet a lot of people is to volunteer to work at the convention. You’ll usually get a free or discounted pass, and get to have some power to boss around the con goers! I suggest working for the Registration area, or Security. That’s where I actually started out back in 2000, and it was a lot of fun!

33 – While accurate and detailed costumes are cool, I find that the most memorable costumes from the con are the variations on the theme ones. Like the guy in the Darth Vader helmet wearing a cowboy hat and carrying a guitar… Garth Vader. Or Darth Brooks. Your choice. But you get the point. The funny costumes get a lot of attention, and no one can claim it’s not accurate!

34 – At night, at the bar in the hotels, you can wear pretty much anything you want. Feel more comfortable in pajamas? Wear them! Why the hell not? You’ll often see me in the hotel lobby wearing slippers and a smoking jacket. It’s a con, so (just about) anything goes!

35 – Talk to everyone. People are here to meet people. Go for it! It’s not very often that you’ll be surrounded by thousands of people who are all into the same stuff you are!

36 – Hotel rooms can be expensive, especially if you don’t plan the trip out in advance, and end up booking late. Of course, I know a lot of people who have made it through a convention by just crashing on different people’s floors each night. It’s cheap, and it’s not really that tough to do. Just be friendly and invite yourself over to visit. The trick to being allowed to stay the night is to just not leave!

37 – A great, untapped resource of Conventions is the ConSuite. I’m sure a lot of the regulars don’t even know what that is. It’s a room in the Convention that the convention sets up as a 24 hour relief station for the con goers. They have FREE food, sodas, and coffee all day, every day. It’s not the best food, but it is free. Not all cons have them, so be sure to ask the staff when you get there.

38 – Lines. Get used to standing in line. There are lines for everything at conventions! Lines to get in; lines to get out; lines for the bathrooms; and even lines you have to wait on before you can get in line for something else!

39 – Exclusives. A lot of conventions have specially made Exclusive items for their shows. These are things that are not sold anywhere else, and are therefore, very rare. Generally, it’s a standard item (toy, comic, statue) that’s been re-painted, or re-packaged to be unique to that venue. THESE are the things that are worth waiting in line for.

40 – Footwear. You’re going to be on your feet A LOT. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes! And nothing open toed! I see flip flops on you, I’m stepping on your foot!

41 – Sleep. Sleep is good. You’ll honestly be only getting 5 or 6 hour of sleep most nights. If even that much. More than that and you’re missing the convention and may as well have stayed home! Unless of course, you’re not sleeping alone! For each person you’re sharing the bed with (in the biblical sense), add 1 hour to the amount of time you can spend in bed each day.

42 – Safety. Remember that you are still in a public place. There are people out there who want to steal your stuff! Keep an eye on your gear! Also, be careful where you go, especially at night, and with whom.

43 – The accuracy of your costume will be put under the microscope. It does not matter if you are wearing the original costume that was used in the actual film, AND you are the original actor, someone will find fault with it. You can sit and argue with these people until you are blue in the face, or just ignore them. That’s what I do.

44 – Tipping is customary in the US. The first time you order a drink and don’t leave the waitress a tip is the last time you will ever see that waitress. Better hope you don’t get thirsty again!

45 – The convention supplies you with a schedule book listing all the events at the con. Be sure to look through it and check out some of the panels that go on. Many of them are run by fans, and are very informative, and the celebrity Q & A’s can be hilarious!

46 – Many times, the hotels that we stay at are also hosting other conventions the same weekend that we are there wrecking the place. These other convention folk will be mingling in with the geeks of the Convention, and many will be very scared and look very lost. Be nice to them. Some notable Con Combos from the past are: The Salvation Army (we had a lot of fun asking them what movie their costumes were from); Baptists Ministers (they had issues with all our debauchery for some reason); and Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam. You’ll also see a lot of Flight Attendants, and sometimes they do look like they are in costumes. Asking them where they got their costume, or what movie they are from is in bad taste.

47 – Don’t do ANYTHING that you don’t want to have wind up on the internet (or the next Conventions Report Blog!).

48 – Get involved. While aimlessly wandering around the convention can be fun, being involved with the convention or a fan group can make it even more fun. Be sure to contact the groups in advance to see where to meet up, and what’s going on.

49 – That super hot girl that is all over you, and wants you to come with her someplace else is a stripper. She just wants your money.

