On the Beat at Wizard World 2021

I had a blast all weekend at Wizard World in Rosemont. After an understandable absence in 2020 due to the pandemic, it was fantastic to be back immersed in the world of pop culture.

My weekend started by catching up with Wizard World PR Manager Jerry Milani. Over the many years I have covered Wizard World, Jerry has been extremely helpful in my efforts and has become a great friend. We follow each other's adventures online, but finally seeing him in person again was one of the highlights this weekend.

While Wizard World was scaled down a bit this year, it was still full of the usual great celebrities, talented creators, vendors selling cool stuff and many of my friends. It's always a bit overwhelming when I first enter the Wizard World convention area. My head spins with areas I want to see, but I quickly calm down and dive into the fun.

I always start with Artist Alley. I met several creator friends and met several new ones.

Another great part of Wizard World was connecting with friends. I usually see friends Rob and Sue Kurek at wrestling-related events. Chicago-area friends and entertainers Joey Roth and Roxi Heart are regulars at comic cons. Roxi is usually stunning in magnificent cosplay outfits, while Joey is usually sporting one of his (real, not prop) wrestling title belts. I hadn't seen convention bud Mark Braun in a long-time and I am oblivious, but thankfully he came up to me.

Joey also joined my coverage team and did interviews with authors Sheryl Steines and Dr. Travis Langley, along with animator Greg Peters. I did an interview with Victor Dandridge Jr. ("the hardest working man in comics").

A really special event was a live Women's Sports Matter podcast of Gianna Belcastro. At only 19, Gianna held the crowd captive for 45 minutes with her takes on sports and personal stories. She showed much more poise and confidence than many media veterans. After her podcast, Joey got an interview with Gianna. I'm very impressed with Gianna and if you give Women's Sports Matter a listen, you will be, too.

As my friend Roxi would agree, cosplay is such a huge part of Wizard World. Cosplay went from a few fans dressing up for fun, to a central part, including several professional cosplayers with their own booths. I met Joanie Brosas and Larissa Paige for the first time, then returned to their booths each day to see their new ensembles. Their costumes were on point, but even better, they were really fun and engaging. They are the perfect accompaniment to Wizard World.

Prior to the convention, it was announced that Fan Expo purchased Wizard World. Like Wizard World, Fan Expo puts on huge pop culture conventions. While this might have been the last pure Wizard World event, I am sure the spirit of Wizard World will live on through Fan Boy. Whatever happens, I will be "On the Beat" there in 2022.

Thank you to the fine folks at Wizard World, especially "the Pride of Fordham" Jerry Milani for so many incredible years. Thank you to Sheryl Steines, Dr. Travis Langley, Greg Peters, Victor Dandridge Jr. and Gianna Belcastro for their time in interviews. Thanks to Joey Roth for his interview work. Thanks to Roxi Heart for letting me borrow Joey for the interviews. Finally, thanks to every celebrity, creators, vendor and friend there. It was another amazing Wizard World!