Daron Kappauff and I have been holding off on our convention coverage of the Pittsburgh Comicon mainly to chime in with a reminder about how great this show is and compare to what else is offered on the convention front. Check out an ample offering of photos from this year’s Pittsburgh Comicon. This serves as a mini-travelogue of our experiences, as well as a bit of compare and contrast with the recently concluded WizardWorld: Philadelphia.
The gang as listed below…
Daron, Daron’s girlfriend, Caroline, my girlfriend, Patti, and I attended the Comicon in April. Patti, and I attended WizardWorld: Philadelphia this past weekend. Don’t feel that the lack of Philly pictures is a sleight to Wizard. Patti’s parents went on their first cruise this week and her camera is currently traveling one of the Seven Seas.
The guests in Philly were top notch, but so were the guests in Pittsburgh. There were plenty of media and comic guests to go around at both shows. Basically, it was up to your tastes to determine which show offered the better collection of talent.
To name a few,
Philly offered: Geoff Johns, Erica Durance (from Smallville), King Kong Bundy, Rags Morales, Kevin Smith, The Dudley Boyz, Jeff Jarrett, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Connor, Mike Deodato, Michael Turner, Jim Lee, and a host of others.
Greg Horn & oddly enough one of his male pieces.
Pittsburgh had: Brian Bendis, Bruno Sammartino, Michael Turner, Ray Park (Darth Maul), Mike Oeming, Howard Chaykin, Josh Blaylock, Daryl Banks, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett), Greg Horn, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Connor, Mike Deodato and George Perez.
Hopefully you can figure this one out.
You’ll see some repeated names between the two groups, so it’s really a tossup with the talent. What’s not a tossup are the crowds. It’s far easier to get around in Pittsburgh and you can spend time talking to the talent in a relaxed atmosphere.
WizardWorld is great, don’t get me wrong. Still, it feels like the same thing each and every year. Unfortunately it’s a prepackaged experience without a real heartbeat of its own. The Pittsburgh Comicon offers a vibe that’s all its own. The “name brand” is not always the best option.
Now, if your intention for hitting a con is sitting in halls and listening to “breaking news” on your favorite comics then you need to hit the bigger shows, like Philly. If you want a homier experience with intimate question and answer sessions with creators, and more chances to bid on one of a kind auction items, then you should endeavor to hit Pittsburgh next year.
Probably the best event is the Quick Sketch. The event raises money for the CBLDF by raffling chances to win sketches from a variety of comic pros. I myself won a rockin’ Andy Lee sketch of Dr. Strange with a $1 raffle ticket.
A Huntress CBLDF Quick Sketch
Both of the shows have a $25 entry fee per day or $45 for the weekend. Each one offers some great events. I’ve got to say, where we found enjoyment for a full weekend in Pittsburgh, all that Philly offered was an afternoon’s distraction.
If you can do both shows, like we did, then no harm, no foul. Of course, I would choose Pittsburgh over Philly (or any of the Wizard World shows for that matter) if I was only going to attend one show.
What follows is a series of pictures that were taken at the con that weren’t mentioned in Chris report above. The Overlord’s photo album if you will:
Daryl Banks hard at work on sketch for yours truly.
Wanna take a guess at who that is?
Of course I had to have Kyle’s original designer sketch him for me.
The afore mentioned and hardest working man at the con, Andy Lee.
Andy’s “Zen Art” caught in action as he paints a portrait for my girlfriend.
For whatever reason she has an affinity for Phoenix…and she claims she’s not a “geek.”
As I said, hardest working man at the show…
This one was for the Nexus’ newest writer, Jeff Ritter.
I’m sure you’ve all figured this one out, I thought you’d all appreciate seeing some art “in action.”
And there it is, an original Andy Lee Dr. Doom. Believe me when I say it turned a few heads at the show.
The Andy Lee Weekend Gallery:
The Phoenix
Dr. Doom
Catwoman (That one’s mine Muahahahaha!)
And what Con Report would be complete without at least a couple costume shots:
Kit Fisto
The Fetts
And lastly, Wonder Girl (my girlfriend would never talk to me again if I didn’t include her…)
Well that’s pretty much it. I hope you enjoyed the report, and really hope you can make your way out to Pittsburgh next year. You better believe Chris and I will be there (though most likely minus the girlfriends…they can only take so much geekdom).
Feel free to email Chris or me with any questions or comments on the con itself or the report.
Happy Coning Everyone!
