Fan Expo Chicago

Last updated

Fan Expo Chicago
Wizard World Chicago Logo, 2012.png
Wizard World Chicago logo used in 2012
StatusActive
Genre Speculative fiction
Venue Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Location(s) Rosemont, Illinois
Coordinates 41°58′45″N87°51′35″W / 41.97917°N 87.85972°W / 41.97917; -87.85972
CountryUnited States
InauguratedJuly 22, 1972;52 years ago (1972-07-22)
Most recentAugust 16, 2024;4 months ago (2024-08-16)
Next eventAugust 15, 2025;7 months' time (2025-08-15)
Attendance70,000 in 2009
Organized by Fan Expo
Website fanexpohq.com/fanexpochicago

Fan Expo Chicago (formerly Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, and commonly known as the Chicago Comicon), is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was traditionally a three-day event (Friday through Sunday), but in 2006, it expanded to four days (Thursday through Sunday). It was founded in 1972 as Nostalgia '72, Chicago Comic Con and later as the Chicago Comic and Nostalgia Convention by a local dealer (and school teacher) named Nancy Warner. [1] [2]

Contents

Acquired by Wizard Entertainment in 1997, and Informa's Fan Expo unit in 2021, Fan Expo Chicago is among the larger comic book conventions in the United States, in third place for overall attendance at a single event.

Originally showcasing comic books and related popular arts, the convention has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture elements, such as professional wrestling, science fiction/fantasy, film and television, horror, animation, anime, manga, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels. From 1995 to 2006, it was also the home of the Wizard World Fan Awards. [3]

History

Chicago collectibles dealer Nancy Warner staged the area's first comic and collectibles convention on July 22–23, 1972, calling it Nostalgia '72, Chicago Comic Con. [1] It attracted 2,000 attendees. She ran the show, which featured movie screenings, [4] as well as dealers from as far as Los Angeles, Atlanta, [5] Buffalo, New York, and Oklahoma City. [1] In 1973 an unrelated show, called "Chicago Comic Con", produced by Mark Lully of the Atlantis Bookstore, was planned to take place at the Midland Hotel with announced guests including Stan Lee, Jim Steranko, and Mike Hinge, [6] but that show was cancelled. [7]

In 1975, Warner approached local comic book store owner Joe Sarno [8] and his associate Mike Gold to produce the show. Their job was to overcome Chicago's reputation of being a sub-par convention city. [9] Early in the process, George Hagenauer and comics retailer Larry Charet [2] were brought in. Although Sarno wanted to name the show the Chicago Comic Art and Nostalgia Convention, he was voted down and the name Chicago Comicon was adopted. [9]

The first Chicago Comicon was held in the Playboy Towers Hotel on August 6–8, 1976. Special guests were Marvel Comics figurehead Stan Lee, DC Comics president Jenette Kahn, seminal cartoonist/editor Harvey Kurtzman, [10] artist Mike Grell, and illustrator Tim Conrad. The show featured a comic auction benefiting Chicago's Alternative Schools Network (later auctions benefited the Literacy Volunteers of Chicago). The first Chicago Comicon attracted 2,100 attendees.

Chicago Comicon logo used by the convention for 20 years. Designed by Tim Conrad and adapted by George Hagenauer. Chicago-Comicon-logo.jpg
Chicago Comicon logo used by the convention for 20 years. Designed by Tim Conrad and adapted by George Hagenauer.

In 1977, the Chicago Comicon moved back to the Pick-Congress Hotel, on 520 S. Michigan Avenue (the location of the 1973 show), where it remained until 1983. (The Pick-Congress was renamed the Americana-Congress Hotel in 1982.) The producers added Bob Weinberg to help coordinate the 1977 show. [9] Attendance reached 3,000 at an admission charge of $3/day. The 1978 show was dubbed "Sweatcon" because of the extreme heat. [11] The 1979 show was produced by Larry Charet and Bob Weinberg; it was the first year that Joe Sarno was not one of the show's organizers. Admission was $3.50/day.

