Space taxidermy! Me and a Sister of Plenitude from Doctor Who.
Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:
It’s that time again! This weekend my wife and I made another journey up to Wizard World Chicago in scenic Rosemont, IL, where we found ample enjoyment and new purchases alongside peers and aficionados of comics and genre entertainment. A few guest cancellations dampened our spirits somewhat, but we persevered and enjoyed our couple’s outing anyway, especially since Anne’s entire weekend admission was free as a consolation prize given to her and a couple thousand other fans after David Tennant’s last-minute cancellation last year.
Now that site traffic has subsided to its normal insignificant levels and all our visitors and new acquaintances have retreated to their respective internet corners, we wrap our miniseries with one last photo gallery in honor of what it’s all about: all that stuff around the convention. Everywhere we walk in an exhibit hall, we’re surrounded by millions or nifty items , whether for sale or for display only. Two organizations in particular brought their finest collections to entertain, to educate, to raise funds, and/or to treat fans to deeper glimpses into revered elements from their favorite fictional multiverses.
The good Doctor-fearing folks at Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey are no strangers to WWC, and brought a different selection of backdrops and statues than they did last year. Doctor Who has no shortage of aliens or environments to choose from when it comes to decorating for any special occasion.
Anne enjoying all the elbow room inside a certain near-infinite time machine.
A Judoon sentry standing in the Earthlight.
An Empty Child and Big Ben, the second-largest time-related device ever to grace London.
Replica of The History of the Time War made from an old, giant Bible.
In another exhibit hall was a special array of movie props courtesy of a fan-run nonprofit called The Horror & Sci-Fi Prop Preservation Association. As the name implies, they’re trying to do for decaying, neglected film props what Martin Scorsese and friends have done in the past for decaying, neglected films. We’ve seen more than our share of pop culture exhibits in museums, but not all parts of Hollywood have been treated with reverence or stored carefully after their days on set were over. This particular weekend, they were raising funds for the purpose of restoring parts of John Candy’s 30-year-old Barf costume from Spaceballs that are looking mangy and falling to pieces. It’s hard not to look when a booth is begging all passersby to “Help Save Barf”.
Bill and Ted’s excellent outfits.
Amazons may seem immortal, but Wonder Woman’s lasso isn’t.
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, because it might tear and you’ll have an angry Dean Cain on your hands.
Just as the elderly save all their old letters, so is the HSPPA trying to save Harry Potter’s school correspondence.
Foe show: Naboo grenade, never used.
The best possible HSPPA TV spot would have the camera watching fur fall out of this Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch to the tune of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”.
…and of course there was more more MORE from the hundreds of vendors in the house. Curiously, though Wizard World decided against using the second floor of the Stephens Center this year, the overall booth turnout was nonetheless strong. At times a lot more fans could be found hanging out in the lobby for cosplay-chasing purposes than shopping in the halls, but we tried to do our part for the geek economy where we could. And for those times when we didn’t, at least we never lacked for not-boring things to ogle.
Once again the good bakers at Max and Benny’s brought all the best iced sugar cookies, including this salute to the Boy Meets World cast reunion.
Max and Benny faced tough competition from Crumby Art Bakehouse and Cakery, who brought other kinds of cookies like these Kawaii macaroons.
Also on sale at the show but not recommended for dessert: McDonald’s Szechuan sauce for the Rick & Morty freaks.
More kitty ears on display with the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, a nonprofit serving multiple causes on behalf of the eponymous actor and his wife Nikki Reed.
Another face on cardboard we’ve never met in person: Bob Ross, who had Mystery Boxes crafted in his name at more than one table. I presume these are filled with unwashed paintbrushes and happy little trees.
Another classic TV star on a box: TV’s Columbo, the home-game version. Anne has been getting into the reruns on MeTV lately, but $25 was a bit steep for what looked like a Clue ripoff.
Another cool name that wasn’t coming home with us: original art by the recently departed Steve Ditko from Amazing Spider-Man #6, the first appearance of the Lizard. 75 grand is a bit steep for me until and unless I can write the Best-Selling American Travel Memoir of All Time, or sell our house and go live in a van down by the river.
We conclude with the last scene we saw before retreating to the Sky Bridge and calling it a wrap on Wizard World Chicago 2018. At left, the locked and unneeded second-floor Hall G. At right, a con volunteer wrestling Deadpool’s giant inflatable unicorn up the stairs.
Who doesn’t love an apt dichotomy.
The End. Thanks for reading! Depending on the guest list, maybe we’ll see you next year?
Other chapters in this special MCC miniseries:
Part 1: Marvel and DC Cosplay!
Part 2: Movie Cosplay!
Part 3: Last Call for Cosplay!
Part 4: Ghostbusters!
Part 5: Who Else We Met, What Else We Did