We took our annual day trip to Chicago suburb Rosemont for Wizard World's Chicago Comic Con (nee Chicago Comicon) last Friday, and found this year's show larger (again), and occupying a new area of the building. Artists alley had been separated from the exhibit floor, which appeared to have enlarged to accommodate new exhibitors. A Wizard World spokesperson told us the show was their "biggest ever" in Chicago.
As usual, there were plenty of comics on the floor, including golden age, silver age, and more recent ages, all the way down to 50 cent boxes of Marvels and DCs. Publishers included longtime exhibitor Avatar Press, Zenescope Entertainment, and a couple of smaller companies with sizable booths: Overground Comics ("changing the industry one day at a time" by publishing comics that take place in real time), promoting its new title Graduate; and Big Dog Ink, promoting its title Legend of Oz: The Wicked West and others.
Here's what we saw on our stay (abbreviated by 40 miles of construction each way on the trip to Chicago).
This booth was promoting Project Urban Legend, for which Visionary Productions premiered a trailer at the show. The film, for "fans of thrillers and 'found footage' movies" tells the story of what happens when police find footage from a camping trip by five documentary filmmakers.
Looks like a Hembeckian warehouse find!
A target from the zombie shooting gallery (featuring machine guns that fire plastic pellets).
Here's another large booth area featuring stuff to do rather than stuff to buy: a vintage arcade. Here two Bioshock Infinite cosplayers do their thing on Dance Dance Revolution.
Even Wonder Woman must have had a hard time walking on those heels on the concrete, uncarpeted aisles.
As usual, there was a significant amount of bootleg merch on the floor. This booth was an equal opportunity infringer, with hats featuring Marvel, DC, and many movie and TV properties.
And from the not even trying department, this DVD had packaging that looked like it had been made from a low-res scan grabbed off the Web.
The "Swiggy Swooty I Got the Booty" female Deadpool.
Recruiters from the National Guard were in the house.
Last year this company (JADS International) promoted its Avengers cologne in Chicago (see "Wizard World's Chicago Comic Con Photos—Part 1"); this year, it promoted a fragrance "as sophisticated as Smilin Stan Lee himself" (for $25).
A true "fan."
And in a great Chicago Comic Con scene, the Moondog crew (including the inestimable Gary Colabuono, the Moondog himself, second from left); the legendary Maggie Thompson, giving thumbs up at her umpty kajillionth comic convention; and ICv2 publisher Milton Griepp (center, rear) at the Moondog’s Comics booth.
Dice Dojo game booth.
Fifty cent Marvels and DCs.
Avatar Press.
Big Dog Ink.
Overground--Changing the industry one day at a time.
Zenescope Entertainment.
Friday
Posted by ICv2 on August 14, 2013 @ 2:39 am CT