Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

I have been attending Wizard World Chicago since 2013. After three years, I can tell you, it’s a wonderful and magical experience. I truly believe there’s something here for everyone. I don’t care what kind of nerd you are; there’s something here for you. I have never had a complaint at these conventions. People in other reviews complain about costs and having to pay for photo ops and autographs, I feel like you have to know what you’re signing up for. Comic conventions are businesses. Celebrities who are there are spending time there instead of filming, where they could be making tons of money. I have never walked away thinking, «whoa, that was an outrageous price!» I think compared with other comic cons out there, Wizard World is very reasonable and affordable.
I also really like that the CEO always has a physical presence. I have talked to him at the last 3 Wizard Worlds I have gone to (I’ve been to 6 total). And he always welcomes you to chat and listens to what you have to say. I think that’s rare and it’s something I value.

This is always a fun event, but they need to consider moving it to McCormick Place as this Con has clearly outgrown DES. The events would likely be more available and hopefully run on time. The Stephen Amell panel was already about 10 minutes underway before they started letting people in because they were trying to get people out of the previous one. And the Firefly panel had a line that wrapped around the main room about three times. McCormick has the capability to handle larger crowds like this. While not perfect, McCormick is nearly exactly the same size as SDCC and would, in my opinion, be a better choice.
That being said, it is still fun and I do recommend it. As others have said, you really need to get a multi day pass. Too much to see and do in one day, which is a good thing. :)

First time time here, the experience was as great as I expected it to be. I purchased the 4-​day pass, and actually was there from open to close.
If your a collector, like myself, this is a great place to go. I found many Marvel and DC collectables at a reasonable price. Some of the sellers are willing to give you some deals. You will also find hand made things such as jewelry made with pennies and figures made with scrap metal.
A lot of people dressed up very well, but you could find a lot of repeat costumes such as Spider-​Man, Deadpool, and Harley Quinn. Some people even where a little to comfortable about how they looked in certain outfits.
Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival was amazing. I didn’t see all the films but was fortunate to see «Tales of Halloween», «Bubba Ho-​Tep», and «Contracted: Phase 2». All great films, my personal favorite was Contracted: phase 2, I even was lucky to sit unknowingly on the same row as the cast of the movie. In all the fold I attended there was a Q&A with the detectors and some actors. I was even lucky to see Bruce Campbell up close.
Overall, this was the first of many Conventions I will attend.

This place is for all you geeks and nerds (including myself). Second time to the Chicago Con
–Want to save money but get all the cool experience? Get the Saturday pass. It’s the day with the most attendance and biggest celebrities and panels
–They have water/​cups available. But do get some snacks
Got here around 11:30am (better to get here even earlier, since there’s so much to do).
Last year I got to see to the Star trek cast (old), Guardians of galaxy, Gotham, Arrow, walking dead panels. This year it was: Firefly, Arrow, Evil Dead, Supergirl and other panels. All on Saturdays.
(Don’t have the patience for a whole weekend thing)
Excellent, creative costumes all around. Really shows their dedication and talent! (Get those pictures)
Last year’s con was definitely more fun. It seemed like they were cutting cost this year due to the quality of panels and guests. Oh well, I’ll still be back again in the future

