Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Idiot Box- Baywatch Night 1.02- "Bad Blades"

      Michael A. Diaz
      April 5, 2013
      Columns, Shot for Shot
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Singles Going Steady 7/17/2019 - Silver Age Bliss Starring Jimmy Olsen

      Michael A. Diaz
      July 23, 2019
      DC Comics, Reviews, Singles Going Steady, Titan Comics
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Michael A. Diaz
      June 8, 2020
      Interviews, Valiant
    Recent
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 5.0

      Kolchak: The Night Stalker Files #2

      Michael A. Diaz
      February 22, 2011
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Interview: Scott Allie Discusses the Strengths of Dark Horse

      Michael A. Diaz
      August 3, 2015
      Dark Horse, Indie, Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Interview: Angelo Torres - "There Was No One like William Gaines"

      Michael A. Diaz
      April 29, 2016
      Classic Interviews
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • DC Joins Comixology Unlimited, Striking a Blow to DC Universe

      Michael A. Diaz
      January 8, 2019
      Big Two, DC Comics, News, Press Release
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Raymond Briggs, Part Four

      Michael A. Diaz
      November 6, 2015
      Books, The Long-Form
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Blue Beetle
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN'S UNIVERSE
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Columns

Wizard World Chicago 2010: Feeling A Bit Lost

Michael A. Diaz
August 24, 2010
Columns, Comics Bulletin Soapbox

For weeks, heck, months now I had been looking forward to attending Wizard World Chicago (which, sometime in the past three years changed its name to the Chicago Comic Con). I had gone the previous six or seven years and always had a great time. In fact, the first few years I went a close friend of mine worked for Dark Horse Comics, so we would hit parts of the con together and often times he would get me into some of the insider parties. I loved those days. Meeting Judd Winick as a person (instead of just as a professional) or having a friend have an actually discussion with Joss Whedon are highlights that I will always remember.

He eventually left that job but I continued to go to the con; usually I would hit Friday by myself and on Saturday would go with my friend Erica. Some years I would hit Sunday as well, but increasingly I would find something else to do, usually go to a Cubs game. Heck, there were a few years when I got up and just decided that I wanted to go home and see my (then) girlfriend.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to go for the last couple of years.

The convention in Chicago is usually held in August sometime; sure, there have been some changes over the years, like the one year that it was held right after the Fourth of July, but usually it was held in August. Well, in 2008 they had one of those “odd” years where they had to move the con way up, so instead it was during the last weekend in June. As it so happened that was the weekend I was going to get married. Now, with hindsight being 20/20 and my marriage dissolving in divorce, well, perhaps I should have gone to the con instead in 2008, but I didn’t. Sure, I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to attend, but I was getting married. Clearly that was much more important.

I vowed that I would DEFINITELY go in 2009.

Well, 2009 came and my co-administrator had to go to Portland for a wedding, so she had the time in the books well before I found out the date of the convention. Of course, it was the same weekend , so again I could not go, and again, a marriage was the reason why.

Oh well; again, that was more important than me having a geek weekend.

But this year, I was going, no matter what.

No weddings this year to get in my way, and though my wife was divorcing me, I wasn’t going to let that get me down. I was going back to Chicago to the Nerd Prom!

So last Friday morning I packed up my car and made the three hour trek to Chi-town and instead of stopping off at my friend’s place I drove straight to the con so that I could be there as long as I could.

Three years of waiting and I was finally back; I got my press registration and walked into the main hall, looking for the familiar DC/Marvel/Image/Dark Horse booths.

I did not find them.

I looked around a bit more; I found the small Avatar Press booth, but nothing else around it. I looked some more, then pulled out my map of the convention floor. I scanned the list of names of retailers and such at the convention.

Now, perhaps if I had checked out the convention floor map before I made it to the con I would have already known all of this, but I hadn’t, and I was surprised. I was thrown.

I checked my schedule of panels and saw very few things that were comics related. Where were the special announcements? Where was the X-Men panel? Where was the WildStorm panel? I had been hitting that panel ever since my first trip to the con; I remembered that few people showed up, so Scott Dunbier invited us all to the Expoteria, and we sat down with some of the creators, Joe Casey being one of them (he had just begun what I feel was a CLASSIC run on Wildcats), and at cookies while talking about comics. It’s a memory I cherish.

