Etch-a-Sketch Artist at Wizard World Comic Con Chicago

Wizard World Comic Con Chicago Family Day was last Sunday. Sadly, B & I caught a Super-hero sized bug and were down all week trying to refill our power stores. Needless to say, I'm behind on my posts. Don't fret, you'll be able to read all about it soon, in the mean time, enjoy a few photos!

Random Etch-A-Sketch Artist hanging in the isle

His subject (Hey, if this a pic of you, let me know!)

His AMAZEBALLS work of Etch-A-Sketch Art! Bravo!!!!!

'Kids Day' At Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 8/12/12

It's finally that time of year! Wizard World Chicago Comic Con is HERE!!!

Sunday, August 12, Is 'Kids Day' At Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

Face Painting, Ghostbusters Reading, Arts & Crafts, Bubble Show, 'Kid-Friendly' Booths, Passport Program, Costume Contest Lead Special Children's Programming At Donald E. Stephens Convention Center; Kids Under 10 Free With Paid Adult

NEW YORK and ROSEMONT, Ill., July 12, 2012 – In what has become an annual tradition, Sunday, August 12, is Kids Day at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con.  From face painting, a Ghostbusters reading, arts and crafts, ballon artists, a special Bubble Show, kids costume contest, Wizard World Kids Passport program and more, there are activities all day (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) for the 10-and-under set.

Admission to Kids Day and the entire Wizard World Chicago Comic Con for kids 10 and under is free with a paid adult (two free kids per adult).

Some of the highlights of Kids Day include:

• Wizard World Chicago Comic Con Passport (all day) – upon arrival, kids should go directly to the Kids Day booth to pick up a Passport, which will guide them to kid-friendly booths, activities, celebrities and artists.  Kids who earn stamps at each stop will win a prize.
• Ghostbusters Reading (11 a.m.) - Who ya gonna call? Bring the little ones to a special story time reading by the Ghostbusters. Kids can interact with the Ghostbusters as they ask trivia and answer any questions the young ones have always wanted to ask.
• Superhero Arts and Crafts (noon) - This is not an ordinary arts & crafts session, this is specifically made for superheroes! Kids can come join the Justice Twins, Wonder Woman and Supergirl to make their very own superhero mask to wear for the Kids Costume contest.
• Kids Costume Contest (1 p.m.) - Too cute to resist! It's like Halloween in August as kids show off their best costumes and win prizes.  Hosted by our very own superhero, Jarrett “The Defuser” Crippen.
• Face painting and balloon artists (all day) – Talented Wizard World face painters have kids as their canvas, with butterflies, kitty whiskers, flowers and more.
• Kid-friendly celebrities (all day) – Well, we like to think every Wizard World celebrity loves kids, but a few will be stamping Passports and saying an extra hello.  Check out the list on arrival.
• Kid-friendly artists (all day) – Visit super-talented artists in Artists Alley for a Passport stamp and maybe a commissioned piece!  Look for the “Kid-Friendly” sign at their respective tables.

Top celebrities such as William Shatner, Stan Lee, Scott Bakula, Tom Felton, Jon Bernthal, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and WWE® Superstars CM Punk™ and John Cena®, notable artists Carlos Pacheco, George Pérez, Greg Capullo and dozens of others will attend what is shaping up as the biggest Wizard World show ever and the Midwest’s No. 1 Pop Culture Convention.

Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK), will bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

For more on the 2012 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

***** SAVE THE 2012-13 DATES *****
August 9-12, 2012 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con
September 29-30, 2012 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
October 26-28, 2012 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con
November 30 - December 2, 2012 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con
TBD, 2013 – Wizard World Toronto Comic Con
May 30 - June 2, 2013 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con

#    #    #

A Storm Trooper, Lou Ferrigno, and a Ghost Hunter walk into a room

Storm troopers, Carmen Diego, Zombies, Samurais, WaWaWubzy. These are just a few (and I mean few) of our fellow Wizard World Comic Con attendees during Family Day.

