On the Beat at Wizard World

Where can you find superheros, wrestlers, cartoon characters and other celebrities? The answer is Wizard World Comic Con in Rosemont. By the way, I am not just talking about the guests. I am also talking about the fans in attendance.

Wizard World is a huge pop culture convention held yearly in Rosemont, IL, and in over a dozen other cities throughout the year. I have been attending this great convention for too many years to remember. Every year it just gets bigger and better.

On Opening Night for the media,, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lou Ferrigno (best known for his role as the title character on tv’s The Incredible Hulk) and Jason David Frank (of Power Rangers fame) at 5 Roses Pub. This was one of the smoothest media events I have ever attended and set a great tone for the next few days. Ferrigno and Frank gave thoughtful, fun answers, while being accommodating to all throughout the evening.

My first stop on Thursday was to visit New York Times best-selling author James Finn Garner and Tolkien Parodist Extraordinaire Paul Erickson. These men are great interviews. They combine humor and info, making it just a pleasure to speak to them. They are a “must-see” for me whenever they are at a convention I attend.

One of the new people I met was Matthew Mossotti, philosopher and developer of creative media. His current project is Specimen, a graphic novel trilogy. Specimen is one of the most intriguing new novels I have seen in a while. It is part-spiritual, part-historical, part-fantasy, but all engrossing. I was spellbound listening to Mossotti describe it. I will be following Mossotti and Specimen for the whole journey.

Of course, there were plenty of celebrities, too. I met super model Cheryl Tiegs, Peter Criss of Kiss (one of my favorite bands of all time), Joel Hodgson of Mystery Science Theater and more. I could not name them all, but there was a great mix of all genres of entertainment.

One final thing I need to mention is the new organization at Wizard World. The con took over much of the first floor of the Stephens Convention Center and part of the second floor. This expansion made it much more pleasant for the attendees. The extra room, better air flow and ease of waiting in lines was a nice improvement over previous years (and most other cons).

Wizard World is a huge event. I am very glad to see the powers that be are continuing to try to improve things. This attention to the fans makes a huge difference. Sending fans home happy goes a long way in getting those same fans to return.

Speaking of returning, I will be returning Saturday and Sunday. There is just so much pop culture goodness, I can’t stay away.