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Wizard
World Chicago 2005 Day 3
Sunday-
This was going to be kid's day. Dan and Lisa were bringing three kids
with them, their son and daughter and their daughter's friend, OK-
4 kids if you count Rick hitching a ride. Mark, the guy who helps
with the IT portion of the web site, was also going to show up and
we were going to see if we could round up some commitments for interviews
via e-mail (I encourage those since my dictation isn't the greatest).
We stopped by the Fossil booth and talked with one of the watch designers
as I deliberated over buying a watch or not. They had a real cool
Superman one, which I backed away from once I realized I was first
drawn in by the display rather than the actual watch. Dan and Lisa
were walking through the merchants while Rick, Mark and I were walking
around talking to people trying to come up with ideas for interview
themes. Mark and I spend a good deal of time talking with Kristen
Gordon of the Fossil Watch Company and the good folks from Friends
of Lulu, but mostly Mark and I spent a good portion of the time trying
to keep track of Rick, who again had no watch and no cell phone so
we had to rely on spotting his black t-shirt and Rapunzel like locks
amid a sea of black t-shirts and other distinguishing coiffures.
It was not easy; I regretted not getting one of those tethers. Dan
had come over and he had bought a Lord of the Rings Sting glowing
sword for his son and gave it to Rick to carry so that it could be
a surprise. And apparently there were details about dropping the sword
off that got lost somewhere in Rick's zombie infested head (remember
that- it will be important later). Mark and I came up with a plan.
We were going to give Rick my cell phone and split up, that way Rick
didn't have to wait for us when we were talking to people and we didn't
have to keep track of him so he could go off and get his sketches.
I turned the phone all the way up and showed him how to use it and
we went our separate ways. About 30 minutes later Mark and I were
starting down one of the rows and I noticed Rick about halfway down
the same row on the opposite side and didn't think much about it,
until in the background I thought I heard my phone ring. I looked
over in Ricks direction and saw that he didn't make a move for it
so I was convinced I was hearing things, that is until I heard it
again. My phone plays Wonderboy by Tenacious D, so it's hard to miss
it, unless you're Rick. So I scoot down the aisle towards him and
ask him if he heard the phone ring and he says no, so I'm beginning
to think that I am going nuts until I ask him to give me the phone
a minute. I'm not crazy- 3 missed calls, all from Dan. Rick didn't
hear any of them. So I call Dan to find out what was going on and
he asks if I knew where Rick was. I tell Dan he's standing right next
to me and inquire as to why. Dan wanted to know if Rick still had
the sword, since somewhere along the way, Dan had told Rick to Drop
it off over by Andy Lee and they would get it later. I told Dan that
Rick hadn't gotten that far yet, and Dan sounded worried.
It seems that there was some sort of disagreement over the ownership
of the same sword with the guy set up next to Andy. Dan and Lisa thought
it was the one they bought and as they walked away, tried to take
it with them while this guy was claiming ownership over the sword.
I guess things got a little goofy ad Dan decided that they'll hunt
Rick down and find out the scoop, rather than cause any trouble. Well
if any of you ever wanted us to interview Adam Hughes, it probably
won't happen. Yeah, he was the artist set up next to Andy, and I realized
it the moment I talked to Dan. So at Dan's request, I headed over
there to let them know everything was straightened out. Luckily, Adam
was very cool about the whole thing. I got back and explained to Mark
what had happened and that everything turned out OK. So keep in mind
kiddies that not only do zombies eat brains apparently they rot them
as well. It was pretty entertaining.
After that we met Dan and negotiated the transfer of Rick over to
his charge and Mark and I went on to talk to more people. We had about
a 45 minute conversation with the folks at the Friends of Lulu booth
regarding how the store could be more inviting to girls. And after
that, we were done. It was time to go home. After three long days,
the convention was over for me. While we don't have any immediate
interviews to post, we did make some connections and will be bringing
you interviews in the future, based on the groundwork we laid at the
convention. Summary- This was actually the first convention that I
really enjoyed. They layout was better, and it didn't seem as crowded
as in past years. I got some neat stuff and really enjoyed myself
since I didn't get all caught up in trying to get all the exclusive
figures or books, or trying to attend any of the panels you needed
tickets for. I did notice a few things that have changed over the
years; Mattel on Friday, did their usual ticket lot draw for the opportunity
to purchase the exclusive figures, but by Saturday, they had already
resorted to letting people that wanted the figures have about an hour
to win a chance to buy one by drawing a ticket out of a box and if
they got the right ticket, they could buy the figures, by Sunday at
lunch time, I think they had totally stopped with the ticket thing.
I really wish that some of the companies with the exclusives would
maybe cut back a little so that they actually become exclusive again.
Also, I was sad to see some of the usual vendors not really there;
I particularly missed the Bowen booth. On the plus side, I did get
to watch a demo for a new game c0oming out from Wizkids this fall
that seems simple enough for kids to play yet challenging enough to
keep adults engaged. I forget what it was called, but it had to do
with sliding "stones" along a path you make by playing cards and the
object is to place things so that your opponent's either run into
each other or run off the side of the board. I thought the Super Grover
Litho at the Palisades booth was probably the best art on dispel,
and the life size Yoda at the Gentle Giant booth was the item I wish
I could have the most. All in all it was a great experience this year
and look for the fruits of our labor over the coming months.
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First thing in the morning
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I think I'll just call them the Comic-Con Rejects- Devil doesn't
quite fit |
Like Lambs to the slaughter- welcome to the holding pen |
Apparently the Hulk prefers Playstation
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Artists Alley and the Game Pavilion
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Another shot of the gamers- notice the nice high ceiling with plenty
of ventalation |
More boring shots- it was a long morning
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Scarlet Witch getting ready to wig out and do that reality warping
stuff she does |
C'mon did you want another Harry Potter Picture? |
Cheesecake and just plain cheesy
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Rick trying desperately to convince the vendor he isn't charging
enough |
Spidey sense tingling warning me that I've had enough of this |
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Al n'
Ann's Collectibles
Store Hours:
Mon-Thurs
11:00am - 7:00pm
Friday
11:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday
10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday
Closed
Location
3819 W. Main St.
McHenry,IL 60050
Phone
(815)344-9696
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