50 – And finally, remember that you should never be ashamed of being a fan. Don’t be embarrassed to be going to a convention. Football fans paint themselves all sorts of strange colors and no one makes fun of them! Be yourself. Let your geek flag fly!

“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”

-JANE AUSTEN

And on a final note…

I’ll be heading to the Motor City Comic Con in Novi Michigan this weekend! Be sure to come find me wandering aimlessly. If you don’t know what I look like, just look for the guy who keeps getting beaten up by the celebs! Just like I am here, getting the “what-for” from Zach Galligan of Gremlins and Waxwork fame!

Until next time!

-Spat

Convention Advice for the Noob… Part 1

I’ve been attending conventions regularly for about 10 years. And for the most part, these days I average about one convention a month, sometimes even more. And in those years, I’ve learned quite a bit about how to survive the con world. A lot of these rules are about the con itself, but a lot are also about the party afterward.

1 – Bring a camera. Either Video, or Still, or better yet, both! There are things you are going to see at these conventions that cannot be seen anywhere else. So always have your camera ready to shoot so you don’t miss anything.

2 – Bring extra batteries, film, memory sticks, tapes, whatever for the cameras. You will go through them quickly. Some people prefer cameras that take regular AA or AAA batteries because you can buy them anywhere if they run out, while others prefer the manufacturer’s rechargeable types because they last longer, and will save you money. Either way, keep a spare set on you at all times. And I’ve taken over 500 pics in one weekend, and unless you have a laptop to upload them to, you’ll need spare memory. It’s no fun when you have to go through the pics you’ve taken and decide which ones to delete so that you can take more later.

3 – If wearing a costume, bring a costume repair kit. Seems simple, but no matter how well made your costume is, there’s a good chance of breaking, tearing or doing some other damage to your costume. So bring a sewing kit, some safety pins, glue, rivets, hot glue, etc. You don’t have to carry it all with you, but should have it in your hotel room.

4 – Bring vitamins. You may not believe it, but about half the people who leave a big convention, leave with some kind of “funk”. This is usually from all the partying, lack of sleep, strange new environment, etc. Some regular multi-vitamins can save you a lot of trouble later, as can water. Dehydration is a big cause of illness (and hangovers), so carry some water with you, and drink it! Hand sanitizer is your best friend.

5 – Bring extra underwear!! Plan to shower often. PLEASE! Don’t be the stinky guy. There are enough of them already. And Febreeze your costume if you can’t get it washed before wearing it again!

6 – Don’t forget the importance of the local hotel bar! It’s where most of the celebs from the show will wander to after hours for a drink. Expect to spend some money at the bar. While you can bring your own drinks and other liquors and drink them at some hotel bars, you do need to buy a drink or two a night to keep the waitresses from trying to throw you out. Other bars in the other hotels may not let you bring your own drinks in, so be sure to check first before you whip out your bottle of home brew.

7 – Don’t be shy! Those girls that are half naked, are dressed like that for a reason. They want you to take pictures of them! Trust me! Just don’t touch without permission. If someone is in costume, they WANT you to take pictures of them!

8 – At the bar, if you see someone famous having a drink, it’s ok to go up and say hi. Try not to “geek out” on them, as it will scare them away. A simple, “Hey, I’m a big fan!” can go a long way. And don’t forget to ask if you can buy them a drink! I’ve actually met a lot of people just by offering to buy them a drink at a bar at a con. If they agree, they’ll usually show their appreciation by talking to you for a bit. I’ve heard some of the most amazing behind the scenes stories from actors and filmmakers who I bought a drink for!

9 – Pre-order your con tickets!! Never, ever buy a ticket the day of the show if you can help it. Buy the pass the day of the con and you’ll be waiting in line, and paying a lot more money. Always buy it in advance, it’s cheaper and it saves you time.

10 – The night before the con starts is usually the most fun night at most conventions. I don’t care what anyone else says, but the hotel bar before the con starts is the place to meet and greet all the regulars and have a blast. Most other cons that take place in a specific hotel, will have an active bar life the night before the con starts. Many people fly in early (as well as many of the celebrities), so check out the bar! Con goers are easy to find, they are the only ones in Sci-Fi themed hats and t-shirts.

