Wizard World Chicago 2019 4 4

[Randall Dowling]

26 minutes ago, MrBedrock said:

Yep. A rough Houston fan. Steer clear. 

He couldn't even be bothered to set up a real booth. 

I know you remember when being an Astros fan required a deep, deep commitment!  I was just in Houston but only for 24 hours.  Next time, I’m stopping by the store! 

[Cat-Man_America]

7 hours ago, Bumble Kitty said:

 

Awesome Chicago Wizard wall shots Bumble Kitty!      Especially liked the cool Bedrock City diorama.  ...Oh, wait a minute!   

[Robot Man]

17 hours ago, Bumble Kitty said:

OK, my observations of the convention:

My last visit to Chicago was 11 years ago, so I will use that as a comparison.

This trip was planned nine weeks ago.  Flights were still affordable and I had a choice of several hotels.  Very easy to plan and book, as compared to the San Diego Comic Con.  

My wife and I flew in on Wednesday night.  We spent most of Thursday sightseeing and I hit Preview night for about two hours.  I spent most of that time talking to dealers who I hadn't seen in years.  That was very enjoyable.  Al Stoltz was trying to convince me to go to Baltimore in late October.  

I returned to the Con on Friday for about five and half hours as Mrs. Bumble Kitty went to the Magnificent Mile to look and shop.  I caught up with more dealers.  When I realized time was moving on without me, I started buying books.  I felt a little rushed and I didn't get to "box dive" at length (I learned to do this from Robot Man). I didn't even get to walk through Artist's Alley.  Another day would have definitely helped me.

I left the Con to meet up with a couple of boardies for dinner at Gibson's.  Saw a couple of celebrities there -- Henry Winkler and our own Roy (yes, I consider him a celebrity, plus he looks better than the Fonz).  I had a wonderful time, with Inaflash, Silver and Mrs. Bumble Kitty.  My steak was outstanding!

I went back to the Con on Saturday morning for about one hour, as we had to check out before noon and catch a flight.  I did some last minute shopping and said good bye to a few people.  I guess Chicago enjoyed having me, as I was patted down in the security line at O'Hare.  Prior to the "pat down", the agent asked if I wanted a private room, and told him I already had a prostate exam, so go ahead.  The TSA agent and I are now on a first name basis.

I noticed fewer dealers than my last visit 11 years ago, but there were still lots of comic dealers, as evidenced by the pictures.  I bought a nice stack of books and I could have spent a lot more, if I was not married (my wife doesn't frequent the boards, so I can write this).  This show may not be what it used to be, but it was still fun for me.

It is true that Wizard management leaves a lot to be desired.  As a result, other convention promoters are gunning for them.  Case in point, Reed had the Philly show the same weekend.  There was also a Con up in Canada (Toronto I believe).  Heck, Harley was up there buying and he left Jason in charge of his booth down here.  So a few dealers were siphoned off to those Cons.

But for me, when I travel to a Con, visiting the area and meeting friends is always the priority.  Buying funny books is secondary.  As a result, I have a great time and it turns into a mini vacation.  It is just the way I look at things.

One last note:  for you boardies on the West Coast, particularly Southern California, you are very fortunate to have Terry O'Neil's show in January and Torpedo Con in July.  It seems everyone in Chicago knows about these shows and are thinking of attending.

Thanks for the great report with dealer photos Kitty. Sounds like you had a great time. I haven't been for several years but it used to be maybe the best show to buy at back a few years ago. Looks like no shortage of great dealers. I miss Basement and John Houser. They don't come out here much any more. Probably the best stuff was in their boxes. They have a great eye and I always used to stack up gems from them. The boxes are the "thrill of the hunt". Often, very cool overlooked stuff is in them if one puts in the time to look. I always take a quick scan of the wall and hit the GA boxes. Also miss Verzyl, never could afford much from him but what a character and so passionate. Hope the kids are carrying the torch for him. I know he was there in spirit.

Although, the dealers were there in force, and there was probably plenty of great eye candy, I suspect the prices were probably through the roof. I was SHOCKED at Torpedo last month. Stuff was just priced to the moon. Just couldn't touch anything popular or on the walls. I know the dealers are struggling to find new material and having to pay through the nose to get it. I keep wondering when a lot of this stuff is just going to be priced out of only the few crazy, deep pocketed buyers. I'm close to being done as a buyer. I know I'm "old school" but have no problem paying up for a "special book". There just aren't that many "special books" left that I need and willing to pay those kind of prices for any more.

Chicago, is one of my favorite towns in the US. Always, have fun doing non-comic book stuff there. Great food, music and baseball. And, like you said, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones is every bit as fun as buying funny books. Glad you had a good time and thanks again for the great report.

And WTF was up with Ritchie? Bedrock shows up with 5 boxes and an ugly shirt???

 

[Zolnerowich]

19 hours ago, MrBedrock said:

Yep. A rough Houston fan. Steer clear. 

He couldn't even be bothered to set up a real booth. 

The only free chair at the show, no doubt! A tall man needs to rest his long legs.