As first-timers, entering the convention overwhelmed our senses and forced us to take pause to remember this is for-real and not a super-hero and villain saturated dream.

Kids were given a passport book to have stamped at certain booths, once filling it a prize was rewarded. The kids were just as excited as the adults going from booth to booth meeting their comic culture heroes! My daughter even enjoyed handing over that passport for a stamp. Come on, in kid-dom, ink stamps are just as valuable as stickers!



One of the stampers was the very talented cartoonist/illustrator contributor to the little known cartoons Sponge Bob Squarepants and Dora! Yes, Dave Aikens not only stamped B’s passport, he also drew a quick SpongeBob sketch in it!

Immediately my eyes went all spirally and I was 2 stroller clips away from having him sign her Dora underpants-then I had to step back out of the whirlwind of celebrity regain my composure and Press Credential Professionalism. Now I understand how some people get so star struck they end up with autographed body parts. Phew, crisis totally diverted and a great topic to discuss with my therapist!

Once the inappropriate parenting urge was diverted we headed to Celebrity Row or Rows as there were quite a few. Represented were new comers, old-timers, has-beens and will-be’s all excitingly willing to take your money in return for an autograph or picture. Lou Ferrigno was charging $40 for a Polaroid with him! I can go buy the entire series of the Incredible Hulk for less than that! Sorry Lou. Sadly we did not come prepared with cold hard cash (um, I’m a mom of a 3 year old I’m happy to remember a bra most days, let alone go to an ATM to withdraw some germ infested paper bills that spend just the same as a debit card) so I lost my chance for a picture with one of my favorite paranormal investigators Amy Bruni from Ghost Hunters. But wait-Peter Tork (The Monkeys), the guy who was Chibaka, Porn Stars, and many, many others could not escape my ninja like phone camera talent! So I did end up with some blurry side-of-the- head shots of once larger than life celebrities. Hmm, I think I may have created a new comic heroine.

At 2pm the kids costume contest was held. All costumed kids won a prize. Let me tell you there were just as many kids in costume as adults. It was a sight to behold. Really, we were totally outnumbered in the suburban dressed family versus Samurnauts. Once the costume contest ended and B got her passport prize (a beautiful gem studded tiara of course) we took our totally inappropriate shoes off and travelled the long walk back to the parking garage to head home. Overall Family Day was well orchestrated, though for newbies more signage and maybe a separate area outside of the main event to get started would have made the transition a bit less shocking.

It’s been a few weeks since we went and I’m still basking in the afterglow! I met some great authors/illustrators who were not afraid to speak to us…many people stopped and looked at us like we were freaks, we did after all just come from church! I was introduced to an entire subculture that I knew existed, but thought only in fairytales. My daughter talks about Comic Con just about every day and I am counting down the days until ComicCon 2012!

Here are a couple great peeps I met.  I'll be writing individual posts on each, that's how awesome they are. In the mean time, check'em out on your own!

Unshaven Comics: Matt Wright, Marc Alan Fishman, Kyle Gnepper http://www.unshavencomics-online.com/
Bret Johnson: Skatey Katey http://www.skateykatey.com/

Thank you to Wizard World for providing me my Press Credential and 2 free family tickets to cover this event. No monies were exchanged and all opinions are mine and the real deal!

Look at me, I'm the Bionic Woman Today!

Today I feel like that little robot girl from Small Wonder...remember that show? Better yet, I'm more like the Bionic Woman minus the long feathered hairdo. B is with her grandmother so I'm rushing around getting as much of my pompous to-do list done. I've got about 1.5 hours left and am taking my 15 minute cappuccino break.

It's funny, I've been writing everyday,  yet it's been a few WEEKS since I've posted anything of substance on my blogs. Go figure. What is helping me write EVERYDAY is the book by Julia Cameron, "The Right to Write". If you are a writer (and if you are a blogger, guess what, you're a writer) I totally recommend her book. Every chapter she has an activity for the reader to get in the groove of just getting pen to paper and words from your mind to the sheet.

