As if I didn't have enough of the "convention" world by spending four straight days at Flashback Weekend Horror Convention two weeks ago, I couldn't resist stopping by The Fan Expo Chicago this past weekend.
Like Al Pacino says in "The Godfather Part III"
I'm kidding, I love going to these things and hanging out with fans and soaking in the atmosphere and good times of a true Nerd-a-thon (and I mean that in the best way possible).
The Fan Expo Chicago started out as Chicago Comic Con back in 1972 focusing on comic book artists, stars, and writers as a companion fest to the famous San Diego Con.
The focus of the yearly celebration gradually expanded to include things like movies, TV shows, and more. In 1998, its name changed to Wizard World and it began to include even more fun sub genres of comic culture.
It is now called Fan Expo Chicago, and it is all about sci-fi, horror, anime, gaming, TV, comic books, and much more....and it is also HUGE.
It takes up almost the entire space of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont and it grows every year.
I checked it out during the Opening Day Press Preview before venturing out during the very busy weekend.
This year's lineup of celebrity guests was pretty remarkable. It included Mark Hamill (who rarely does these events and ummm, and also charges $400 for an 8×10), Hayden Christensen, Rosario Dawson, Matthew Lillard, Marisa Tomei, Linda Hamilton, Rose McGowan, Kate Mulgrew, Skeet Ulrich, Laurie Metcalf, Robert Patrick, Lance Henriksen, Jamie Kennedy, Michael Biehn, a mini "Seinfeld" reunion, and.....William Friggin' Shatner!
Not to mention the dozens of comic book writers, plethora of artists, and hundreds of vendor tables selling and showcasing work from every single spectrum of fantasy fun.
It was a world of delight for any nerd, dork, geek, freak, and superfan on hand...so, yeah, I was happy.
I walked through the entire giant room and was incredibly impressed by the smart setup and design of the con. The tables were set up beautifully to flow perfectly into one another, as the outer edge of the space was reserved for artists (called "Artists Alley") and Celebrity tables/booths for autographs and photos.
You could spot awesome celebs while chatting with comic book artists and writers and admiring the incredible cosplay costumes that were pretty much EVERYWHERE.
There were plenty of places to stop, rest, grab a bite and a drink, a recharge (literally, since there were charging stations everywhere). Very, very fan-friendly in every single way.
I had a blast and can absolutely understand how people could spend a ton of time (and money) at Fan Expo and walk out completely satisfied.
The second floor of the Convention Center was dedicated to shows, panels and cool presentations that were staged in two huge rooms/theaters that were tech-supervised by people who also work at Flashback.
I got to see many behind-the-scenes friends and spend time with some buddies who were also participating in the performance side too.
My old Factory Theater co-hort, Ryan Oliver was there holding court at his vendor table for "Blind Cyclops Books," a small company that independently publishes horror fiction.
I hung out with Ryan as he told me about some of the titles they were selling like: "GodFly," "Coma Noir," and "Phantom Grip." They also had cool gear like T-shirts, hats, and more. Really cool, really crazy stuff.
I also caught up with an old friend I used to work with at Jewel back in the 80's. Roberto Ramos, a long time diehard Cub fan who grew up directly across the street from Wrigley Field, is now better known as "Captain Cubbo."
The Captain is a fantastic, colorful character decked out in an incredibly fun costume, who loves to share time with loyal Cub fans and appear at cool events all year long.
So, hanging out at The Fan Expo Chicago was a blast. I just love to see happy people, celebrating what makes them happy, and proudly showing off their Freak-Flags....even if they had to pay $400 for a picture of Luke Skywalker.
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