But there were no such panels this year.

I walked around a bit, feeling a bit lost.

This was not the con that I remembered.

I made my way down some of the aisles and began noticing all of the celebrities, mostly B and C-list; there have always been people selling their autographs, at least, since I have been going to the con, but there seemed to be so many this year. Just off the top of my head I saw Michael Hogan, Kate Vernon, Aaron Douglas (all BSG), Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Linda Blair, Brent Spiner, William Shatner, John Schneider, and Ian Ziering.

Yes, Ian Ziering.

Why? I have no idea, but he was there.

Oh, and the guy that played “Spunkmeyer” in Aliens. True, I could check IMDB.com and find out who he is, but really, if I have to do that is he REALLY a celebrity?

Still, he wanted $25 an autograph.

Really?

Few comics publishers, but plenty of celebrities, many of them a has-been or never-was.

Now, I have never been to the ICC (aka the San Diego Comic Con) but I hear time and again that for the past 10 years (or more) that Hollywood has simply taken over; I don’t know if that is true of the Chicago Comic Con, but that was the impression that I was getting. This simply wasn’t the con that I expected to see after just three years.

Yes, there were comics vendors, plenty of them, and believe me, I bought my share of trades. I hit up both a booth with ½-off trades as well as another that had a pile of trades for $5 each. One of my finds was a hardcover of Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt for $10.

JOY!

I also bought just about every Lantern Corps power ring I could find as well as a corresponding button, along with many other geek knickknacks, like another Star Wars shirt and Blue Lantern shirt (to go with the Red Lantern and Sinestro Corps shirts that I already have).

I won’t lie, part of the fun of going to the con is buying geek stuff that I don’t need, but want.

But I’ve covered the con for this site in the past, and there were always panels to go to, and whether or not I was covered the panel for the site I would have gone to the panels anyway. I am a comic book geek. I may not have a lot of questions, but I love the professionals sitting before us talking about their craft, and yes, I like some of the inane fanboy questions that are asked.

But this year almost all of the panels were from actors that appears in either a Buffy… franchise or a Star Trek franchise.

Where was Bendis? Where was Millar? Where was Joe Quesada? Where was anyone from DC?

Don’t get me wrong, there were artists and professionals there, but without the major booths from the publishers there didn’t seem to be as many big names as I have seen in years past.

(Though I did get a limited edition print drawn by Ethan Van Sciver and colored by Moose that I plan on having framed.)

I went to the con thinking that I was going to be covering it for the site, but really, there were no announcements, and the only real comic book presence was off the fans buying comics and the vendors selling them, plus some actual big name professionals.

Let’s just put it this way: I was so excited to be back after a three year absence but after about an hour of wandering around the floor that excitement had abated.

This was not the convention that I remember; Hollywood, or at least, B and C-list Hollywood, had taken over, and in my opinion that convention was none the better for it.

I still plan on going next year, but I admit that I’m not as geeked about the con itself; I have friends that live in Chicago and for me the real treat was spending time with them, even the Cubs game on Sunday (despite the Cubs getting crushed).

If the Wizard Chicago Comic Con is like this next year, well, let’s just say that I’m already considering hitting the competing Chicago con next year instead.

Comics Bulletin SoapboxMichael A. Diaz

Share On:
Tweet
Top 10 Most Wanted TPBs
CONTEST: Win a Centurion Poster Signed By Neil Marshall and Simon Bisley!

About The Author

Michael A. Diaz

Related Posts

  • “The Long, Strange Trip of Deathlok the Demolisher”

    Paul Brian McCoy
    May 22, 2017
  • Classic Comics Cavalcade: “Straw Into Gold: Captain Marvel in Marvel Super-Heroes #13”

    Jason Sacks
    November 13, 2015

Latest Columns

  • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

    Daniel Gehen
    February 8, 2021
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

    Daniel Gehen
    December 4, 2020
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

    Daniel Gehen
    October 30, 2020
  • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

    Daniel Gehen
    October 27, 2020
  • What Looks Good for the Week of 10/14/2020

    Daniel Gehen
    October 12, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders