The Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con

The event, which will feature more than 300 celebrities, comic book creators and great guests, will be held June 17-19.
We visited on “Kids' Day” the program with face painting, balloons, other fun activities specially designed for children.

I had the opportunity to attend the Wizard World event at the Philadelphia Convention Center on Sunday. This is an event that my husband has attended before but I never had the chance to go and I thought it would be fun to get a deeper peek into his world. 

I was amazed at how many people was there that early on a Sunday, we were there for the opening of the Con and the line to get in was long. I had a good time trying to figure out who the costumed attendees were, some were easy some were obscure and some had on costumes that were not too flattering. This is nerd nirvana according to my husband, my people as he likes to say.

There were booths and tables set up for people to sell all kinds of things like comics, figures, t-shirts, artwork, swords and do it yourself resin movie props that you can paint yourself. It’s a lot to soak in for a first timer; I had to keep a quick pace with my husband who bounced from table to table looking for anything Boba Fett that he might not have. It can make your head spin, I’d look down at the map for a second look up and he was gone. He was a little bummed because he couldn’t go on Friday like he normally would and was worried all the good things would be gone before he could get there. Sadly, he came away empty handed. Not like he needs anything anyway, he has no more room in his cave even the ceiling is covered!

Along with the sellers there are also celebrities there for meet and greets. We saw a few people I recognized and a few who I had no idea who they were. Some of the people we saw were Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars), Lou Ferrigno (the Incredible Hulk), Brian O’Halloran (Gil Hicks suitor #3 in Mallrats or what he’s really known for Dante Hicks in Clerks), former WWF wrestler Tony Atlas to name just a few. Later in the day Billy Dee Williams was making an appearance as was Adam West and Burt Ward. We then made our way around the section where the artists were. They had all sorts of art work for sale for some very reasonable prices. You’re getting sometimes one of a kind pieces of art for a few dollars, and there was some really amazing art. My husband kept saying he wished he had more wall space.

If you came with a child they had a special section for kids my daughter was able to get her face painted and had a balloon animal made. She was excited about getting her face painted and the fact that it was free was nice, it really made her happy and she was proud to let everyone know she got a princess crown painted on her. As we were wandering around looking for my husband we came across a group of pirates, they really had elaborate costumes, it looked as if they just walked off the set of the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie! I tried to get my daughter to take a picture with them but she’s in that phase where she doesn’t want her picture taken and when we take it she looks like a zombie. I hope she grows out of this phase quickly! 

There was a roaming Chewbacca complete with a broken C-3PO on his back! This guy was huge! And his costume was spot on; he even roared like Chewbacca it was really funny. My daughter wanted no parts of him, he was rather large and intimidating so I’ll let that one go. All in all we had a fun time. From seeing all the celebrities and collectibles and art it is a very visual event. It can be overwhelming for a first timer thankfully I had a seasoned veteran with me to show me the ropes. We had a good time and I look forward to attending again next year.

Did I mention Kids 10 and under are free at Wizard World? Yes! 

Be sure to check out a comic con coming to your city here is the schedule:

***** THE 2011/12 DATES *****
May 21-22 – Big Apple Comic Con
June 17-19 – Philadelphia Comic Con
August 11-14 – Chicago Comic Con
September 17-18  – New England Comic Con
September 24-25 – Los Angeles Comic Con
October 22-23 – Mid-Ohio Comic Con
October 28-30 – Central Canada Comic Con (C4)
November 11-13 – Austin Comic Con
January 28-29, 2012 – New Orleans Comic Con
March 23-25, 2012 – Toronto Comic Con
April 27-29, 2012 – Anaheim Comic Con
December 8-9, 2012 – Miami Comic Con

Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . I was given one media pass that was good for the weekend. No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .