Wizard World day one

Wizard World Comic Con has returned to Chicago once again, promising a horde of new celebrities, apparel, and more fans than ever. While it did start out slow  on its first day, the convention has a lot of potential and looks to improve throughout its four-day span. Then again, maybe I’m just being optimistic because one of my favorite actors, Jeremy Renner, will be appearing on Sunday.

If it wasn’t for Renner, I wouldn’t have found myself as excited for the convention as I was last year. This year’s lineup looks weak in comparison to the programming  and special guests of Wizard World 2014. Don’t get me wrong though, I really enjoyed the first day of the convention- it just hasn’t been all I’ve hyped it up to be yet. Plus, it is hard to make an accurate judgment at the moment due to the fact that not much happens on the first day of a convention.

The panels that were offered today, while few, did sound interesting, but unfortunately I could only make it to one: “Advanced Costuming and Armor.” With panelists/professional cosplayers Toby Markham, Ken Kooi, and Thomas Spanos, fans were able to get advice and tips on creating high quality costumes. Other panels of the day included discussions on careers in video gaming, Chicago ghost lore, geek speed dating, along with several more.

Possibly the most promising part of the con was the show floor. Hundreds of vendors selling comics, clothing, art, and numerous additional items lined the convention hall. I took this first day as an opportunity to scope everything out rather than frivolously spend money as I have in the past. Trust me, nothing is worse than seeing a piece of merchandise that you so badly desire and then realizing that you’ve spent all your money on random knickknacks.

The best part of the show floor, however, was not all of the cool stuff available for purchase, but the fellow con-goers. Everyone was so polite, just like nearly every other person I’ve talked to at previous cons. One lady even asked my younger sister if they could take a picture together because they were wearing similar outfits. The sense of community between con-goers is so strong and amazing, and in the end I feel like that’s what makes conventions so successful.

If you’re interested in joining the convention community, you can start this weekend. Although the four-day tickets are sold out, you can purchase a single  day ticket for Wizard World through this link. Hope to see you there!