11 – Bring a notepad and a pen. I can’t tell you how many times someone gives me a room number or phone number, or time and place for a party, or event, and I write it down on a napkin and ultimately lose it, or try to remember it and then I forget it. Another great trick is to make up your own business cards. Any Office Supply Store will have some nice ones that you can print out yourself for cheap. This way you can give those out to people to contact you later. You can even have them printed up with your hotel info on it!

12 – Room Parties, Room Parties, Room Parties. They are usually free to get into, or have a modest cover charge, but ultimately have free drinks all night! Just be sure to tip the bartender, or you’ll be the first one out the door.

13 – Be careful what you drink. There are lots of people walking around the con with flasks of unknown liquor in their pockets, or bottles of home made liquors that are all basically Everclear Grain Alcohol and Kool Aid. Drink a lot of these, and your night will be over pretty quickly. I usually try to avoid the “Mystery Liquors” until I’ve had a few drinks and then no longer care what I drink. But I’m stupid. Don’t be like me. But if you have Mystery Liquor, come find me at the bar.

14 – There are celebrities everywhere. Act cool, and don’t ask them dorky questions, and you’ll be fine. Be sure to compliment them. Celebs are very insecure.

15 – Wear your obscure t-shirts. This is one of the only places on Earth where people will know where your Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems t-shirt is from. Let your geek flag fly!

16 – You will see a lot of girls making out with each other all over the bar scene at conventions these days. Feel free to take pics and video (and send them to me), but don’t expect to be allowed to jump in. That’s my job! And if you do jump in, make sure they are both female first! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found out later about…. never mind.

17 – The dealer’s room has a lot of awesome stuff for sale. If you see something you want, but it’s a bit too expensive, you can haggle. Also, on the last day of the con, when the dealer’s are getting ready to pack up and go home, you can practically name your price. One more thing they sell is one less thing they have to take home!

18 – Be careful with your costumes. If this is your first time wearing a particular costume at a convention, be sure to break it in, and make sure it’s comfortable, make sure you can see out of it, and breathe while wearing it. Seems a little odd to say, but make sure you can use the toilet with the costume on. There’s nothing scarier than seeing someone in a really elaborate and cool costume begging people to tear it off them so they can go pee. Also, make sure there’s nothing on the costume that can break off, fall off, or be snatched off. You’ll be wandering through hallways that were meant for 20 people, but are packed with 200 people trying to squeeze past you. If there’s a part of your costume that CAN fall or be ripped off, it WILL fall or be ripped off. Also, if there’s a part of your costume that sticks out, it WILL poke someone in the eye!

19 – If you are claustrophobic, you may want to think about staying home. Conventions are usually PACKED.

20 – Everyone is single at Conventions. No matter how many rings they have on their finger, or if they are standing next to their husband or wife. Don’t ask me why there is so much “swapping”, just go with it.

21 – The hotel you stay at makes a big difference. You may think you’re getting a great deal staying at a hotel a few miles away, but the travel involved will tire you out so fast that you won’t want to keep going back and forth to the show. Just try to stay as close to the main events at the con as possible, within reason. It may cost a bit more to stay in the center of the fun, but it is absolutely worth it. Be sure to check with the conventions website to see where ground zero will be.

22 – Food. Food is tough. Going “off campus” to eat is fun and all, but the area around the average convention center is expensive, and walking the streets, especially in costume, is annoying. The normals just don’t get it. There’s usually a nice cheap place nearby, but finding it can sometimes be difficult. And fast food is the surest way to be sure you won’t be fitting into your costume again soon. Also, energy bars are a great thing to carry around with you while at the con. It’s a fast snack, and can mean the difference between life and death when you’re trying to make your way around the show.

23 – Elevators. I don’t care what anyone says, once the convention is in full swing, ALL the elevators suck. There’s nothing you can do about it. There are just too many people trying to use too few elevators. Plan your trip back to your room carefully, it may take a while.

24 – Bring weird stuff. I know it sounds silly, but every year, there’s someone giving out fez’s, or stickers, or tattoos, or other odd stuff. I love those guys! But even if you’re not giving stuff away, bringing a puppet or a silly hat is a great way to make an impact and be remembered, and meet new people.

25 – Breath mints. Nuff said.

Ok, I’ll pause it here until next week. And in the meantime, leave you with a pic of me meeting up with Johnathan Tiersten from Sleepaway Camp….

