Wizard World Philly '09

So Wizard World wrapped up a few hours ago. Even though I only went for the Saturday, there was plenty of stuff to see to spend the entire weekend at the event. My girlfriend and I had a blast, even though things started a little slow. The show was about the same size as last years, with many vendors and artists represented, but it seems like it was overshadowed by Hero's Con, which was the same weekend. The noticeable difference was that neither Marvel or DC had a presence at the show. Even the Wizard booth was under-active compared to last years show.

However, that other activity at the show was very exciting. Following are a few of the many photographs that we took, which is really the best way I can describe the show.













The Tonner booth had some awesome stuff to show, including the new Twilight dolls. Even though I don't like the movies, these dolls have a fantastic likeness to the characters. Also on display were the Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, and DC Universe.









This is a work in progress by chalk-artist Eric Michael Maruscak. The images show a progression of the work throughout the show. The first was taken early in the morning, and the last was around the time the show ended. Not only was the art amazing, his speed at completing it was awesome. This guy has mad talent.










These shots are of Lauren with two of the artists we talked to. The first is Billy Tucci, creator of Shi. Last year, Lauren got a cover sketch of her favorite character, Storm, from Billy. This year she got one of Gambit. (I got one of Jubilee. Needed something of Jubilee.) The second picture is her with Franchesco, an Italian artist. This picture is significant because of the story involved. Apparently, Franchesco's favorite character is Storm, so he and Lauren started talking. He told her a story about an issue of Marvel's What If..? Series, and how excited he was to illustrate 'What if Storm received the power of the Phoenix?' Afterward, we went on a hunt to find the issue so we can get an autograph. We eventually did, after visiting 8 different retailers. When we brought it back and showed him, he got so excited to see it that he demanded to take a picture of her with it. He also gave Lauren a specially printed backboard with an image from that issue, another thing that greatly excited my girlfriend. Though I had never heard of Franchesco in the past (but I most likely have seen his art), I would have to say he is an amazingly cool guy and I look forward to seeing him at future shows.

I'm going to finish out this post with the costumes that we saw at the show. These pictures are of the costumes I thought were good; there were far too many that just didn't work. Though there was one picture that I wish I could have gotten. When we first walked into the show, we saw two little kids dressed like Link and Zelda, from the Legend of Zelda video game. They must have been around 2 or 3 years old, but they were so adorable in their costumes. Unfortunately, we didn't see them again through the entire show, so I didn't get the chance to snap the pic. Anyway, here are the costumes. Enjoy.

A black-suited Spidey and Superman.











Spider-Man and G.I. Joe's Baroness.








The X-Men's Rogue and the Predator.











Cyclops from the X-Men.












Banshee and Deadpool. (The Banshee costume caught me off guard. Not something I expected. He definitely gets points for originality.)






My girlfriend, Lauren and Gambit.











X-23. Another original costume.











Lauren's brother, Jonothan, and Lara Croft. When I asked Jon if he wanted a picture with Lara, his response was, "Hell yeah." Good boy.






Jon again with Master Chief.











Batman baddies Two-Face and the Scarecrow.











Lara Croft with the Joker and a few Gears of War soldiers (at least I think it's Gears of War.)







Evil Lynn from Masters of the Universe.











The Baroness and Snake Eyes. What a cool pairing.








Black Panther and Blade.











A Rather plump Thor. Time to lay off the mead, big fella.











Obi-Wan Kenobi.











The cast of 300.








And finally, the Ghostbusters. The detail on the proton packs was amazing. These guys did a great job on their costimes, but I'm also partial to the source material.