I hadn’t been to a con in… well, so long that I don’t even remember how many years, and it wasn’t in Chicago in any case. So when my favorite fanboy and I realized last week-​end that Chicago’s big con was coming up, we snagged some one-​day tickets and headed over to wrap up the celebration on Sunday.
Just because it was the last day does not mean that there was nothing to do. The place was MOBBED, which is the way it should be: great people watching, and lots of shopping! (Though some spatial awareness would be nice: some guy was dressed as a video game character with a giant foam sword, and somehow we kept ending up near him; he hit me several times with the damn thing when unsheathing it for pictures just because we were trying to pass, and clearly didn’t notice that anyone was in his path.)
To break it down by bullet points:
— This place is BIG. It’s held in the Rosemont convention center, which conveniently has its own covered parking and an enclosed walkway (nice since it was raining outside). The staff that we interacted with was all really peppy (it’s probably more fun to check out all us cosplay goofballs, versus the boring business people that usually have their conventions there).
— Because of the sheer size of the place, there was a lot of variety of merchandise and art, though of course there was some repetition. Still, not the same old thing, and definitely more exciting than your average trip to the comic book store.
— Regarding the merchandise: Beyond the back issue comics and some original concept art by some artists, and various officially licensed things like toys and t-​shirts, this is one giant copyright infringement: you’ll find paintings, buttons, found-​object sculptures, handmade toy and other goodies featuring your fave sci-​fi, comic and video game characters. You can find everything from a Tetris quilt to Dr. Who amigurumi to pinup posters of your favorite superheroines. The Artist Alley is really fun to check out: you’ll definitely find someone whose work matches your taste.
— In addition to this stuff, there were extra-​cool things like mini-​drones, 3D printed figurines of you, caricatures, face painting and a photobooth in a vintage trailer!
— Cosplay ahoy! We saw more than 30 Harley Quinns and nearly as many iterations of the Joker (though oddly not a single Batman the day we were there…), a handful of Deadpools (the movie is coming out soon…), MANY guys in Jayne’s cunning knit hat from Firefly, and quite a few versions of Daenerys from Game of Thrones (none with a dragon that I saw…), plus several female versions of Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and the assorted Doctors Who. You’ll see characters from comics, animé, video games, Disney, and so on. It’s really fun to see the variety: some people have professional-​quality latex bodysuits and masks molded to their faces, and others clearly cobbled together their costumes at the thrift store (which I find endearing). Everyone’s so invested in it and eager to share what they love.
— Autographs be $$$ at this sort of event, but honestly this shouldn’t be a surprise. We didn’t partake, though we did walk through the autograph area and glimpsed some of our faves (so if you want to breathe the same air as Nathan Fillion, now’s your chance).
— The layout was well established with good signage, and as stated the staff had a good attitude. There were also helpful announcements when certain events were starting or it was last call for different celebrities.
— The food in the restaurant (vs. snack bar) was surprisingly good, though they gouge the hell out of you on things like water ($ 4.50 a bottle? Damn).
Overall, this was a HUGE event with a lot going for it. Location was good, lots of interesting events and worthwhile celebs, and great shopping and people watching. One day was plenty for us, but depending on how hardcore you are yu might invest in more. Certainly worth it, especially if you already live in Chicagoland. See you next year!

Every year is different in terms of layout and vendors. There are a ton of cosplayers which makes things fun and visually interesting. The location is great, security is reasonable, there are plenty of beverages to be had, tons of ATMs (because you will need more money), and they do a good job of separating components so if you never want to see a celebrity or attend a panel, you don’t have to. I’m not being snarky, I really appreciate this! I just want to look at comics and all the other vendors.

Awesomeness check out Spicy Panda Creations! We were there today as the big hero 6 crew!

It used to be great! Now it’s way overpriced and kind of a drag.
How it used to be 5+ years ago:
Tickets used to be $ 25 for the day (plus a $ 2 fee), parking was $ 8, autographs used to be about $ 20 each, you used to be able to walk up to and /​or chat with the celebs for a few minutes, it was a good mix of sci-​fi /​action celebs, you could take pictures of anyone, the vendors had stuff you could only find at the Con and it was reasonably priced, you could get a Pepsi and a hot dog for $ 5, it was a good mix of comic artists, celebs, and vendors.
How it is now:
Tickets are $ 50 for the day (plus a $ 6 fee), parking is $ 14, autographs run $ 40 to $ 180 (depending on the celeb), you now get about 20 seconds with the celeb and the booth nazis push you through, you can’t take pictures of anyone without a booth nazi or Wizard World rent-​a-​nerd hassling you, there’s really nothing the vendors bring that you haven’t already seen on-​line and they want twice the market price, a Pepsi and a hot dog are now $ 12, the comic artists area has shrink considerably, half the celeb area is filled with wrestling dudes and underwear models, and there are now lots of unrelated companies there with booths just to advertise themselves.
I did the math and to take my 2 boys this year will run $ 185 in tickets, fees, and parking just to get in the door. Feed them and I’m in $ 225. Any we haven’t bought any overpriced toys or got an autograph yet. That’s a lot for an afternoon.
I can’t afford that anymore…

