BrickWorld and Wizard World Chicago Adventure Recap

Phew! I am back (and recovering) from my two week pop culture rendezvous in the Midwest. Both BrickWorld and Wizard World Chicago were great fun. I met so many new people as well as saw old friends. So much happened these past two weeks, but I will just summarize.

BRICKWORLD

This was my first year at BrickWorld, but hopefully not my last. I had such a fantastic time! BrickWorld is a LEGO convention. Thats right, LEGO! Justin's Wild West setup was a hit and it looked great. It was so adorable watching all the little kids getting such a kick out of it.

Justin's LEGOREDO Wild West Town and Train
(not completely set up when this picture was taken)

We had the opportunity to see so many other talented LEGO artists do their thing. I couldn't believe my eyes! Besides looking at all of the creations, we attended a really interesting round table discussion on females in the LEGO hobby and community. I was happy I was able to contribute my opinions even though I am new to this whole LEGO thing. A session led by one of the concept designers from LEGO was also really thought provoking. It was amazing to learn about all of the steps involved in creating a set, I would have never guessed it was that complicated.

Overall, I really liked BrickWorld if not mostly for the relaxed and friendly community-centered atmosphere. It was definitely unlike anything I have ever experienced at a comic book convention or academic conference. And oh yeah, how could I almost forget... I won an awesome LEGO Creator kit in the raffle. Now I can build my very own Stegosaurus!

WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO

The weekend after BrickWorld we headed back to the Chicago-land area for Wizard World. I was on a mission to find romance comics primarily, and boy did I! This show seemed much more plentiful for romance comics than previous years. I bought enough comics to fill a shortbox!

One of the many 1960s/1970s romance comics
I bought with a girl in wheelchair on the cover

Besides all of the romance comics I found, I also almost completed my run of Dazzler. I think I have two issues left to buy. I am not sure why I didn't do it there. Oh well, next convention!

On a sad note and before I go any further, artist Michael Turner passed away over the weekend. I was so shocked to hear this, as was everyone else. He was so young, but he definitely left his mark on the world. Rest in Peace Michael.

On the romance comics note again, I was lucky enough to meet author Michelle Nolan who wrote the book I am reviewing, Love on the Racks. She is super sweet and took such a genuine interest in my aspirations to become a comic book historian. Meeting her was definitely one of the highlights of the convention! She was even kind enough to sign my copy of her book!

On Saturday night we went out to eat with the APE Entertainment crew. There were so many people it was a little chaotic, but super fun. Everyone is anxious for Super Human Resources to come out! We are almost done with the last issue!!! Check it out at www.superhumanresourcescomic.com. You won't be sorry!

All in all, Wizard World Chicago was a lot of fun for me, even though it wasn't as crowded as in years past. I tell you what was really fun though, seeing my name on the floor in Artist Alley!



Well, I will have more updates later on. I am leaving for Washington, DC in eight hours. I will be working at the National Air and Space Museum again for a few months. Hopefully I won't be too busy after work though, and will get a chance to update this as often as possible. Look out for it!