There’s no denying that Philadelphia has a bit of a reputation, and people tend to use the moniker “The City of Brotherly Love” ironically. To those who would malign our city with accusations of unfriendliness, I invite you to spend some time at the annual comic book and pop culture convention, Wizard World Philadelphia.
What’s so great about Wizard World is it lets people really show their passion. Some time in the recent past, detachment became king and a cynical cloud descended us like a thick fog. But at Wizard World Philadelphia, people are here to celebrate their fandom, and their enthusiasm is infectious. People are stopping each other to compliment handmade costumes of their favorite characters. Local vendors are offering creations they’ve poured their hearts and souls into. Strangers are talking to each other about favorite comic book storylines, movies, and more.
And the programming is delightful as well! Here’s a small sample of what I saw in my four days at Wizard World:
- Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher dancing with a kid from Ray’s high school, and being so genuinely pleasant that it made me feel kind of bad for hating Justice League (not enough to actually turn me around on it though).
- Charisma Carpenter and Holly Marie Combs discussing their place in TV and film history, reboot culture, and how to improve representation of women both on screen and off.
- Sean Bean at his second ever convention.
- Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, and Sean Astin howling with laughter while discussing the Hearts of Darkness style film that was made by Billy and Dominic Monaghan, including scenes like Dom smoking a pipe by the fireplace naked and Billy Forrest Gump-ing his way across the flat New Zealand landscape.
- Trivia Contests galore, including one won by yours truly, with great prizes.
- Discussions of what makes a good villain, and what goes on in their head
- Charity screening of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog benefiting Equality Now.
So if you have the chance to attend the next Wizard World Philadelphia in June 2019, you should definitely do it. Take the time to celebrate your passions. Be amongst your peers. It’s good for your soul. And I’ll leave you with these words of wisdom from Billy Boyd.
“Any time you’re smelling a shit, you’re really tasting shit. Also, we should call shits jobbies.”
-George Heftler