Okay, being honest, I haven’t done this show in years, George Bush Jr. was still in power, and I am a Canadian doing cons all over the place, so anything I say is probably dated.
I attended the show’s artist alley in 2007 and 2008. I had attended the show as an attendee in 1999 and 2003 and it was a great show. My own city really didn’t have much to offer as a convention and this was fun and amazing. I talked to people that worked in the industry and got a lot of good swag I would have never found in western Canada in those days and I enjoyed it.
Eventually I came back as an artist. I had modest success in Canada showing off my artwork, which was a little disheartening. I came to the Wizardworld in 2007 and it was absolutely amazing. I really didn’t speak much to anyone in the industry that time, but I can tell you people from this area love cool art and they don’t care if it’s done by someone famous or not. My sales were great and I had a great time.
2008 I blame a lot of the reason why the medicority in sales had a lot to do with the recession that was starting to hit the world. I still recovered costs, but considerably less than the year before. I say it all the time and a lot of comic cons never ever listen to the alley, but for the love of the medium, stop putting artists in the back of the building. it is the last place people ever walk to, and general rule of thumb, it hurts us the most and we’re the people they get away with doing it to all the time. So after the sales went from great to modest, I hit other cons. No I’m not mad at anyone, I know people that have gone back to the show since I went and told me the organisation of the alley is the same as it was back then and the costs of a table have skyrocketed from what I paid even after the recession really hurt people from wanting to get more at the shows.
I liked it, but too many artists and fans are telling me to look elsewhere. I still haven’t sworn off the place, but for now I am looking elsewhere.

What an awful experience. The things you see on TV that make ComiCon look fun!!!
Not here. Its all people selling overpriced merchandise and a few people in mildly creative costumes. Its mostly confusion, bad concessions, and $ 100 «autograph opportunities» and $ 200 «Vip packages». They really put the screws to you.

I would normally give this event a five star. I have been going to Wizard World for over 10 years but they and the celebrities has priced me out. As a middle class family it’s sad that we can’t afford to go. A four day pass per person is $ 100 parking is $ 20 unless you park at the Metra Station. You can’t get a picture with a signature without paying for both. They have this company Froggy that charges outrageous prices for their pictures. I like using my camera. The VIP are not cheap and some of this «celebrities» think they can charge over $ 150 each for signature and picture. The four people I wanted to meet this year would have cost me over $ 1200. You don’t have DC or Marvel there any longer. It’s just sad.

This is a great event for any fan of comics, movies, or nearly anything relating to pop-​culture. I really enjoyed meeting all the artists for various comics. It can be pretty crowded, but I don’t really feel as though that’s such a bad thing. It’s actually fun to see all the incredible cosplayers in the crowd.

No I do not have any interest in comic books, movies etc. Yes I went since I was asked to be a companion & like to try new things. Was it enjoyable to me? No. Was it enjoyable for my companion who wanted to be there? Surprisingly no as well. Why? It’s an overcrowded cluster f**k. Also you have to $$$$$ for pretty much everything there. Try $ 40−100+ for just an autograph. $ 100 + for a pic. Don’t bother trying to take a pic while someone’s signing autographs b/​c they will just yell at you. If this is for the fans it sure doesn’t feel like it. The admission should be waaaaay lower if you have to pay so much for everything else. Sure there are vendors with stuff to look at but why should you pay so much $ to go shopping. Also, There’s no where to sit & food there is disgusting. I’m lucky I brought bananas. If you’re not a comic fan & a friend asks you to go, take my advice & just say no.

