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2008-07-04 - WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO '08: JUNE BUGS AND BLUE BEETLES by Seth "4:10" Robison
Wizard World Chicago '08: June Bugs and Blue Beetles
By Seth "4:10" Robison
Maybe it's global warming, or maybe it's the hereunto-inexplicable popularity of scrap booking conferences, but the Chicago Comic-Con (a.k.a. Wizard World Chicago) came a bit early this year and almost caught this Windy City-based gaming columnist completely off his guard.
But fear not! Armed with his press pass and a poor idea of what exactly he was going to do at there, your faithful servant nevertheless pressed on and is now ready to share with you his impressions of the event which has, by the time this sees press, dropped off the front page of a half dozen or so other comics news sites!
The show got off on a sad note, with the news of the passing of superstar artist Michael Turner (Soulfire). News that was shared with this reporter by a heartbroken Dan "would be tasteless to give a funny nickname to this year" Didio, who had worked closely with the late artist on the recent Supergirl revival.
But as they say, the show must go on, and while the Aspen Comics booth was missing its top names, comicdom's brightest stars did come out to meet the fans, include a rare person appearance by Guest of Honor Warren Ellis...
SECRET INVASION's mastermind Brian Michael Bendis...
Early '90s sensation Todd McFarlane...
And the scarily talented SINESTRO CORPS WAR artist Ethan Van Sciver...
Okay, I'm not really sure what happened there, but apparently I neglected to take any substantive pictures of the (less surface-obvious) talents on display this weekend.
Well at least the actual-beautiful-woman Missy Peregrym (HEROES, REAPER) was in attendance ... but I don't have a photo of her either. Whoops. Oh well, let's hope "Professor" Tipton don't notice and move on.
Without a doubt, the biggest draw of the weekend was the WORLD PREMIERE of the direct-to-DVD animated movie, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT.
Purporting to bridge the gap between BATMAN BEGINS, and the forthcoming THE DARK KNIGHT, this collection of six animated short films was produced by top talent in both the United States and Japan. The work of some of comics' top talent such as Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS) and Greg Rucka (GOTHAM CENTRAL) was sent oversees to be animated by famed anime studios including Production I.G (GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX) and Madhouse (DEATH NOTE). The result was more than a little awesome, even discounting the fact that this film features the return to the role of the definitive voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy (BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES) after his conspicuous absence from NEW FRONTIER.
Of course, the con wasn't all about news-stingy panels and global debuts, it was also about trying to squeeze info out of Wildstorm editor Shannon Denton about their upcoming GEARS OF WAR and PROTOTYPE game comics so I can write about them and make some money. And by that I really mean it's about talent that, for the most part, toils away in relative obscurity, trying to break into the big time.
As a poor example of that, I commissioned a rendition of my journalistic idol, Spider Jerusalem, by the original TRANSMETROPOLITAN inker John "Don't Call Me Humberto" Ramos (cleaned up a bit as this is a family show).
But as a better example, I asked Tony MacKenzie to contribute to my running series of depictions of Halo's Master Chief getting PWNED by some of my favorite gaming characters. This year? PORTAL's Chell and her Weighted Companion Cube.
Nice.
The cosplayers were also out in full force, showing both their creativity (and then some...)
Black Canary and Elektra, an example of an intra-company crossover that I can get behind.
A creepy lifesize Mojo hovered through the rows and placed third in the costume contest.
Second place went to this gaggle of X-Men, an impressive lineup that goes Cannonball-deep into the saga's roster. No word if they had Chris Claremont on hand to come up with new characters on the spot in case they made any more friends.
The gold went to this nearly six-foot Optimus Prime, who could do the robot, but little else.
My personal kudos to this "one-hour into the movie" Tony Stark, complete with LED heart and prototype repulsor. The facial hair commitment alone should have put this guy into the top three.
The Question, the perfect costume for shy people who like attention.
The Doctor and Rose observing another strange, alien culture.
And finally, Mary Marvel and Catwoman reignite the Spandex/PVC war that's been going on longer than Kree-Skrull.
As my fourteenth con wound down for the year, I stood among the swirling creative energies of Artist's Alley coming to terms with what it all meant. This gathering, once one of the very few in the country, was now just a regional affair, dwarfed in size and relevance by its San Diego cousin. Its vendors and traders standing in the same spots they occupy every year, as if they were familiar trees that bloomed only one time a year. Sure, the technology is different and exciting new ideas struggle to endure and grow alongside the classics, but there was a sense of routine involved, as if next year wouldn't be different enough from the last to make it special.
Perhaps sensing a common mood, I stuck up a conversation with another convention veteran. He told me that it wasn't so bad, that maybe I had lost sight of what it was really all about: the bringing together of scattered talent and enthusiasts to not just share a passion, but to make the kind of personal connection that get things done and give birth to truly great ideas. Something that he had accomplished that very day, a deal that could have only been made in person and away from the hustle and bustle of San Diego.
That man? An idol of mine, the world-renowned author, Chuck Dixon...
Oh, I give up.
Seth "4:10" Robison, who holds court every Wednesday at Keith's Comix in Schaumburg IL, is the gaming culture columnist for gamertransit.com. E-mail him at seth410@gamertransit.com. The above is © 2008 by Seth "4:10" Robison, used with exclusive permission by comics101.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. All images and characters are the property of their respective owners.
