Wizard World | Geekscape

What We’re Most Excited To See At Wizard World Philadelphia

by Dennis FinocchiaroJune 1, 2019

Wizard World Philadelphia is fast approaching, taking over the city from June 13th to 16th. I thought I would list the events I am most excited to experience through the anticipated weekend.

5. Ted Danson. No question, I am most excited to see him speak. He simply covers everyone at a convention — Even some of the parents dragged to the show can hear what he has to say about being on Cheers. But I am anticipating hearing him talk about recent shows, especially Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Good Place, which is so entertaining. Hearing what someone has to say who has been in the entertainment industry for as long as he has, and has done what he has done, should be quite entertaining.

4. Gotham’s Ben McKenzie. I saw him speak last time he was in Philly, and he had some great stories about working on the show. But now that it’s over and impossible to spoil, this should be a great event.

3. The Magicians panel. I don’t know how many of you are watching this show, but it’s outstanding. Wizard World has Hale Appleman and Stella Maeve, who play main characters on the show, and I can’t wait to hear what they have to say. Especially Appleman, who plays one of the more outrageous characters I’ve ever seen.

2. Artist’s Alley. I have always enjoyed walking around and talking to the artists and writers. This year they have some exciting additions, plus some of the regulars that are every show. Should be a blast.

1.The costumes. Cosplay is always out in full force in Philadelphia for these events, and I’m sure this year won’t be any different. Except that I’ll have my three-year-old with me for a day, and she is going to go nuts seeing people in costumes. Last year she slept through a lot of it.

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Are you headed to Wizard World? What are you most excited to see? Sound out in the comments below!

Top 5 Moments From Philadelphia Comic Con 2016!

by Dennis FinocchiaroJune 5, 2016

I just got back from a long Saturday at Wizard World’s Comic Con in Philadelphia, and here are the top five moments of the day.

5.Preacher cover artist Glenn Fabry. What a cool, down to earth guy. My wife is a huge fan of his cover art and couldn’t wait to meet him. Not only did he personalize a cover for her, he was super cool and humble. His prints, which were limited and awesome, were only $10, which is cheap for a Wizard World con. When my wife explained to him how his covers drew her into reading the graphic novel, he told us a story. “I met Dominic Cooper [who is playing Preacher on AMC] here earlier today, and he said my covers were the reason he took the role.” With the new show on AMC, expect this guy to blow up. But don’t expect him to sell out.

4.Discussing Muppets with Guy Gilchrist, who drew the original Muppet comic strip and was eventually asked by Jim Henson to come up with designs for the cartoon Muppet Babies. He said “Jim was planning the baby sequence for the third movie and they asked me to sketch what all of the Muppets would look like as babies.” He went on to say you can always tell which are his because he drew the three lines on their mouths.

3.Thor’s Chris Hemsworth was asked about his character in the new Ghostbusters reboot. A fan said he was basically a reboot of Janine, which is quite a different character than he usually plays, and asked him about the role. He described “Kevin” as “…a lot of improvisation. Once we started, the character really took off. He’s completely wacky…he tries to help but has to be rescued more than he helps.”

2.Tom Hiddleston’s constant denial that he is the new James Bond was…creative. It was brought up several times, and he genuinely seemed to be unsure whether it is him or not, but then again he is a pretty tremendous actor.

1.Number one was easy. This con collected the faces of the film Back to the Future. There was a panel (more coming on the panel) including writer Bob Gale, Christopher Lloyd, Leah Thompson and the highlight of the whole day, Michael J. Fox. One of the best lines of the day actually came from Fox, who was asked his feelings when he found out he could have been doing the film (before replacing Eric Stoltz). He explained it: “I was in a trailer in Pasadena, where I had yak hair on my face and was drinking lunch through a straw…I heard about the Spielberg movie and wondered, why am I a werewolf instead of doing that movie? I heard Crispin Glover was in it, and I knew Crispin, and I thought to myself, ‘F**k Crispin Glover.'”

Tom Hiddleston Discusses 007

by Dennis FinocchiaroJune 5, 2016

At Wizard World Philadelphia this past weekend, Tom Hiddleston was announced by the moderator as “possibly the next 007” at a fan panel with Chris Hemsworth. The crowd went crazy, but Hiddleston was dismissive of the possibility of becoming the next James Bond.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, everybody. I don’t think that announcement is coming. But I’m very gratified to hear the enthusiasm. There’s not much that I can say that I haven’t already said, but I know… your guess is as good as mine, to be honest.”

He seemed pretty genuine in the fact that he is not the next Bond, as far as he knows. But then again, he’s quite the actor.