I started attending this convention back when it wasn’t affiliated with Wizard. It was run by Larry Charet, of Larry’s Comics, which closed a number of years ago. What a wonderful store that was… but that’s a story for another review.
I think my first Chicago Comic Con was the summer of 1983 but I can only find my show programs from 87 and later. Back then, the shows had no non-​comic related celebrities. People like Stan Lee were guests of honor and any of the few thousand people that came through the doors could easily meet, chat with and take photos with anyone they wanted. There was a feeling of kinship. These were the people reading the comics and writing those letters in the back of the comics.
When Wizard bought the show and moved it across the street to the current location at the Rosemont convention center, the show immediately took on a different feeling. Those early years of the Chicago Wizard World conventions in the 90s were fantastic. Really wonderful experiences! There were a lot more people attending but Wizard clearly cared about comics and while there were some celebs at the show, it was still mostly about the comic books. Some years later, maybe around 2004, someone must have gotten the idea that they were leaving a lot of money on the table because all of a sudden things got expensive. I’m not talking about the $ 6 hotdogs or $ 4 water; I’m talking about the way ticket prices jumped up by at least 25−40% every year or two. (You used to be able to buy a weekend pass for $ 25 and I think they are currently $ 100.) Autograph and photograph services became a mainstay, so the same photo that cost you nothing a few years ago was now $ 50 or $ 100 dollars. And once you’ve agreed to buy the photo, they ask if you’d like to purchase a Jpeg of the photo for an additional $ 15. (They email it to you weeks later, if you’re lucky enough to get the correct photo and not some stranger)
And what’s worse than charging for the photo’s, the way the people are herded through the «photo booth» allowed for approximately 14 seconds with the celeb. Even if the celeb wanted to chat for an extra 20 seconds, the people working the booth usher you out quickly. Also, at some point the show became less about comic books and more about «everything.» In an obvious attempt to appeal to more con goers, the show started featuring a lot of wresting stars. Which is fine for a pop culture show or a wresting convention but this is called a COMIC CON.
Ten years ago I met Stan Lee at Wizard World for the millionth time and he was behind the Marvel booth happily signing and taking photos with anyone that asked. At this year’s show, a Stan Lee photo and autograph will run you $ 180. So if that’s all you wanted, you’d get 20 seconds with Stan, a photo with him, an autograph and all it would cost is $ 180 + $ 60 one day admission + $ 13 parking.
Another big problem with this show is that very few publishers are attending now. No more Marvel or DC. No Image or Dark Horse. It’s like a big comic-​centric flea market with a bunch of C-​level celebs. And with no big publishers, you lose most of the talent that comes with them. Without the A-​list publishers and artists, the show becomes a giant vendor comic book store. And those vendors are charging prices they could never get on ebay to cover the cost of their expensive tables.
I guess I’m just one of those guys that says, «It used to be so great.»
If you’ve never attended a comic show, I’d recommend C2E2 over this any day. C2E2 is geared towards comics, not catering to vendors. But if you have never been to a show and this is the one you’re going to attend, I have some advice for you:
1. Bring a sketch book and spend a lot of time with the «no-​name» artists in artist alley. You can spot real talent there and you’ll get a chance to meet the stars before they become stars. I have an entire sketchbook full of awesome sketches and autographs from BIG name people because they started out in Artist Alley.
2. Bring a PB&J or something else to eat. And a candy bar for a quick pick up. The food is awful cafeteria food.
3. Bring (or buy at the show) a sketch book or a stack of comic boards. When you see an artist you like, respectfully ask for a sketch. They rarely say no and you’ll have a wonderful one of a kind keepsake that you can cherish for years to come.
4. Bring a ton of extra cash. You’ll see.
5. When you get your program, look at it and figure out what you want to do first. Don’t wander blindly. Get right to the celebs, or artists right away. You might meet them before the crowds start to form.
6. Wear comfortable shoes, it’s a giant cement floor and your dogs will be barking.

Holy smokes, Batman! The tickets are really expensive compared to other cons, but Wizard World is fantastic at bringing in a ton of stars and allowing fans a chance to fawn over their favorite people. You also get freebies for going such as a lanyard, pins, and for 2013, I got a Walking Dead comic in my bag. Hooray for free stuff! This year (2014) they will have the entire Star Trek TNG cast, doctors from Dr. Who, and much more! Excuse me while I empty my savings and stare with a gaping jaw at being able to stand next to Stan Lee and take a photo with him. I went during 2013 and some big names were the granddaddy of Marvel — Stan Lee and Captain Kirk (William Shatner). You have to pay extra for photo ops and even more for meet and greets, but for die hard fans, it’s totally worth it. I mean, come on, I met Stan Lee! That in itself justified the ticket price. :)
Since it’s Comic Con, it’s centered on comics rather than animé/​manga, but you’ll see a sprinkle of Japanese items here and there. There are still tons of people cosplaying and it’s always fun to see the Deadpools interact. At the artist alley, I noticed the prints are a lot more expensive than the ones found at Animé Central; prices start at $ 10/​print for small ones, and start at $ 20+/print for bigger, more detailed prints. I assume this is because the artists are legitimate comic artists and have actually worked for Marvel or DC, so they can charge more than your typical internet artist. However, they do give deals if you buy more artwork and their artwork is fantastic! Sadly, you’ll have to find the smaller, independent artist booths to get smaller trinkets like stickers or cards because the bigger artists tend to only sell prints/​posters. The dealer room was huge and they offer a lot more items than Acen — you can find tons of witty shirts, comics, DVDS, figures, costumes, toy props (wanna buy a phaser or sonic screwdriver? look no further!), etc. As usual, artists and sellers tend to accept cash, so there are ATMS along the walls to serve you.
Comic Con has a good number of events going on all the time, but I found it difficult to navigate the center and arrive on time because it’s so big. Surprisingly, despite the traffic, the security is really nice and does a wonderful job guiding people around and maintaining the crowd. I checked out events like the gaming room, which wasn’t too packed but had a friendly crowd of people and many open play games. There’s also speed dating, which looked cute when I stopped by to take a look. Another panel I went to had Zachary Quinto speaking, which was exciting! For the photo ops, the staff were pretty fast (10 – 15 minutes) in developing, printing, and giving out the pictures.
Advice: bring a folder or those plastic photo protectors for the art and photos you’ll get. They’ll protect your stuff from being ripped, smudged, or otherwise damaged! Also, I recommend getting there early to get your badge because the lines are insanely long and the wait is brutal. Food is also pricey and you have to wait a while to get it, so if you can, pack your own food.
My only pet peeve was there didn’t appear to be many places to rest and I noticed a lot of people ended up sitting on the ground, which sometimes impeded traffic. I wish they’d get a larger bean bag area or provide more designated locations to sit and rest. Otherwise, it’s family friendly and I’d definitely go more than once!
Edit: Forgot to note, kids 10 and under are FREE with each adult ticket (apologies to any teen titans). Hooray for family friendliness!