[Cat-Man_America]

Excellent con report and visual aids.  Looks like it's still a solid show from the quality of dealers and comics on hand, but I'm still curious about the overall attendance.  Perhaps dealers who set-up could provide a better narrative on foot traffic for the entire show.  Was this year's WWC larger than last year's? Smaller? About the same?  

[mwotka]

Here are some of my pics from the show.  Start off with a few closer shots of Gator's wall.  It was spectacular.  

[mwotka]

A few more wall shots of Harley, Dale Roberts, and Superworld.

[mwotka]

And perhaps you eagle eyes spotted my favorite book at the show, Harley had the Church Planet 18 in 9.4 for $20K!!! 

Also someone had some nice original Kirby art, a whole book of it.  Here are a few selections.

[comicnoir]

I was there and saw that Planet 18, Incredible, except for that chip on the bottom right. $20K and I don't want that chip.

[Dr. Love]

2 minutes ago, comicnoir said:

I was there and saw that Planet 18, Incredible, except for that chip on the bottom right. $20K and I don't want that chip.

But...Church

I hear Jason would have been willing to knock $50 off that

[comicnoir]

6 minutes ago, Dr. Love said:

But...Church

I hear Jason would have been willing to knock $50 off that

$65.00 with a call to Harley I'm sure.

Thing sold for $19,200 in Dec. 18. Someone's not making money on this.

[mwotka]

I don't know on the 18, someone must've needed money bad for it to be selling close to the auction price.  And yeah the chip is too bad, but it looked so nice.  My first time holding a Church Planet and they live up to the hype!

As to my impressions of the show, I did one day Friday.  Not enough time, I didn't see half the dealers I wanted to and they were practically dragging me out at 730.  A great selection of stuff at most dealers, but I agree with others that prices were very high.  But many people were willing to deal.  I heard some people thought things were slow on Friday, not sure how it went Saturday.  I have been on and off in past years and think the selection was quite good.   Just wish it didn't involve the whole Wizard circus of gutter salesmen and others aggressively selling.  One guy practically chased me down as I walked past him talking for 20 seconds or so and I just kept walking and he just kept talking and I just went faster and faster til he gave up.  Shouldn't have to deal with that at a comic and entertainment show.  

I did pick up some nice stuff, including some early Fiction House books and a Centaur and Brick Bradford 6.  Had a blast seeing all the great books and art on display!

And very sad to hear the news of the thefts from Tomorrow's Treasures.  After the theft last year, I thought people would be more careful, but also wondering if Wizard isn't doing much for security there.  Smart dealers are boxing in their wall books, with only a small space and letting in only one or maybe two people to see the good stuff.  But I wonder about keeping the backside and sides of a display wall secure, if the person behind you isn't a serious dealer and watching out for you.  Heritage put out a list of the stolen merchandise that I thought I would list here as well:

 Our friend Richard Muchin from Tomorrow's Treasures tells us that a number of comics were stolen from his booth at last weekend's Wizard World Chicago. The books included:

• Tales of Suspense #2 CGC 7.0
• Tales of Suspense #3 CGC 7.0
• Daredevil #1 (1964) 4.5 CGC. 2036526015
• Spider-Man #1 5.0 CGC 2036528006
• Spider-Man #3 CGC 3.5 2036526006
• Tales to Astonish #9 8.5. CGC 2048163003
• Action Comics #19 7.5. CGC 1493862001
• Daredevil Comics #1 (1941) 4.5 CGC 2020020001
• Detective Comics #144 9.0. CGC 0700844001
• Mystery In Space #4 9.4. CGC 1970249019
• Startling Comics #22 6.5 CGC 1345362003

If you have relevant information, please email Tomorrow's Treasures at comics@tomorrowstreasures.com. 

[n2wdw]

On 8/26/2019 at 7:31 PM, Bumble Kitty said:

OK, my observations of the convention:

My last visit to Chicago was 11 years ago, so I will use that as a comparison.

This trip was planned nine weeks ago.  Flights were still affordable and I had a choice of several hotels.  Very easy to plan and book, as compared to the San Diego Comic Con.  

My wife and I flew in on Wednesday night.  We spent most of Thursday sightseeing and I hit Preview night for about two hours.  I spent most of that time talking to dealers who I hadn't seen in years.  That was very enjoyable.  Al Stoltz was trying to convince me to go to Baltimore in late October.  

I returned to the Con on Friday for about five and half hours as Mrs. Bumble Kitty went to the Magnificent Mile to look and shop.  I caught up with more dealers.  When I realized time was moving on without me, I started buying books.  I felt a little rushed and I didn't get to "box dive" at length (I learned to do this from Robot Man). I didn't even get to walk through Artist's Alley.  Another day would have definitely helped me.

I left the Con to meet up with a couple of boardies for dinner at Gibson's.  Saw a couple of celebrities there -- Henry Winkler and our own Roy (yes, I consider him a celebrity, plus he looks better than the Fonz).  I had a wonderful time, with Inaflash, Silver and Mrs. Bumble Kitty.  My steak was outstanding!