Show organizers hosted a "Chicago Minicon" on April 26–27, 1980, at the usual location of the Pick-Congress Hotel; guests included John Byrne, Max Allan Collins, Tim Conrad, Mike Grell, Paul Kupperberg, and Marv Wolfman. By 1980, the feature show admission was $4/day, and by 1982, it had gone up to $5/day. Will Eisner was the show's guest of honor for 1981 but was unable to attend due to an accident. [11] He returned in 1982 as the guest of honor, which was the same year that the Chicago Comicon merged with Panopticon West, a Doctor Who convention. Again because of overwhelming heat it was dubbed "Sweatcon II." [11]

The Comicon was expanding, and in 1983 the show moved to the larger venue, the Ramada O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, a northern suburb. [12] That location was the show's home until 1993 when it relocated to the Rosemont Convention Center (now known as the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center), where it has remained ever since. [11] During the mid-1980s, the show organizers hosted annual one-day "Minicons" every December. [13]

The 1985 program booklet celebrated Marvel Comics' 25th anniversary, followed by the 1987 program celebrating Chicago-based First Comics' 5th anniversary, 1988's booklet marking Eclipse Comics' 10th anniversary, and the 1989 program noted Kitchen Sink Press' 20th anniversary. The 1988 show featured the inaugural presentation of the Harvey Awards. [14] [15] One-day admission for the 1988 comicon was $6. [16] The 1989 show focused on Batman, due to the popularity of Tim Burton's Batman movie. It also featured a panel on underground comics that included Harvey Pekar, Jay Lynch, Skip Williamson, and S. Clay Wilson. One-day tickets for the 1989 show were $7. [17]

The 1992 Chicago Comicon celebrated the "spirits of independence", e.g. the hot-selling group of creators behind Image Comics. Rob Liefeld held a 24-hour autograph session from Friday morning to Saturday morning. [18] The 1992 show featured 200 dealers, and attendees were charged $10 per person or $25 for a three-day pass. [18]

The 1994 show featured fifty publishers and 300 dealers; [19] it also hosted the Comics Arts Conference.

By 1995, the comics industry was in a slump, and attendance at the show was decreasing. [20] By then, the convention ownership included Charet, [12] while the main show organizer was Moondog Comics owner Gary Colabuono. The 1995 Comicon featured a Stan Lee roast, [21] and again hosted the Comics Arts Conference.

In 1996, the Chicago Comicon became the new home of the Wizard World Fan Awards, which were presented at the show every year until their discontinuation in 2006. [3]

Wizard Entertainment bought the Chicago Comicon from Charet and his partners in 1997. [22] By the 1997 show, attendance was topping out at 5,000; [20] Wizard's first order of business was to fire the previous organizers. [23]

With the 1998 show, now renamed Wizard World Chicago, attendance jumped to 25,000, [20] at a charge of $20 per day or $40 for three days. [24] The 1999 show featured 750 exhibitors. [20]

The 2001 show featured exhibitors like DC, Marvel, Hasbro, and Bandai, and charged attendees $20/day or $40 for the weekend. [25]

By 2006, Wizard World Chicago had expanded to four days and boasted a weekend attendance of over 58,000 people. [26] The 2009 show attracted 70,000 attendees, [2] but neither DC Comics nor Marvel Comics had an official presence at the show.

Disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich made an appearance at the 2010 Wizard World Chicago, conversing with and taking pictures with attendants. He charged $50 for an autograph and $80 for a photo. He also had a humorous televised meeting with Adam West; Blagojevich remarked that he considered The Joker to be the best Batman foil. Comic fandom website bleedingcool.com reported that Blagojevich was met with a mostly positive reception, while Time Out Chicago described it as mixed. [27] [28]

The 2011 show charged $35 for a one-day pass and $60 for a four-day pass at the door. [29]

The 2020 show, scheduled for August 20–23, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next show was scheduled for June 24–27, 2021. [30] The convention was postponed to October 2021 due to COVID-19, while Wizard Entertainment's conventions were sold to Informa's Fan Expo unit in August, and rebranded accordingly beginning in 2022. [31] [32]

Dates and locations

DatesLocationAttendanceOfficial guestsNotes
July 22–23, 1972 [5] Pick-Congress Hotel, Chicago [5] Known as Nostalgia '72 [5]
August 3–5, 1973 [1] Pick-Congress Hotel [1]
Chicago
Chicago
August 6–8, 19762,100 [11]
August 5–7, 1977 [33] Pick-Congress Hotel, Chicago3,000 [11] Stan Lee, Jenette Kahn, [34] Chester Gould, and Howard Chaykin [35]
July 14–16, 19782,500 [11] Guest of honor: Chester Gould; [34] other guests include Al Milgrom, Chris Claremont, Rudy Nebres, and Dale Messick Will Eisner was invited to be an "Extra Special Guest", but couldn't attend due to illness. [34]
July 20–22, 19792,000 [36]
July 17–19, 1981Pick-Congress HotelGuest of honor: Will Eisner. New guests for 1981: Terry Beatty, Jim Engel, Chuck Fiala, Denis Kitchen, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Dean Mullaney. Returning guests: John Byrne, Howard Chaykin, Chris Claremont, Max Allan Collins, Mike Grell, Mike Friedrich, Roger Slifer, Paul Kupperberg, Marshall Rogers, Jim Shooter, Joe Staton, Roger Stern, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Cat Yronwode [37] Eisner unable to attend due to an accident. [11]
July 16–18, 1982Americana-Congress Hotel Will Eisner
July 22–24, 1983Americana-Congress HotelThe last Chicago Comicon to take place in Chicago (and the last at the Congress hotel)
July 6–8, 1984 [38] Ramada O'Hare, Rosemontc. 12,000 [38] Jack Kirby, Julius Schwartz [39] Program cover featuring Superman drawn by Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. [39]
July 5–7, 1985Ramada O'HareGuest of honor: Sergio Aragonés
July 4–6, 1986Ramada O'Hare5,000 [40] Stan Lee (guest of honor), George Pérez (special guest), Doug Wildey
July 3–5, 1987Ramada O'Harec. 4,500 [41]
July 1–3, 1988Ramada O'Harec. 5,000 Max Allan Collins and Dick Locher (special guests); [16] other guests: Bernie Wrightson, Michael Kaluta, Dave Stevens, and Chris Claremont [42]
June 30–July 2, 1989Ramada O'Harec. 5,000 Jim Aparo, [43] Stan Lee, Harvey Pekar, Jay Lynch, Skip Williamson, and S. Clay Wilson [17]
July 6–8, 1990Ramada O'Hare5,000+ [44] Featured guests: Van Williams, Gerard Christopher, Harvey Kurtzman, and Erik Larsen. Other guests: Mark Gruenwald, Jim Starlin, Tom DeFalco, Len Strazewski, John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Chuck Fiala, P. Craig Russell, Charlie Athanas, Dick Locher, Max Allan Collins, Rick Obadiah, Howard Mackie, and Tony Caputo. [44]
