Wizard World Comic Con - 2017...

Last month, I went to the Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia. Highlights of this year's Comic Con in Philadelphia include:

• Chuck Norris, WALKER TEXAS RANGER,
• Gene Simmons, KISS,
• Nichelle Nichols, STAR TREK,
• Famke Janssen, X-MEN

There were, of course, many, many other people of note in attendance and a whole list of panels and other events included in the cost of admission and a great many paid events that we could go to if that was the sort of thing we wanted to do.

Last year, parking was an issue, so, this time around, Mom offered her services for transportation to and from the venue. This year, I would be going with Tony, Amanda and Anthony. We arrived in Center City around 10:30am. There was a longer line of people waiting to get in this year, due to increased security measures in the wake of recent violence at other public events elsewhere. Although, slightly inconvenient, the extra security was welcome just the same.

Like last year, a small area had been set aside on the convention floor with tables and chairs for the convention attendees. Tony doesn't travel well, so, Anthony, Amanda and I left Tony behind and wandered around the convention floor. I don't usually have a plan, so, we just wandered about. We started in the artists alley and moved back and forth past all the tables. I found a handful of artists of note...

One exhibitor, Jason Metcalf, was showing a variety of metal prints. According to Jason's web site:

Jason Metcalf is a comic book artist, currently providing cover art for ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT, VALIANT, ACTION LAB and other comic and novel publishers. His first credits include ink assists along side Joe Weems on Top Cow's titles The Darkness and The Magdelina. Brief as it was, that stint motivated Jason to one day make the move to full-time illustration and leave his construction management career behind. Jason has also pencilled Wrath of the Titans for Bluewater Press; IDW Publishing's Eternal Descent; Blu Ray content for HBO's Game of Thrones, and the History Channel's Vikings series; and map and character illustration for Richard Knaak's novel, Dragon Mound; trading card art for Marvel's Upper Deck 2012 releases of Avengers Assemble and Marvel Beginnings II; trading card art for Billy Tucci's Shi, Tim Seely's Hack Slash, Kong Island, and P'Ups.

Since space is an issue for me, I picked up a handful of small metal prints. It was nice to meet Jason and he even signed my metal cards.

Another exhibitor, Angel Egle Wierenga, showed a variety of cat-themed artwork. According to her web site:

Even as a child growing up in Lithuania, I had a passion for light, color, fantasy and symbolic expression. I have never been short of inspiration. Sometimes, I feel it is a race against time to produce all of the images that I have in my mind. I graduated from Applied Art Technical Institute, in Lithuania, where I studied fashion design and different techniques in art. After graduation, I worked as a custom fashion designer in several design salons in Lithuania. I came to United States in 1999, and continue my journey as a POP artist today. With more than a decade of art training in Europe, I have shared my vibrant and radiant images throughout the United States for more than 15 years. My artwork can be seen in restaurants, businesses and private collections around the world.

Again, space was at a premium for displaying artwork in my home, so, I settled on a couple of cat-themed t-shirts.

Beyond the artists, we split up. Anthony and Tony found each other and took part in a virtual reality exhibition. They were very impressed. Amanda, Anthony and I found another really impressive exhibit featuring the captains of the various Star Trek series, created entirely in chalk by the chalk twins -- Devon and Lexi. This year, Mom sent me out on a mission to get a picture of the sword throne featured on Game Of Thrones. In the main hall, Anthony spied a full size statue of the Hulk.

In the middle of the venue, all of the featured actors, personalities and other guests were assembled on a large red carpet. Frank Janssen of X-Men fame, drew a lot of attention from our little group. Although pictures were not allowed, Anthony and Amanda found a spot some distance from the red carpet area where pictures could be obtained without drawing too much attention.

Having learned from my previous experience, I brought some sandwiches. In the afternoon, we met up in an area where tables had been set up for attendees. Amanda and I picked up some drinks and we settled in for lunch and to rest our weary legs. I walked about five miles during my adventures at the convention. After lunch, we decided to pick up a few souvenirs for Mom and I decided to pick up one of those mystery boxes that seem to be all the rage these days. I scored a bunch of Star Wars themed goodies which I divided between Anthony, Amanda and Mom. Overall, it was a very good event.