And then getting punched.

Until next week!

-Spat

Chiller Theatre After Report…

Well, that was some weekend! We gave away 2 HUGE boxes of comics for free, cases of Wizard magazines, also for free, and we raffled off toys every hour!

Jasmine Mai stopped by the table for her free issue.

Here’s the lucky winner of an Eric Draven figure!

V stopped by to make sure we’d remember remember the 5th of November.

Even though this guy is on the verge of death, he still made sure to stop by and pick up his free copy!

And here’s Eddie C, who won the grand prize at the end of the day! Congrats!

And then The… Hulk maybe? Stopped by. It is supposed to be The Hulk, right? He looks bigger on TV.

Later on I ran into Luciana Carro of Battlestar Galactica. She’s one of our featured guests at Wizard World Philly and Chicago Comic Con this year!

I introduced myself, but when I moved in to give her a “Welcome to Wizard World” hug…

She popped me in the mouth.

Note to self, watch out for Luciana’s right hook…

Well, that’s it for now! Be sure to check in here weekly as I’ll try and find my way to other cons to give stuff away, meet and greet, and get slapped around by other famous people!

-Spat

An Introduction and an Update…

First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Spat, and I’m the new Convention Coordinator for Wizard World! I’ll be writing in to this blog quite a bit, I’m sure!

So, what does a Convention Coordinator do? A lot of things. One of the things I’ll be doing is making sure that Wizard World has a presence at other conventions around the Country.

In fact, that’s my first announcement!

This weekend, April 17-19, Wizard World is going to be set up at Chiller Theatre (http://www.chillertheatre.com/) in New Jersey and will be giving away all sorts of goodies! Saturday we’ll be having an hourly Raffle for some toys, as well as a grand prize raffle at the end of the day for a 24″ tall Rocker Biker Girl Statue from Electric Tiki!

And all you have to do to win is sign up at the table, and be there when we pick the name at the end of the day! It’s that easy!

I plan to try and make these kinds of Convention visits and promotions a regular thing (so long as Wizard want to keep sending me to conventions), so keep checking back here for a list of upcoming dates of shows that Wizard will be attending!

-Spat

Ethan Kaye’s Discount Discoveries!

Hi, Wizard blog readers. This is Ethan Kaye from over at Feed Me A Kitten, one of Wizard’s other popular blogs. At least I think it’s popular. Please read it, won’t you? Anyway, I want to weigh in on one of my favorite aspects of comic book conventions, be it Wizard World, Comic Con, or even the little con in the local Holiday Inn where large men argue over which Wolverine issue was better inked (and they will argue about this for hours and then ruin their friendship over it): discount comics.

See, originally, the cons were about the books. Dealers would set up with some boxes full of old stuff and if you normally couldn’t find a copy of Spectacular Spider-Man #18, well, now you could. Now a lot of those books are being sold in pretty good condition for next to nothing at cons all over the world, and you can get in on the action! All you need is money, a list of books you want, and something to carry them all in (bookbags = awesome, suitcases = not as awesome, tote bags = ha ha ha).

I go to cons with a good idea of what I’m looking for and willing to accept in not so great condition. For example, I’m not going to spend my time and money tracking down a VF condition Moon Knight vol. 1 #9, because honestly? Who cares? I’m not a perfectionist, I’m a completionist, and having that issue finishes the run for me. So I’m willing to flip through a box of back issues, keep my eye out for an issue number, and then determine if it’s worth my 50 cents. For instance, if the cover looks like someone used it to roll cigars, I won’t get that one. But a ding in the spine? Sure, it fills the hole in my collection.

I’ll admit, I keep a book. It’s a little pocket thing that lets me know what issues I still need of a certain title. It’s helped me out more times than I can count, and it’s helped me get complete runs of some dynamite stuff. You don’t have to have a list, but then you run the risk of getting doubles of something, which means you just blew your dollar.

I was able to get the entire 1980’s Manhunter series for a dollar an issue at cons. I’ve put together entire runs of Mister Miracle (the 80’s relaunch), the first run of Moon Knight (minus issue #1, that’s a little more than a dollar, I think I paid $5 for mine), the 1991 Ragman series, The Dreaming, Books of Magic, and the entire 252-issue run of the Flash (the Wally West series). A dollar each, sometimes less, occasionally more depending on the issue. They’re just sitting there, waiting to be liquidated by dealers who don’t want the stock taking up shelf space.