June 21–23, 1991Ramada O'Hare Jim Steranko, Kevin Eastman, and Chris Claremont [45]
July 4–6, 1992Ramada O'HareImage Comics crew: Rob Liefeld, Mark Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Jim Valentino, and Whilce Portacio; Martin Nodell [46]
July 2–4, 1993Rosemont Convention Center20,000–30,000 [2] Guest of honor: Neil Gaiman
July 3–5, 1994Rosemont Convention Center20,000+ [47] Guest of honor: Harlan Ellison. Special guest: James O'Barr
June 30–July 2, 1995 [48] Rosemont Convention Center20,000 [49] Guest of honor: Peter David. Special guests: Sal Buscema, Roy Thomas, John Romita Sr., Chris Claremont, Jim Shooter, and Julius Schwartz
June 21–23, 1996Rosemont Convention Center25,000 [50] Guest of honor: Will Eisner; other guests: Harlan Ellison, Larry Marder, Heidi MacDonald, Mike Richardson, Kurt Busiek, Sergio Aragonés, Evan Dorkin, Paul Levitz, Julius Schwartz, Mercy Van Vlack, and George Pérez [51]
July 4–6, 1997Rosemont Convention Center
July 17–19, 1998Rosemont Convention Center25,000Guest of honor: Todd McFarlane. Special guests: David Prowse and Kenny Baker
July 9–11, 1999
August 4–6, 2000
August 17–19, 2001Rosemont Convention Center40,000+ [52] Guest of honor: Alex Ross. Special guests: Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Gene Simmons, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Kimmie Kappenberg from Survivor , James Marsters, and Juliet Landau [25] [52]
July 5–7, 2002Rosemont Convention Center
August 8–10, 2003Rosemont Convention Center
August 13–15, 2004Rosemont Convention Center
August 5–7, 2005
August 3–6, 2006Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont58,000 [26] Guest of honor: Jeph Loeb
August 9–12, 2007
June 26–29, 2008Donald E. Stephens Convention Centerc. 68,000Guest of Honor: Warren Ellis. Special Guests: Todd McFarlane, Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Ross, Steve Sansweet World premiere of the new Batman animated movie Batman: Gotham Night
August 6–9, 2009Donald E. Stephens Convention Center70,000 [2] Guest of honor: Mark Millar. Special guest: Jeremy Dale
August 19–22, 2010Donald E. Stephens Convention Center William Shatner, Linda Hamilton, James Marsters, Linda Blair, Nicholas Brendon, Clare Kramer, Claudia Christian, Richard Roundtree, Julia Jones, Joe Madureira, Michael Golden, Arthur Suydam, Brian Pulido, and David W. Mack Original date of August 12–15 moved so as to not compete with Star Wars Celebration V, taking place in Orlando, Florida; [53]
August 9–12, 2012Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
August 8–11, 2013Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
August 21–24, 2014Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Neal Adams, Bruce Campbell, Jim Cheung, Lou Ferrigno, Jason David Frank, Karen Gillan, Joel Hodgson, Greg Horn, Stan Lee, James Marsters, Leonard Nimoy, Cassandra Peterson, Norman Reedus, Michael Rooker, Marv Wolfman [54]
August 20–23, 2015Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Neal Adams, Adam Baldwin, Jon Bernthal, Bruce Campbell, Arthur Darvill, Larry Elmore, Nathan Fillion, Jason David Frank, Summer Glau, Greg Horn, Ernie Hudson, James O'Barr, Norman Reedus, Michael Rooker, Hideko Tamura Snider, Arthur Suydam, Scott Wilson [55]