This was my first year going and my first convention ever and I had a great time, the floor space was evenly spread out with vendors on the top and artists and autographs on the ground. Event staff was very friendly especially Wolverine guy. Water was provided very well in the panel hallways to fill my bottles and staff did not mind the use of outlets to power up devices in rooms. The artists and vendors were all friendly and personable and I was able to move freely on the floor. Only annoyance for me was the escalator being broken on Friday but it was repaired by Saturday. I heard there were issues with meet and greets and autographs but I didn’t do autographs

The set up this year was SO much better. In the past everything was packed into one floor with no room to move. This year thanks to another event, it was spread out to two floors. It made walking around so much easier and less congested. In the past you could barely walk at a snail’s pace and had people walking into you every 30 seconds.
This was more spread out, more room to walk and honestly was a lot more manageable. I thought the guests were better than those at c2e2. Everyone I encountered was nice and polite.

Comic con is always great times. This year they did a great job running the line. Went on Saturday which is always the most crowded day. I was surprised how fast the really long line moved to get into the con. As always the con has lots of great stuff to empty every nerds wallet with ease. Always great looking at the different stuff vendors have here. Also many people come in costume so always great costumes to check out here. The crowd is as much part of the show as the celebs. Be prepared to spend big bucks for autographs and pictures with celebs as they charge for each separate. A autograph and picture with Zach Quinto will set you back $ 160 och… Also seems entry fees keep getting more expensive each year. $ 60 for a single day is steep. All and all good times but very expensive. C2E2 has almost the same vendors and is much cheaper.

I had a fun time in 2013. Nice group of celebrities of both comic and TV/​Movie variety. Only downsides I see are that it is on 2 floors of a convention site and that the programming is severely lacking. But if you enjoy the convention floor, then it’s pretty good. I had a lot of fun.

Wizard World Chicago Comic Con was pretty cool, but it’s no Animé Central. I guess I should preface the bulk of the review by saying I’m actually not that into comics. In my defense, I’m not as into animé as other people as well. I still feel I can make somewhat of a comparison.
The timing of the event caused parking to be a clusterfuck. Normally, when I attend conventions, I can find parking. They had this the same weekend as a few other conventions in the area, so finding a spot that wasn’t incredibly overpriced was damn near impossible.
The security guards at this event were very nice. They weren’t pushy or had a power complex. You could tell they’d be serious if they had to, but they seemed like they were genuinely having a good time and enjoyed being part of the action.
I like the setup of the show, but it was clearly geared more toward the comics with less focus on costumes. I saw a number of good costumes, but they seemed few and far between. There weren’t as many cosplay vendors as I would have liked to see. Honestly, I lost interest pretty quickly. Again, probably since I’m not that into comics themselves. I almost always come for the costumes.
One thing I did like was how the vendors were mixed. Costume shops were in between artists and sprinkled among the different comic book sellers. I actually wish ACen would set things up this way. Even though I might not be as interested in buying books, at least it encourages people to check out the entire floor instead of gravitating solely toward art or costumes or books.