It came up again during a Q&A with fans a bit later. When asked if he would dance when he plays the iconic Bond, he laughed and then said “I have no idea.”

Yet another fan asked if he had the choice between playing The Doctor and James Bond, which he would choose. His response was very politically correct, saying “I couldn’t possibly say, because I don’t know that I’ll ever be offered either.”

Sounds like someone avoiding answering the question, doesn’t it? Well, we will all find out soon enough. The announcement is expected sometime soon.

Hiddleston isn’t the only possibility. A few people, including Emilia Clarke, Idris Elba, and Jamie Bell are considered in the running for the role as well.

Ben McKenzie Reveals Huge Gotham Spoiler for Next Season

by Dennis FinocchiaroMay 9, 2015

In Philadelphia for his first Comic Con appearance ever, Gotham star Ben McKenzie possibly spilled a big secret about season two of the show.

He slipped and told the crowd they would definitely be seeing the Joker next season.

Whether this slip was intentional or not, the actor spilled the beans on what is possibly a huge secret for next year. He also shared a lot more about the upcoming season.

McKenzie also said they would be getting away from the format this season and that two would be more serialized episodes. “We’re getting away from the who-dunnit of the week,” and that next season is “Really cool. If you like it now…just wait!”

He also expressed the same feelings that many fans shared with him during the Q & A section of the panel. “You kind of like the villains…you’ll see a lot more of them [in season two].” He said there would be even more of the villains we all know and love from the Batman timeline, especially seen through their parents, much like season one showed with Scarecrow.

When asked how it felt to follow up such an iconic portrayal of Commissioner Gordon by Gary Oldman, McKenzie said, “I had nightmares of Gary Oldman coming to my house..with a gun saying ‘You better just quit’.”

Fans also asked about crossovers with some of the other DC shows, to which McKenzie replied that Gotham is a “totally unique world…and alternate reality.”

He was also asked which villains he would like to see in season two, which was when he spilled the beans on Joker. But he also pointed out that there are plenty more villains for them to use.

We’d love to hear from you! Which villain would you most like to see in season two of Gotham? Let us know in the comments!

M. Night Shyamalan’s Big Reveal at Philly Comic Con

by Dennis FinocchiaroMay 7, 2015

He’s finally said it. People have debated, fought, angrily yelled at each other for years, and all it took was one fan approaching a microphone and asking.

Tonight at Wizard World Philadelphia, a fan walked up to the microphone and asked him a simple question, after admitting to hours of arguing with friends, on Facebook and even on discussion websites.

“In Sixth Sense, did Cole know Bruce Willis’ character was a ghost from the start?”

Without even hesitating, Shyamalan simply said straight-forwardly, solidly, without a doubt, a resounding “Yes! Of course!”

Wizard World Philadelphia 2015 Preview!

by Dennis FinocchiaroMay 6, 2015

Wizard World Comic Con is starting up tomorrow in Philadelphia, and tonight was the press event, held at the always-classy Hard Rock Cafe. Such a fitting place to kick off the Philadelphia visit of so many famous actors, writers, artists and more.

The weekend started with Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), Vincent Young (Beverly Hills 90210), and Chris 51 (Epic Ink). What an event! They had a Q&A with fans and everyone had a blast.

Some of the big events this weekend include Hayley Atwell and a panel on Agent Carter, David Tennant and Billie Piper doing a whole Doctor Who weekend, Katie Cassidy and Stephen Amell from Arrow, and so many more.

The one I’m most looking forward to, besides the Agent Carter panel, is M. Night Shyamalan’s Q&A and sneak preview of the first episode of Wayward Pines.

Keep checking back this weekend and throughout the next week for more from Wizard World in Philadelphia.

The Saint Mort Show Episode 88: Live from Philadelphia Wizard World 2014

by SaintmortJune 25, 2014

I attended Philadelpiha Wizard World on Sunday (22nd) and grabbed some interviews with a bunch of people including Lloyd Kaufman of Troma, the good people of RetroCon and Scott Derby to name few. This episode also comes with the bonus content of a microphone fuck up where the whole interview is just last week’s guest Lily LeDeux selling photos while I try to interview her boss. Lesson is don’t us omnidirectional mics at a convention.

Troma’s Website

Scott Derby’s Website

Ashen Phoenix’s Website

RetroCon website

Harry Myland Website

Josh Hechinger Website

The song playing during the intro is V an unreleased demo by Forever Got Shorter.

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Philadelphia Comic Con Cosplay Images, Winners

by Dennis FinocchiaroJune 22, 2014

It was a long weekend, but I made it through. What a blast! Tonight I’m going to keep it simple and post some images of Cosplay from the show.