August 24–27, 2016Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Gillian Anderson, John Barrowman, Bruce Campbell, John Cena, Tom Cook, Sam Ellis, Lou Ferrigno, Carrie Fisher, Michael J. Fox, Jason David Frank, Michael Golden, Mike Grell, Gene Ha, Greg Horn, Xander Jeanneret, Ken W. Kelly, Kurt Lehner, Christopher Lloyd, Jason Mewes, Trevor A. Mueller, Kate Mulgrew, Phil Ortiz, Humberto Ramos, Norman Reedus, Tim Seeley, Arthur Suydam, Lea Thompson, Cerina Vincent, Greg Weisman, Renee Witterstaetter [56]
August 24–27, 2017Donald E. Stephens Convention Center John Barrowman, Steve Blum, Billy Boyd, Nicholas Brendon, Dean Cain, Charisma Carpenter, Jenna Coleman, Kevin Conroy, Tom Cook, John Cusack, Michelle Delecki, Colin Donnell, Charles Dunbar, Lou Ferrigno, Summer Glau, Mike Grell, Gene Ha, Elizabeth Henstridge, Alex Kingston, Kurt Lehner, Russell Lissau, Caleb McLaughlin, Vic Mignogna, Trevor A. Mueller, James O'Barr, Phil Ortiz, Michael Rooker, Tim Seeley, Kevin Sorbo, Jewel Staite, Catherine Tate, Ben Templesmith, Time Crash, Tim Vigil, Arryn Zech [57]
August 23–26, 2018Donald E. Stephens Convention CenterSource: [58]
August 22–25, 2019Donald E. Stephens Convention CenterSource: [59]
August 20–23, 2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [30]
October 15—17, 2021Donald E. Stephens Convention Center [31]
July 7–10, 2022Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
August 10–13, 2023Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Brandon Rogers, Richard Horvitz, Henry Winkler, Bonnie Wright, Steve Burns, Emily Swallow, Brent Spiner, Tom Wilson, Peter Weller, Gabriel Luna, Christopher Lloyd, Katee Sackhoff, Giancarlo Espositio, Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Chevy Chase, Sam Raimi, Zachary Levi, Danny Trejo, Christie Brinkley, Typer Hoechlin, Bitsie Tulloch, Harvey Guillen, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron, Anthony Michael Hall, Carlos Valdes, Danielle Panabaker, Paul Walter Hauser, Andy Serkis, Garrett Hedlund, Todd Stashwick, Kiefer Sutherland, Dermot Mulroney, Jason Patric, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mire Sorvino, Susan Sarandon, Ivan Raimi, Felicia Day, Michelle Hurd, Barry Bostwick, Beverly D'Angelo
August 16-18, 2024Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Mark Hamill, Butch Hartman, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Amir Talai, Erika Henningson, Blake Roman, Gina Carano, Laurie Metcalf, Marisa Tomei, Matthew Lillard, William Shatner, Charlie Cox, Adam Savage, Morena Baccarin, Alan Tudyk, Linda Hamilton, Rose McGowan, Mario Lopez, Robert Patrick, Skeet Ulrich, Joonas Suotamo, Lance Henriksen, Shannen Doherty, Johnny Yong Bosch, Patrick Warburton, Wayne Knight, Phil Morris, Larry Thomas, Richard Dreyfuss, Sean Gunn, Eman Esfandi, Diana Lee Inosanto, Holly Marie Combs, Michael Biehn, Lee Waddell, Edward Furlong, Jamie Kennedy, Jim Cummings, Grey DeLisle, Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen, Zach Aguilar, Justin Briner, Maile Flanagan, Kate Higgins, Ryan Colt Levy, Yuri Lowenthal, Christopher Sabat, Megan Shipman, Dave Wittenberg, Johnny Yong Bosch, Fred Tatasciore, Cameron Monaghan, Neil Newbon, Tara Platt, Roger Craig Smith, Patricia Summersett, Ella Purnell