Currently my want list is small, although I scored big time at the Big Apple Comic Con by finding a box full of Bronze Age Detective Comics for $1 each. And you can too! My advice is pick a series that is good but doesn’t get a ton of revivals or press (for instance, you won’t find every issue of Watchmen or Flex Mentallo in a quarter bin unless the condition is low), and see what prices are. A lot of 1980’s and 1990’s DC and Marvel books end up in the graveyard of discount bins, but you also have to realize that a lot of that stuff isn’t good. There were a lot of mediocre comics back in the day, as everyone will admit to now.

So go out and find some treasures! For discount prices I’m sure you can get the majority of Justice League International/Europe, 90’s X-Force, Checkmate, Suicide Squad, any Venom miniseries, House of Secrets, Action Comics, Morbius (hell, any of the “Midnight Sons” books), or 80’s/90’s Punisher! Go ahead! Spend a few bucks!

Discount Discoveries: X-Force #15-25

I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy sitting on a gummy floor for hours on end, sifting through unbagged and randomly assorted comics in various stages of use, wear and tear. I seriously cannot resist a bargain, especially when I see literal metric tons (I DO carry a scale with me at all times, you know) of brightly colored newspaper and staples sitting in cardboard boxes marked “$0.25 each.” There is no sight more glorious! And since I know you’re a comic fan as well (why else would you have surfed to the outer rim of wizarduniverse.com?), I know you like getting your fingers dirtied by newsprint as much as I do. So here I am, giving you a little bit of advice on one particular run of comics that you could complete for a mere $2.75 (if you are shopping in the cardboard box that I described above).

X-FORCE #15-25
by FABIAN NICIEZA & GREG CAPULLO

I get hassled a lot for my love of the ’90s X-Force series, but the love is a genuine one for stories that are a lot better than people remember and definitely a lot better than the circumstances they came out of. I mean, series co-creator Rob Liefeld has a lot of strong suits but serious plots with solid characterization…kinda not as important as big guns. With issue #15, Fabian Nicieza first teamed-up with Greg Capullo and effectively began transitioning the team out of Liefeld-land and into something a bit more complex. Well, they started before being derailed by Big Crossover 1992.
Man, I could spend a whole ‘nother blog just writing why “X-Cutioner’s Song” rules, but that IS a whole ‘nother blog. Anyway, Nicieza somehow managed to make his team’s contribution one that really commented on the main theme of the series: the struggle for independence. The issue leading right out of the “Song” is the best issue of X-Force ever and easily one of the best comics of the ’90s, period.

With this issue, X-Force strikes out on their own without Cable, Professor X, or any adult to guide them. This is what X-Force should have been from the start, a series about teenagers struggling to turn into the adults they want to be instead of the adults their parents want them to be. Plus, Capullo redesigned the team’s uniforms in this issue.

Yeah, those are pretty much my favorite uniforms ever.

X-Force was still X-Force, though, just with a new layer of characterization and the superb storytelling of Capullo tossed on top. Yes, Shatterstar DID fight War Machine. And it was way awesome. But what was even more awesome were the dynamics that Nicieza started to work in. Cannonball became an extremely competent and confident leader while Shatterstar, Sunspot and Rictor all formed a bond similar to the 3 Stooges (they thought it was a great idea to dump an immortal villain into the ocean).

There were really no missteps in this run and Capullo didn’t have a single fill-in. He only managed to do eleven issues, but those eleven issues tell a pretty complete story full of character arcs (and lots of fighting, it IS X-Force). Since his run was mainly characterized by the team’s flying solo status, it only fits that Capullo’s last issue featured the mandatory return of Cable.

Nicieza wisely matured Cable, making him less of a gun-toting sociopath who was way okay with murdering villains after they surrendered and more of a gun-toting father figure. The last issue of this duo’s run is pretty great, managing to comment on both their history as a team and as the New Mutants and give fans the Magneto vs. Cable brawl they never knew they wanted.

If you see any of these issues in the discount bargain bins, snatch them up. They’re well worth it and still not collected in trade paperback, no matter HOW many letters I’ve hand-written to Marvel.

-Brett