I went back to the Con on Saturday morning for about one hour, as we had to check out before noon and catch a flight.  I did some last minute shopping and said good bye to a few people.  I guess Chicago enjoyed having me, as I was patted down in the security line at O'Hare.  Prior to the "pat down", the agent asked if I wanted a private room, and told him I already had a prostate exam, so go ahead.  The TSA agent and I are now on a first name basis.

I noticed fewer dealers than my last visit 11 years ago, but there were still lots of comic dealers, as evidenced by the pictures.  I bought a nice stack of books and I could have spent a lot more, if I was not married (my wife doesn't frequent the boards, so I can write this).  This show may not be what it used to be, but it was still fun for me.

It is true that Wizard management leaves a lot to be desired.  As a result, other convention promoters are gunning for them.  Case in point, Reed had the Philly show the same weekend.  There was also a Con up in Canada (Toronto I believe).  Heck, Harley was up there buying and he left Jason in charge of his booth down here.  So a few dealers were siphoned off to those Cons.

But for me, when I travel to a Con, visiting the area and meeting friends is always the priority.  Buying funny books is secondary.  As a result, I have a great time and it turns into a mini vacation.  It is just the way I look at things.

One last note:  for you boardies on the West Coast, particularly Southern California, you are very fortunate to have Terry O'Neil's show in January and Torpedo Con in July.  It seems everyone in Chicago knows about these shows and are thinking of attending.

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts.  It's good to see that Chicago is still a "decent" comic con.  Growing up (I'm 57 now), the consensus big cons were San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta. (I guess NYC too, but there's been so many variations of that) I've been to SDCC and I don't plan to attend again, unless the stars align somehow.  To much hassle and too expensive.  I can't stand the competition to not only get tickets but also a hotel room.  And it's turned into a glorified Wizard World.  When I first started going in the early 2000s, it took me 3 solid days to get through the entire dealer's floor.  That tells you how many comic dealers there were.  I went last year -- mostly to bring my daughter -- and I got through the entire floor in 1 day!  Andy by 5pm I was bored and ready to go.

I made it to Atlanta one year, over 30 years ago.  I have good memories, I remember seeing Wendy Pini and Deni Loubert laughing as they walked arm-in-arm across the lobby.  But does it even exist anymore?  To be honest, I haven't thought about it in a while.  I just did a search and I see that Dragon con is actually this weekend.  But is it still considered a major comic con?

As for Chicago, I never made it there until after it was bought by WW.  Since then I've been a few times.  I had fun, it was alot better than the other WW con I've been to (in Philly), but I wish I had been able to go before WW bought it.

 

 

[Robot Man]

Was a LOT better before Wizard bought it. In it’s day, was probably the best show to buy comics. The best part was it was real affordable to sell there. There were tons of “smaller guys” and collectors cleaning out their collections. A lot of real unusual material surfaced. Guys from the Midwest and east coast showed up in addition to all the bigger dealers. I felt like I was walking around with my wallet in my hand. 

I went once a few years ago to the Wizard show. Although, still very good all the little guys were gone. Sign of the times I guess.

I went to one of the first Philly Wizard shows. My wife and I few in for the Brimfield Antique show. We fly into Philly, rent a van, and drive the back roads to Mass for a week picking. The Philly show was a surprise. I didn’t know it was happening until we check in and saw comic geeks all over the hotel. It pretty much suked. Pretty small and sparse dealer wise. Never went back. 

I am really enjoying the smaller one day comic centric shows like Terry’s show and Torpedo. Just tons of vintage books. 

[n2wdw]

24 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

Was a LOT better before Wizard bought it. In it’s day, was probably the best show to buy comics. The best part was it was real affordable to sell there. There were tons of “smaller guys” and collectors cleaning out their collections. A lot of real unusual material surfaced. Guys from the Midwest and east coast showed up in addition to all the bigger dealers. I felt like I was walking around with my wallet in my hand. 

I went once a few years ago to the Wizard show. Although, still very good all the little guys were gone. Sign of the times I guess.

I went to one of the first Philly Wizard shows. My wife and I few in for the Brimfield Antique show. We fly into Philly, rent a van, and drive the back roads to Mass for a week picking. The Philly show was a surprise. I didn’t know it was happening until we check in and saw comic geeks all over the hotel. It pretty much suked. Pretty small and sparse dealer wise. Never went back. 

I am really enjoying the smaller one day comic centric shows like Terry’s show and Torpedo. Just tons of vintage books. 

I agree.  That's what was missing from SDCC last year -- all the small dealers.  Those were always the most interesting to me.  Like, if you went to a couple cons over a few months, you'd see Harley (or another major dealer) and they'd have the same stock.  It was the small dealers where you could make the most interesting discoveries.

I did go to WW Philly about 3-4 years ago and had a great time.  I was really into Walking Dead at the time and got alot of SS sigs.  That's actually one of the most fun cons I've ever been to, because of that.  It was also my first experience with onsite grading.  The immediate gratification was fun, but I'll never do that again.  It costs too much.  I'd rather just buy more comics and send in books to CGC at normal speed.