Philadelphia Comic Con arrives June 17-19
PHILADELPHIA — Wizard World is coming back to Philadelphia, and for fans of comic books, television, movies and professional sports, that should be a welcome development.
The Philadelphia Comic Con will be presented Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center at 1101 Arch St. in the City of Brotherly Love. Show hours are: Friday from noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pre-sale one-day tickets are $25. Pre-sale three-day tickets are $45.
The guest list is extensive and includes many highlights.
B-movie actor extraordinaire Bruce Campbell will greet fans on Saturday. His autograph will set you back $30, though you may want to check out the Bruce Campbell VIP Experience, which includes autographs, photo opportunities and elite status (pre-sale on these are $150, or $200 at the convention). Don’t miss a chance to grab an autograph from the star of Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness.
Julie Benz will also be on hand for Saturday’s event. The star of Showtime’s Dexter and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer is also offering a VIP experience for $150 (pre-sale) and $200 (day of convention).
Vivica A. Fox, of Kill Bill, will sign autographs, as well as Adam Baldwin, the actor from such series as The X Files, Stargate: SG-1 and Angel.
One of the largest draws will certainly be Mr. Lando Calrissian himself, Billy Dee Williams. For $40, you can grab a scribble from the iconic Star Wars actor. Adam West (TV’s Batman) and Burt Ward (TV’s Robin) will greet fans, plus Richard Roundtree (aka Shaft), Pam Grier (Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown) and Lou Ferrigno (TV’s The Incredible Hulk).
Several Star Wars actors will attend the three-day convention, including Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker) and Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett).
From The Walking Dead, expect to see Madison Lintz, Addy Miller, Chandler Riggs, IronE Singleton and Norman Reedus.
Ted DiBiase and Virgil, classic wrestlers from the old WWF, will charge a nominal fee to sign autographs.
Of course, there will be plenty of comic book guests as well, including Don Oriolo (Felix the Cat), Humberto Ramos (The Amazing Spider-Man), Carlos Pacheco (X-Men) and Jim Cheung (The Avengers), among others.
Add to that all of the vendors and panel discussions, and the Philadelphia Comic Con promises to be an unforgettable (and likely expensive) weekend.
A few tips, if you’re going…
• Try to get there on Saturday, because many of the celebrity guests are only signing for one day.
• Arrive early to avoid the large lines.
• Bring extra cash for autographs, photo opportunities, vendor tables and food. ATMs will be located on site, but they normally have longer lines than the guests.
• Spend as much time as you can looking through the vendors’ tables. Don’t pass up good buys.
• Buy pre-sale tickets at www.wizardworld.com; they are cheaper and you’ll avoid the long lines.
• Expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $50 for an autograph. For a list of prices, click here.
• Bring a camera and dress up as your favorite comic book character.
For more information, click here.
HollywoodSoapbox.com will attend the convention on Saturday. Expect a full review in a couple of days.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
When you aren’t busy meeting your TV and movie idols, buying art or getting your comic treasures autographed by the people who made them, come on by the Shocker booth #651. We’ll be loaded up with our newest figures of The Tick and Mucus Tick as well as the last of our Indie Spotlight Series 1 action figures and a stack of our fully customizable, fully posable Mallow figures just waiting for your paints and markers! We’ll also have prototypes on display from some of our next action figure lines, so bring your camera! Hope to see you there!