The Wizard World Comic Convention recently hit Sacramento. Jay Snook talked to a few attendees about the magic of the con.
“My favorite parts were the Q and A panels, the cosplayers and seeing the actors,” Ron Murray told me regarding Wizard World. “It was good to see the actors interacting with their fans in the lines, and it wasn’t so much fun how much it cost for the photo-ops or the meet and greets. I was really hoping to get to meet The Boondock Saints. I had a blast at the William Shatner and Bruce Campbell Q and A panels, and James Marstens was a lot of fun too. My most memorable part was meeting Chris Claremont, he was the reason I started reading comics, his art just kind of spoke to me.”
They event also hosted Norman Reedus from the hit show The Walking Dead and Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk on the ’70s television series. Chris Hemsworth and Stan Lee showed up on Sunday for autographs and photo-ops, and Michael Rosenbaum, who was Lex Luthor on Smallville, was also there. Superstar wrestler Sheamus from the WWE and Julie Benz, who has been on hit shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Shield, also attended.
Stacie Reynolds, 35, said of her experience: “I enjoyed the panels, I got to see the actors without paying a fortune. I liked getting to see the actors and the display. I didn’t like the mass amount of people there, but I was proud to see the geek culture is thriving here. I loved it but I was broke.”
Many parents brought their kids, and there was plenty for the whole family to do, not the least of which were raffles for prizes like a PS4, Xbox One, movies, video games and other wonderful prizes. There were many children who were dressed in cosplay, either doing their own thing or following suit in the outfit their parents were wearing. There were many booths that had key chains, necklaces, toy swords, candy, many different types of action figures mint in boxes, and many other types of memorabilia that kids would like to have.
“My favorite part of the convention was all of the art I saw,” said father of two Ben Cox. “There were some amazing artists all together in one building. When I went on Friday, all they had set up was booths with stuff for sale. As awesome as it was to be able to purchase some great merchandise, it was also like a giant flea market. If you came without any money, there wasn’t a lot for you. The most memorable part for me was the time I got to spend with my kids that day. We all had a good time together.”
It is great news to hear though that Wizard World will be coming back to Sacramento next year. The dates are June 19-21, 2015. The tickets won’t be available until this summer, but I suggest you buy them sooner than later. This year was amazing, and next year is sure to be an amazing experience.
—Photo courtesy of the author