Article By: Pugilist and SGCCMDR
Some people have accused me of getting involved with an interview and review site just so I can have an excuse to go to conventions and shows and talk to amazing folks about their passion and talent. My response is:
"Hell yeah!"
If this comes as a surprise to anyone, send me a note and I'll ramble on for a few thousand words, completely bore you to tears, and attempt to explain to you why I find this so rewarding. The folks we spoke with at Wizard World Philly this past weekend won't be sending me a note because they are of the same mind set. Some people dream, some chase a dream, and some make their dream happen or, at the very least, fail trying.
Wizard World, if you don't know this already, is primarily a comic book show. When people think about comics, their mind turns to the big houses like Marvel and DC. Maybe they've heard of Top Cow, maybe not. As you walk around the show, however, you see that Marvel, DC, and Top Cow are just the tip of the iceberg. They are well funded and have popular books, certainly, and the art work and story quality is usually good. Traveling under the waterline is a vast host of titles, each with a passionate and inspired person behind it, striving to share their vision with the world.
Granted, some of these titles are better than others. Some are gold, some are OK, some are crap. Being an independent title doesn't immediately make it better than a large house, but the failures can be spectacular. We spent a lot of time talking to artists and writers and editors of independent books and will be providing individual recaps on those interviews. When we get time, we'll also take a look at the products we picked up. It has to be completed before July 4, because after that, everything we picked up, signed copies all, become part of the prize package for the Cheese Weasel Logistics Convention Game at Origins 2007.
Not everyone we spoke to was involved with books. We'll have a nice recap from the NeenerNeener.net folks, they do the N3rdcast podcast, and find out what's up with their vicious and violent feud with another of our interviewees, the GlintofHope.com crew, producers of Hero Envy. We snagged some time with the folks behind Razor Sharp, a very cool looking movie produced on a shoestring budget featuring a female protagonist who relies on skill rather than cleavage to win the day. We also spent some time with Black Betty, the spokesperson for After Dark films. They're the folks who sponsor Horror Fest, the simultaneous screening of overlooked horror movies, throughout the US. We'll also have a recap of the Hayden Panettiere (of NBCs Heroes) Q&A. Zoe Cohen, Staff Writer (geekgurl@spewgilist.com) covered that, along with a few other things over the show and will add her viewpoints to our mix.
Wizard World had a few game companies around, Wizards of the Coast (shocking surprise, no doubt), Sony, and WizKids, among them and, truth be told, since we'll be seeing them at Origins, we gave them a pass for this year. Now, were you looking for comics or comic related items, there were dealers galore, many offering great deals, especially as Sunday dawned and waned.
Attendance, we are told, was great. We know that Sunday, they were lined up around the block well before 10:00 AM. As we walked through the conference hall we could confirm the place was busy from all the toes we stepped on, all the people who got bumped, and all the shoulders we felt in our backs, even when we hadn't stopped by the Suicide Girls booth.
As shows go, Wizard World continues to be well organized and, an upgrade from last year, well laid out. Having the Artist Alley in the same open area with the smaller press was a Godsend, not only because we could actually see the people but because we weren't fighting to get an interview while the light saber shop the next stall over blocked traffic and created a general nuisance. A complaint has to be the PA system. People need to learn that with a PA system, you don't need to be loud, you need to enunciate. At times, mostly right in the middle of an interview, we had to pause while our eardrums nearly burst from one more person making one more yellnouncement. For the companies directly under the speakers, you could see a twitch starting to develop and a desire to speak with said yellnouncer in a less than calm and confidential manner.
A side benefit of having Wizard World Philly in the PA Convention Center is the location, right across the street, of the Reading Terminal Market. You could call it a food court, you could also call Michelangelo some guy who doodled. The Reading Terminal Market is a great space full of just about any type of food you can imagine from just about any culture.
So, a great space for the convention, a well run show, and an escape from the price gouging at the show food stands. Not a bad set of circumstances all around.
If you've not been to a convention and you live near the circuit Wizard World covers, LA, Philly, Chicago, and Arlington, Texas, it's worth your time to check it out. Prices are reasonable to attend, $25 for a single day pass, $50 for an all-con pass, and the venues look to be well suited. You've have to have attended a convention in a place wholly unsuited for the show to appreciate the importance of choosing the correct and compatible location.
We'll call this another success and put it in the running for our Best Show 2008 Spewgie.