Everything you'd never in a million years think to ask about Wizard World East EVEN if you weren't afraid to ask...
Posted by: Big E 06.04.03 12:01am
In 2002 Wizard World Philly was a great stop on the weekend between Star Wars Celebration 2 and the opening of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. So, I decided to go again this year on May 31 with my buddy Finley and his girlfriend Leigh.

The show felt bigger this year and at times I'm pretty sure there were more people in attendance than last year. This being, primarily, a comic book convention, the guests, programming and displays were geared to that medium which was fine with me, but left me with the feeling that I'm missing out on something by not reading comics much anymore.

Entering the convention hall brought you face-to-face with some hot comic and movie companies with Palisades, View Askew, DC and Marvel right up front. Wizard had a large booth as did CrossGen and Pioneer which was showing off some amazing multimedia and television setups. There were several gaming areas showing off the (relatively) new Hero Clix system as well as Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh.

The artists and competition gaming area in the back of the room was crowded all day. Artists were whipping off sketches and signing books for fans at various booths and it was really cool to see how eager these guys were to see their fans. Again I had that thought that I was missing out on something.

The main goal for my friends and me was to catch Kevin Smith’s question and answer session on Saturday afternoon. To that end the first thing we did was grab our tickets. Then it was off to see what the dealers had to offer.

Wandering through the dealer booths I ran into PSWCS' own James Gallo from Toy Heaven in Ardmore, PA (www.thetoyheaven.com). There were quite a few dealers selling the newest Saga figures (at insanely inflated prices) but just looking at what was on display I didn't see a ton of vintage items. As with any con of this size, it's almost overwhelming to look for particular things. No knock against my friends that I went with, but I'd rather just bust out on my own at these things and dig through boxes. If I go next year I think I may go two days and just root through dealer tables for an entire day.

Prevalent at this years con were busts. >From Marvel to Star Wars to GI Joe to movies, companies are putting out really great items from 5" busts to small statues to life-sized busts like Palisades' Snake Eyes. I've only ventured into the bust market for two of the Gentle Giant busts from the Star Wars line but I was seriously tempted on several occasions to lay out some cash for some of the cool Predator and Marvel items.

As the day wore on I walked past the signing areas for glimpses of Allison Mack from The WB's "Smallville" show as well as Stone Cold Steve Austin. We even ran into former WWE wrestler Raven walking through the crowd eating a sandwich. The area for the Star Wars guests was busy early on but later in the day it really thinned out. I chalk that up to the $20 price tag that C2 Ventures was charging. This year's con had a great turnout, though, with Daniel Logan signing for the first time and Zach Jensen (Kit Fisto) making an appearance. Fan favorites Jeremy Bulloch, Kenny Baker and Dave Prowse were also signing. Ray Park made a rare US appearance (he was here last year also) and even had a moment to speak to me on the phone when Bob Raspet handed his cell phone over!

During the day I met up with Matt Newman (of yavin4.com fame) Bob, Tronzo and Bill G. all of PSWCS. it's always cool to hang with some fellow collectors. I also ran into John Paul and Matt (http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/MSWC/), both PSWCS members, who were in costume with the 501st. They were providing security and escort for the Star Wars actors at the con. This year John Paul looked a little cooler dressed as an Imperial Officer but Matt was a real trooper (no pun intended) in his Jaster Mereel costume. I took a moment to chat with his family and friend Mike (who was decked out in sweet Stormtrooper armor) and it sounded like they were really having fun being there.

Kevin Smith’s Q&A session got a late start but he stayed for a full two hours answering questions and sharing stories of making films. Highlights from the session included an update on Jason Mewes (in rehab), word that a Clerks animated movie is in the works and that Jersey Girl won't have to compete with Matrix: Revolutions in November; it was pushed back till February 2004. Oh, and yes, he WILL finish the Black Cat/Spiderman comic! Smith, always funny in person, is fun to listen to because he genuinely sounds like the kind of guy that would just show up at your place on a Sunday, drink your beer and piss-and-moan about the world with you if you just asked. He wrapped up the session with two clips from Jersey Girl, which were very funny and looked to prove once again that Affleck CAN act when he has a Smith script to work from.

Since Smith’s session ran long we only had about 20 minutes to make a last dash to the convention floor before the doors closed. But it was enough time to make a last couple of purchases before venturing out into the monsoon that southern Pennsylvania had turned into during the day.

Overall I had a great time and I think the con was a big hit. The dates are already announced for next year but I don't know if I can wait that long... Hmmm, Chicago isn't THAT far away!