What else? B did her gift donation drop off at the hospital. It was wonderful. One family was very touched by our tradition. We received a picture of the family with some very kind words. This is the lesson we hope B learns. What better gift? There will be an official follow up post on the whole experience. Stay tuned.

I've still been applying for jobs but I truly don't want to go back to corporate America. I want to write and get paid for it! Of course, the 4 children's books I've written still need to be illustrated...which requires an outlay of money so they are kind of just waiting for our winning mega-millions ticket to come to fruition.

We went through a crazy week with my sister and nephews. Like real crazy. A very wonderful lesson was learned...sometimes when people say they want help, they still may not be ready for it. The other lesson we learned? Never reply to any one's request for help! Seriously, I had 2 full blown panic attacks in 4 days and our life was in the process of being completely uprooted. Sometimes, if you love someone, you have to let them learn on their own. Pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps can be the best help out there.

This past Sunday we went to Comic Con. It was AWESOME! Of course I'll post all about it this week. Talk about a great family activity. My daughter has talked about it everyday since. You don't need to be the stereotypical comic book enthusiast to have a great time at Comic Con. Trust me!

OK, my 15 minutes are up. Time to decorate some cookies, paint a second coat of chalkboard paint on the wall, work on September's Pre-School lesson plans, make a picture frame jewelry display, sew some felt food, clean the house, and jog 3 miles!

xoxo

Patrick Stewart I'm Coming for You!

Beam me up Scottie, I'm going to Wizard World's Chicago Comic-Con August 11-14, 2011! Ok, so I'm sure I don't come off as a comic-con type but let me tell you I have not been this excited to step foot into a convention center in a long time. Gosh darn, I'm a closeted sci-fi junkie who still believes that Capt. Jean-Luc Picard was the best captain ever, comics are works of art, and Sci-fi trumps reality tv anyday!

I'm taking the hubs and my daughter for Family Day. This is the day that kids and family can enjoy face painting, learning how to become a superhero, meeting animators of their favorite movies such as How To Train Your Dragon, entering costume contests, meeting their favorite superheroes (or villains), and much more. Plus, exclusive to Chicago, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy will be available for meet and greets!

Here's the 411 on Wizard World's Chicago Comic Con. See you there!

Wizard World’s Chicago Comic Con 2011 Presents Kid's Day


WHAT:
Share your love of comics, movies, and pop culture with the entire family when Chicago Comic Con hosts Kid's Day on Sunday, August 14, 2011. This is the day kids of all ages can enjoy activities such as entering the costume contest, getting their faces painted, making their own super costumes, learning how to draw and write their own comic books, taking pictures with their favorite superheroes, showing off their Padawan skills with balloon light sabers, and much more. All kid-friendly activities, vendors, booths, and sessions will be designated with a Kid-Friendly button.

Kids can meet Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! in person and have their photos taken with him. Jarret Crippen, the Defuser and winner of Stan Lee’s Who Wants to be a Superhero?, will be hosting Kid's Day and holding a session for kids on how they too can become superheroes! Gary Shipman, animator for the hit movie, How To Train Your Dragon, will also be available.

Special guests to Chicago Comic Con also include Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Army of Darkness), Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, X-Men, American Dad), other celebrities and many artists and writers including Eisner Award winners and nominees. Come celebrate the 30th anniversary of Evil Dead with the cast reunion. Aspiring artists can have their portfolios reviewed by David Campiti, who has helped launch many careers at Marvel and DC. And don’t forget to get “simpsonized” by multi-award-winning Simpsons animator, Phil Ortiz.

For more information on Kid's Day, please visit http://www.wizardworldkids.com/.
For more information about Chicago Comic Con, please visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html.

WHEN:
Kid's Day is on Sunday
Thursday, August 11, 2011 - 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Friday, August 12, 2011 - Noon - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 14, 2011 - 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (Rosemont)
5555 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018

COST:
1-Day Advance Ticket: $25
4-Day Advance Ticket: $50
Free for up to two kids ages 10 and under per paid ticket

VIP Experience Packages available