This was an amazing group. Some of them looked like the Doctor without the costumes!

Here are some others I shot:

This one was the winner for best villain:

This one I couldn’t get, but a quick Internet search found it for me!

Here are two of the official winners of Wizard World Philadelphia, 2014:

The rest of the winners can be seen on the Facebook page.

I’ll be back as the week goes on with more Doctor Who panel videos and a few in-depth interviews!

Wizard World Philly: Matt Smith & Karen Gillan Get Dared To Sing The ‘Doctor Who’ Theme Song (& More)!

by Dennis FinocchiaroJune 21, 2014

This morning in Philadelphia, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan were shown just how many Whovians there are in the Philly area during a panel at Wizard World’s Comic Con Philadelphia. The crowd filled up the Grand Ballroom:

It only took the crowd about a minute to realize that the duo’s roles in the show seemed so perfectly matched because of their real-life relationship. They got along like old, best friends. Here is the first few (of many) videos I will be posting from the event.

A fan asked about how much of their dialogue was improvised:

Drunk elephant:

Their first time on the TARDIS:

Another asked about any pranks they ever pulled on the set:

And, as promised, a fan dared them to sing the theme song to Doctor Who, with hilarious and fun results:

That’s it for today. I’ll be posting more videos from the Q&A, plus some other fun interviews from the con during the next few days.

Wizard World Hits Philadelphia This Weekend! Here’s What To Expect!

by Dennis FinocchiaroJune 16, 2014

Philadelphia’s Wizard World Comic Con is coming this week (June 19th-22nd), and there are all kinds of exciting events happening this year! I’m headed there (as well as fellow Geekscape writer Matt Kelly) to take in the sights, and this year’s con promises to be legendary (insert Barney Stinson reference here).

The biggest event, at least in my eyes, is the fact that Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith and Karen Gillan will be in attendance. Not only are the pair doing photo ops and signings, they are also having a panel discussion about being on Doctor Who.

And while Gillan is there, she will be on a Q&A panel for Guardians of the Galaxy along with fellow Guardians stars Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), and Michael Rooker (Yondu). This should give fans some insight into the upcoming film that is sure to be a blast.

Along with Guardians, there will also be a panel discussing Captain America: Winter Soldier featuring Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky/The Winter Soldier).

Not into time travelers or superheroes? How about horror? John Carpenter will be on hand for “Conversations with John Carpenter” which will undoubtedly give insight into the horror legend’s filmmaking career. The website says Carpenter “will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops and and conduct an interactive Q&A panel (Saturday, 4 p.m.) in which he’ll discuss his great films.”

Another interesting one is a screening of The Karate Kid, with Ralph Macchio. There’s nothing like watching a movie with one of the stars, right?

One of the bigger names at the show is Whoopi Goldberg. “Oscar® winner Whoopi Goldberg will make her Wizard World debut at Philadelphia Comic Con, June 20-21. With dozens of television and film credits, including “The View,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Sister Act, The Color Purple, and a wide range of talents and accomplishments, Goldberg is known to millions as an actress, comedian, host, producer, author, activist, and singer-songwriter.

Goldberg will greet fans, pose for photo ops, sign autographs and conduct an interactive Q&A entitled “A Drink With Guinan” (Saturday, 1 p.m.) at Pennsylvania Convention Center. She will appear on Friday evening and the full event day Saturday.”

Along with the usual cosplay contests, comic artists and more, this year’s show should be a blast. If you’re in the area, make sure you check it out! Be sure to head to Wizard World’s official website to get the low-down on everything else that you can expect this weekend!

Are you headed to Philadelphia Comic Con? What are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments.

Geekscape Comics: Wait…’The Situation’ Gets A Comic Book? Is It April 1st?

by Shawn MaddenMay 31, 2012

No, you read it right. Wizard World is releasing this. Was this a drunken bet that went bad? Are we that desperate for new comic ideas that we sank to this low? And how many debts did Paul Jenkins (Wolverine: Origins, Batman, Hulk, Spider-Man), Talent Caldwell (Superman, X-Men, G.I. Joe), and Paul Mounts (Avengers, Ultimate X-Men, Wolverine, and Thor) owe to be making this book? Because these aren’t the worst names in the industry and I’m sorry but seeing a book revolving around this guys abs and drunken sex with Snooki isn’t my idea of a great comic. What’s next? Bad Girls Club Monthly? Top Chef: Origins? Secret Sixteen And Pregnant?The first issue is due on shelves in time for Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, August 9-12. And guess who will be there? Mike “The Situation” Sorrento himself!

Great.

Commence facepalming.