Sunday at a major city comic convention is usually a “crowd hangover day”, with things usually moving a little slower after the busy Saturday and that was also the case at
Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, held at the Donald J. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, just outside Chicago, over the weekend.
Crowd numbers are usually higher than Thurs/Fri, but less than Saturday’s numbers, dealers are more apt to negotiate pricing (as it’s the last day of the show), and there are usually some interesting panels and activities to attend.
Wizard World has also traditionally made Sunday a
Kids’ Day, with free admission to youngsters accompanying a paying adult, and more kid-centric activities, to appeal to the younger set.
Panels of the day included:
- One-On-One with Stan Lee
- On the Battlefield with Marvel’s Falcon And Winter Soldier (w/ Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky/The Winter Soldier)
- One-On-One With Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson)
- Marvel Portfolio Review
- How to Write Comics with Marv Wolfman, Dan Mishkin, and Danny Fingeroth
- Inside X-Men: Days Of Future Past with Evan (Quicksilver) Peters, Shawn (Iceman) Ashmore and Booboo (Warpath) Stewart
- Mystery Science Theater w/ Joel Hodgson
- How to Color Comics
- Leonard Nimoy Panel (Via Skype)
John Barrowman's panel was re-scheduled for this day and there were also two off-site, additional admission events:
- Meet The Doctor: Matt Smith & Karen Gillan
- Star Trek: The Next Generation Reunion Event
Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon) and
Sebastian Stan (Bucky/The Winter Soldier) spoke to a filled upstairs ballroom, reciting tales from their movie sets, showing off their comic book knowledge, and answering fans’ questions. Mackie was hilarious and charismatic, like a young Will Smith, and Stan was gracious with all fans’ requests and comments.
Mackie was asked when he knew he was a star of the Marvel Universe and mentioned his first day on the set, when Falcon’s stunt double was 250 ft. in the air and asked to perform aerial acrobatics, thankful that it wasn’t him strapped up there. Noting that in the comics, both characters have (or about to) assume the Captain America identity, Mackie was aware of Sam Wilson’s upcoming storyline, hilariously referring to him as “
Brotha Cap”.
Stan was asked about his favorite scene from the movie and mentioned the classic battle on the highway, where the Winter Soldier catches Captain America’s shield. He also answered questions on his previous roles in “
Once Upon a Time” and “
Kings” for the fans.
Marvel Comics Chairman Emeritus and Generalissimo,
Stan Lee, held court earlier in the same room, to an enraptured audience of all ages, who stepped up to right and left microphones, to ask any question they wanted. Though the 91-year old has a little less
pep in his step and sone trouble with hearing, he was no less entertaining, nor less self-aggrandizing or less funny, as he answered questions.
Lee was asked about Spider-Man’s religion and said he never thought it was his place to have that or politics, in the Marvel books. Asked about his “Marvel style” writing, he would first send the artist a plot, then receive back the penciled pages, to insert caption copy and dialogue, writing a comic a day.
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Lee confirmed an Inhumans movie was in development...
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Lee confirmed an
Inhumans movie was in development, and asked which of all his creations his favorite character was, he mentioned he loved them all and had no regrets, though
Spider-Man was the most special to him.
Lee was also given a proclamation by the governor’s office on stage, declaring it “Stan Lee Weekend” throughout the state, which he was very pleased to receive.
Lee, like Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, was challenged to do the
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on stage, and Wizard CEO John Macaluso, appeared with a clear bucket of ice water, but at the last second, turned to pour the water instead, on a tiny action figure of Lee. Keeping with tradition, Lee nominated three others to do the challenge- Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-Il.
With that, some discounted merchandise, and a fistful of comics in hand, another
Wizard World Comic Con had come to an end in Chicago, but fear not; they have remaining shows elsewhere in the country still this year, and plan to be back in Chicago next August.
GEORGE PEREZ'S SIRENS #1 (Cover A) (Sep 2014)
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