Criticism and competition

By 2009, criticism of Wizard World Chicago had been mounting for a while, particularly from those who resented the show's declining emphasis on the traditional comics market and more on things like professional wrestlers and old TV shows. In addition, local dealers resented the show's location outside of Chicago's city limits and its high exhibition prices. The 2009 show, for the first time, had no representation from major publishers like DC and Marvel. According to Deanna Isaacs of the Chicago Reader , those publishers opted instead to appear at the competitor convention Reed Exhibition's Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), which challenged Wizard World Chicago's position as Chicago's only major comic convention in 2010. [2] [60]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Zahour, Frank. "Superman, Howdy, 'Alive' to Nostalgia Buffs", Chicago Tribune (Aug. 6, 1973), p. 16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Isaacs, Deanna. "Clash of the Comic Cons: Wizard World and the new C2E2 battle it out for the hearts and minds of local comics fans," Chicago Reader (Apr. 15, 2010).
  3. 1 2 Wizard Fan Awards. Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ McGuire, Carolyn. "Fun to do: Tune in for Oldies", Chicago Tribune (Aug. 3, 1973), p. b1.
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  6. ↑ The Buyer's Guide to Comic Fandom #32 (March 15, 1973).
  7. ↑ Facebook post from Russ Maheras, artist of the ads
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  9. 1 2 3 Sarno, Joe. "Origins of the Chicago Comicon," Archived May 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Joe Sarno's Comic Universe. Accessed May 31, 2012.
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  25. 1 2 Meyer, Cheryl. "Comic book fest to draw heroes, villains and fans: Wizard World goes past pages of comic books," Chicago Tribune (August 17, 2001).
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  30. 1 2 Hunter, Natalie. "Wizard World Comic Con 2020 Officially Cancelled, Will Return in 2021: Chicago's Wizard World Comic Con located at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center has been postponed from August 20-23 2020 to June 24-27 2021," Screen Rant (July 28, 2020).
  31. 1 2 Chris Arrant (August 10, 2021). "Wizard World closes its convention business, selling all cons off to Fan Expo". gamesradar. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
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  38. 1 2 Phillips, Richard. "Weekend Tempo: The comics craze: Profit potential is a Lulu! Happenings: The comics craze could yield a Lulu of a profit", Chicago Tribune (06 July 1984), p. wc1.
  39. 1 2 Shooter, Jim. "Look, Up in the Sky...!" JimShooter.com (June 7, 2011).
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  41. ↑ Wolf, Robert. "Comic Books are Lifelong Adventure", Chicago Tribune (03 July 1987), p. 3.
  42. ↑ "Summer Comic Conventions", The Comics Journal #122 (June 1988), p. 26.
  43. ↑ McCracken, David. "Holy oldies! Movie gives Batman collectibles a boost", Chicago Tribune (June 23, 1989), p. 5.
  44. 1 2 Webber, Brad W. "Comicon is a Giant in Comics Circles", Chicago Sun-Times (July 6, 1990), p. 64.
  45. ↑ "Rosemont to Host Comicon", Chicago Sun-Times (June 28, 1991).
  46. ↑ Neil Steinberg. "Today's Comic Books Mirror Myths of Past", Chicago Sun-Times (July 4, 1992).
  47. ↑ Arnet, Danielle. "Rosemont Expo Is a Powerful Display of Comic Belief", Chicago Sun-Times (July 1, 1994), p. 75
  48. ↑ Reuter, Lisa. "Three Events Perfect for Holiday Getaway", Columbus Dispatch (June 25, 1995), p. 03.G.
  49. ↑ Arnet, Danielle. "Chicago Comicon Draws In a New Generation of Fans", Chicago Sun-Times (June 30, 1995), p. 63.
  50. ↑ Barreras, Peter. "Comics klatsch draws 25,000", Chicago Sun-Times (June 25, 1996), p. 48.
  51. ↑ Cwiklik, Gregory. "The 21st Annual Chicago Comicon: A Personal View", The Comics Journal #189 (Aug. 1996), pp. 23–27.
  52. 1 2 Press release. "Wizard World Chicago 2001 attendance tops 40,000," Comic Book Resources (September 6, 2001).
  53. ↑ Einhorn, Aaron. "Wizard Entertainment Moves Date of Chicago Comic-Con To Not Overlap With Star Wars Celebration V," Comic Hero News (Dec. 4, 2009)
  54. ↑ "Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2014 Information". Fancons. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  55. ↑ "Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2015 Information". Fancons. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2016 Information". Fancons. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  57. ↑ "Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2017 Information". Fancons. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  58. ↑ "Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2018 Information". Fancons. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  59. ↑ Count Gregula. "Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2019," Archived October 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Count Gregula's Crypt: Chicago Now (August 19, 2019).
  60. ↑ Ryan Kopf. "C2E2 Review". UpcomingCons.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
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