Wizard World Comic Con was back in Philly from May 17-20, 2018, returning to the Pennsylvania Convention Center with 4 days of action packed programming, awesome vendors, and even better celebrity guests!
Let’s take a look at some of the great things that went on, and be sure to stick around for the video at the end of this post!
With only 2 guests canceling, I’d say that the lineup this year was a major success! All weekend I saw fans lined up and excited to see their favorite stars. Even the longest of lines (Sebastian Stan) seemed to be moving along swiftly as fans got to have their meet & greets. Other guests in attendance included: Lord of the Rings cast (Elijah Wood, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd), Justice League cast (Jason Mamoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher), Natalie Dormer, Sean Bean, Jon Bernthal, Karl Urban, Joonas Suotamo, and Michael Rosenbaum.
Tons of legendary comic artists & creators were also present like Greg Capullo & Jim Steranko, as well as local & self-published artists & creators. It was a blast checking out all the talent throughout the show floor!
Plus, there were a bunch of comic book vendors as well, of course!
Some were even buying your books on the spot, making it easier for you to buy more memorabilia from the show.
And let me tell you, there was a lot to look at… Whether you’re into collecting action figures, prop replicas, or video games, there was definitely something for you at Wizard World!
If you’ve never been to a Wizard World Comic Con before, be sure to come with a wish list of things you haven’t yet acquired – chances are you might come across it at one of the cool vendors here!
What’s particularly great about Wizard World is that while it is a large convention, the panels are not impossible to get into! The main panel hall was plenty spacious and the sound system was perfect for amplifying the talks. Sebastian Stan got to talk about Infinity War and other MCU gems:
Meanwhile, the Justice League (Ezra Miller & Ray Fisher) had fun with fans answering questions and even… dancing?
But honestly, this really captured the essence of Wizard World’s MO – to bring together a community of fans and make comic con fun again!
All around were cosplayers, geeky t-shirts, or just people carrying bags & bags of merch!
There wasn’t a dull moment around. Even the interaction between fans & celebrities is noteworthy!
Personally, I met a few of the celebrity guests and the agents/handlers beside them were very kind (whereas at other cons they may be super strict with time, policies, etc.) and the celebs were A+.
It was my first time meeting Michael Rosenbaum (who I loved in the TV show “Smallville”) and he was cracking jokes with me, shared some stories, and even gave me a granola bar! Also from the CW universe, Stephen Amell (only appearing on Friday) was a class act & very polite (while rocking his Nocking Point Wines hat as always). I caught him at the tail end of his last autograph session and we exchanged words about the Season 6 finale! Here’s the comic book he signed for me:
The only other celebrity I met was Joonas Suotamo who plays the new Chewbacca in the Star Wars saga. I met Joonas once before but this time was especially nice since there were things I was looking to get signed (since Solo: A Star Wars Story releases May 25, 2018). We got talking about a LOT of things (warning: don’t get me started on the topic of Star Wars because there may be no end!) and he was so cool.
And speaking of Solo, there was a special promo booth for the movie with the movie theater display for photo ops and a poster scavenger hunt all weekend long:
I was able to find all 6 posters hidden around the convention center too! Though I didn’t win the contest, I did get some cool freebies for participating in the scavenger hunt!
And that’s exactly how I stumbled across the Facebook group Philly Sinister Six Bounty Hunters, an online community of Star Wars collectors. They had some fun collectibles on display and even a green screen photo op to be made into a Solo-style poster!
I brought my own Porg because I wasn’t sure if I’d have chance to get a photo op with Joonas (I didn’t) so it worked out that I used it for this photo!
Lastly, there were so many great vendors – ranging from rare comic books to superhero coasters to 3D printed collectibles by MuckyChris.
Overall, Wizard World Philadelphia was a lot of fun and offered a little bit of everything! Personally, I didn’t encounter any snags and got to do all that I wanted without any hiccups. Plus with all of the free swag offered from Xfinity, Sprint, State Farm… even samples of Dr. McGillicuddy liqueur, you can’t complain!
But don’t worry if you missed this year’s! Wizard World is returning to Philadelphia from June 13-16, 2019. If you’re not from this area and you’re looking for the closest Wizard World to you, check out their website for more info!
LesDudis 