I have to say, yesterday, the experience I had at Wizard World as compared to NY ComicCon was like comparing day to night. Both are very different.

Wizard World is way smaller in size and magnitude than NY ComicCon. But that can be viewed as both a positive and a negative. On the negative side, the amount of attractions, celebrity and industry guests, exhibitors, and attendance is so bare bones that it literally took me just over two hours to contemplate going home. Why? Because in that scope of time I had done everything I needed to do and see all I really needed to see.

And yet... paradoxically, that was also a very good thing. Allow me to explain...

One of the most plaguing things I experienced at NY ComicCon was the exhausting amount of time it took me to get my comics submitted, get my comics signed, and walk the floors to see what was happening. The long and time consuming lines were the biggest disappointment I experienced at NY ComicCon. It is one of the things I do so loathe... spending time on slow moving queues and contending with an endless sea of humanity. And that's how most of the day went for me at NY ComicCon 2012.

Not so at Wizard World... on the contrary... one could move around without bumping into elbows or being sucked into a riptide of moving people... in fact things were so incredibly brisk and easy going that it was so relaxing and refreshing... I could breath. The show started at 10AM, yet because, like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, in all my zeal and kiddy-like enthusiasm, I ran out of the house without my ticket. I was halfway to the con when I realized my titanic blunder, which forced me to take a detour to my office. Luckily at work, I had downloaded the ticket when I purchased it and kept a copy. So I printed my ticket and was on my way. I got there closer to 11AM, about an hour later than expected.

Yet when I finally arrived to the show, in my estimation, fan attendance at WW was around only a paltry 20% of NYCC. There was virtually nobody on line at the CGC booth when I went to submit. And that was a blessing because the pressure and anxiety to speed things up was lifted. I could actually relax and take my time not worrying about an impatient group of collectors behind me. It was a blessing.

And this is my favorite part: I had 8 comics for artist JG Jones to sign. I was expecting a long line for him. I spoke to CGC about witnessing the signature, and like last year, they told me to locate his booth and come back to get a witness... which I did. And that was very, very painless. I discovered JG Jones, sketching quietly, all by his lonesome, drawing a commission piece (an image of Batman and Superman), for a fan. His table-top set-up was very nondescript. Unlike other artists in attendance who were selling prints and illustrations and putting a greater effort into marketing themselves, JG Jones was sitting at a long table with nothing more than a choice selection of art supplies, a sketch book, and what may have been a commission journal or registry book. I actually walked around twice thinking I missed the guy because I was in search for his tell-tale covers on prints or his name in bold on a mini-banner like some of the other artists had displayed. Refreshingly, JG Jones didn't have any of that stuff (see pic).

And boy was he a joy to speak with. I spoke to him at length as Molly (a CGC rep) witnessed him signing my comics. He indulged my request to sign and date some of the comics. And after I explained why Molly was present and my intention to have these comics third party graded, he was very careful in the way he handled my comics knowing condition and grade are important to me (and I remain grateful for his understanding).

One conversation we had was on the subject of his very first pro job illustrating Dark Dominion #7, a comic published by Defiant. This little known comic was an early 90's indie comic that was co-conceived by Steve Ditko and Len Wein, with Jim Shooter as Editor. If you are unfamiliar with it, the story and concept has Steve Ditko's stamp all over it, and concerns an occult character endowed with the ability to see and battle the monstrous entities which inhabit the Astral Plane. Another comic JGJ signed, Rant #1, published by Boneyard Press, a B&W comic he co-wrote and illustrated, is only his fourth published work (after Dark Dominion #'s 7, 8, and 9). JGJ mentioned he actually worked on Rant prior to Dark Dominion, but it wasn't completed and published until after Dark Dominion. The artist also mentioned he was thinking of reviving the immortal character from Rant... which would be sweet. All in all, I discovered JG Jones to be a very humble and a down-to-earth kind of guy... a true joy to meet and talk with. And he took my fan boy giddiness in stride.

So that signing was painless, quite an awesome experience in fact, unlike the logistical challenges I faced at NYCC due to the different scheduling appearances of artists coupled with the long queues.

So having completed my main mission with CGC in record time, I went on to see what was happening. I perused the floor visiting a variety of comic dealers, some of whom had the most amazing displays of Golden and Silver Age keys I had ever seen. They were like museum pieces and I was in arms distance of a 9.0 Avengers #4, a 9.8 of Fantastic Four #48, a 9.8 of GSX #1, and a 9.4 Daredevil #1. And my god the prices on these book. I can only say it is doubtful I could ever afford such grails.

From there I casually strolled passed the only long lines of the convention... the queues to meet the celebs of The Walking Dead (Norman Redus, Michael Rooker, Danai Gurira, Laurie Holden and Chandler Riggs), and on to the Q&A session with Stan Lee. Stan was about 15 minutes late before he took the stage. But it was only a minor delay to see the Living Legend. I stuck around for only one question because Q&A took place outdoors in the adjoining backlot in a large tent, and it was steaming hot due to the summer heat which forced me to run back into the convention floor to the comfort and safety of air conditioning.

So this was the question... a pretty good question... the very first question asked by a fan regarding the success of the Star Wars comic: "Did you talk to George Lucas about the Stars Wars comic Marvel did back in the 70's?" Stan's response was his typical tongue n' cheek, whimsical, anecdotal, and self-deprecating delivery: "No... George Lucas... he had such faith in me... he said, Stan go ahead and do whatever you want. Actually, I hadn't met George Lucas at that point. I met him later on. I'm mad at him... you know... he never gave me credit for... What was it called?... Star something? But he's a great guy and now he's part of the Disney/Marvel family." Stan's still the consummate showman and knows how to work the crowd. And at his age, 90, he's incredibly spry and has such a vibrant spirit... he is truly amazing. I wonder if he's imbued with super powers.

Well from there I did a few more walks around, chatted with fans and exhibitors, and did my best to stretch out the day and get my money's worth, leaving the expo about 4ish, completely satisfied.

And since I got home at a decent hour, and still feeling the great comic book vibe, I did a quick change and went to see the 7:20 PM showing of Man of Steel. I finally got to see what everyone was talkin' about... and I must say... I am ambivalent about it all. But that's another topic of conversation.

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