WizardWorld sells a bunch of shows ...... 0

[Mike Bray]

Fan Expo Acquires 6 Wizard World Events Including Chicago, Building Global Fan Con Juggernaut (forbes.com)

 

what says everyone ---

[1Cool]

I'm liking them taking over the Cleveland show since I know people here are pretty starved for entertainment type of events.  Wasn't the writing on the wall that Wizard was going under so this is a good thing for everyone, right?

[Murphman13]

It’s probably for the best since it provides financial stability to those shows who have been on shaky ground for years. Consolidation continues  to occur in this field. Salt Lake comic con (Fan X) just acquired Tampa con a few weeks ago. I assume they absorbed Tampa’s other two cons, Indiana and Atlanta, but my info was sketchy and came from multiple dealers at Tampa last weekend.

[Kevin Boyd]

More work for me

[Cat]

I can't believe we're approaching 2022 and Wizard is still relevant. Sure it's not the magazine, but it's something. 

[djzombi]

I honestly thought the Wizard shows floundered for a few years after the magazine folded, then the shows themselves disappeared.  
Guess I was wrong (again!).  

[revat]

On 8/10/2021 at 11:19 AM, djzombi said:

I honestly thought the Wizard shows floundered for a few years after the magazine folded, then the shows themselves disappeared.  
Guess I was wrong (again!).  

I think they had rights to shows in some cities, but weren't actually doing them (or losing money on them), because they were out of money.  The pandemic probably helped them get out of some existing contracts, and allowed them to claim some insurance money and get some no-interest loans to pay some employees.  I believe they've been near or at bankruptcy for a while.  But they did have a resurgence 2011-2015(?) during the recent boom of comic shows.

[revat]

On 8/10/2021 at 7:31 AM, Mike Bray said:

Fan Expo Acquires 6 Wizard World Events Including Chicago, Building Global Fan Con Juggernaut (forbes.com)

 

what says everyone ---

good for everyone, wizard was dying, and the shows were suffering.

If they have any left, they can focus on making those shows good.  They were spread too thin, often with multiple shows in multiple cities the same weekend.

Edited August 10, 2021 by revat

[Larryw7]

The last Wizard Philly show I went to had barely any comics.

[NewWorldOrder]

On 8/10/2021 at 2:57 PM, Larryw7 said:

The last Wizard Philly show I went to had barely any comics.

Come on you didnt want to get a car insurance quote or change your cell phone service at those booths instead?  

[djzombi]

On 8/10/2021 at 5:57 PM, Larryw7 said:

The last Wizard Philly show I went to had barely any comics.

That's so sad.  I went to WW Philly like 15 years ago for 2 years in a row and those shows were phenomenal.  

[Coverless 9.8]

On 8/10/2021 at 11:35 AM, Mecha_Fantastic said:

I can't believe we're approaching 2022 and Wizard is still relevant. Sure it's not the magazine, but it's something. 

I'm glad Wizard is fading so the speculators will finally disappear too!   Uhh, yeah.  

[thehumantorch]

I'm not sure if this is good or bad for the hobby.  Seems like FanExpo will control a large percentage of the comic cons in North America and will have a dominate position in the hobby.  With great power comes great responsibility.

[Coverless 9.8]

How do I get Gareb Shamus to autograph my Black Bull comics?!  

[mattn792]

I wish Wizard the best in its upcoming rebranding as Wizard Entertainment and Blockchain (or Cannabis, or Lithium, or EV, or whatever buzz word they try to exploit).

From a hobby perspective, good riddance to them.

[kaculler]

I went to Wizard World Chicago every year from when they took it over through 2018.  The last decade had some rough patches when DC, Marvel, and others decided to stop attending.  I also heard a number of complaints from dealers and other people.  However, for me, the show was almost always consistently good for what I wanted, which was to buy back issues for my collection.  I would usually come home with 150-300 comics.  The writing was kind of on the wall the last year I went, though, when a number of dealers said that they wouldn't be back the following year, and even Graham Crackers was planning on having a seriously reduced presence.

I might give the Fan Expo Chicago show a try if the pandemic ever settles down again.  Hopefully it will be a good show for comics.  My want list is much smaller than it used to be, though there are still a number of things I'm looking for.

[NewWorldOrder]

On 8/10/2021 at 5:27 PM, djzombi said:

That's so sad.  I went to WW Philly like 15 years ago for 2 years in a row and those shows were phenomenal.  

I am originally from Philadelphia, so I also remember loving even flying back east to attend those shows!

Used to a fun show from 2002-2013-ish.