Disclaimer: The Fandads received passes to attend FanExpo Chicago. All thoughts, opinions, and fun we had are our own.
The Who once said “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss” and this kind of sums up my feeling about FanExpo Chicago. This new iteration of Wizard World seems like it is on a path to better days again. With the number of celebrities that they had on hand and the reasonable ticket prices, FanExpo Chicago is a great time for all families.
As I mentioned in previous posts I have been attending this show since it was called the Chicago ComicCon. Every year I would attend with my friends and now that I am older I attend with my children. My daughter has been my co-pilot on a lot of these events lately and we both have a great time taking in all that we can while we are at the show. This year was a little bittersweet with the new name and all but we were ready to see what was new.
Being that the show was at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center the layout is pretty much the same as every year. The one difference they had was due to the amount of talent they had for autographs and pictures, one side of the show floor was dedicated to all of them. I really liked how this layout was. It felt like the show floor flowed better.
There were a lot of celebrities on hand for autographs and photo opportunities. From the cast of Clerks to the 4 Hobbits themselves, fans had the opportunity to meet their favorite actors or voice actors. With the number of panels available, we were able to attend the Star Girl panel that was moderated by Joel McHale and had the stars of the show there. We were treated to a sneak peek at season three and the panel ended with everyone singing Happy Birthday to Anjelika Washington. You can watch that here
We also got the opportunity to attend the Paper Girls panel and that was fantastic. This is the first panel that they have ever done and to meet the girls after the panel was pretty cool. We have been lucky to see the entire series and can say that you all will love it once it premieres. At the panel, we were shown clips of the show and the final trailer. Those in attendance also got the chance to get their poster autographed by the cast after the panel.
My daughter and I enjoyed walking around the floor at FanExpo. She found a few Funkos that she was looking for her collection. I bought some comics from Source Point Press and spent some time talking to the artist of the Fandads logo, Rafael Nieves. That was one of my favorite parts of attending FanExpo Chicago: seeing a lot of my friends again.
I ran into people that I have not seen in years and it felt good to catch up with them in person, talk about comics, and pose for a picture together. Even talking to the vendors and artists was awesome! We talked about their art and how they felt about being back to in-person conventions. One of my favorite groups to see was the Too Sweet Cosplay group. Their panel was a lot of fun! I mean who doesn’t like talking about wrestling? If they are ever at your local con I highly recommend checking them out!
For its first year as FanExpo Chicago, the con put on a great performance. I feel that it will get bigger in years to come and once we are finally free from Covid. If you were not able to attend check out our short video below and we will see you at the next event! Check out our Instagram page for more photos.
Like our favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, FanExpo Chicago will be back on August 10 – 13th, 2023!
FAN EXPO Chicago will host attractions for fans of all ages and fandoms, including panels, autograph sessions, photo-ops and meet-and-greets and retailers and artists from all over the world selling unique merchandise, artwork, memorabilia, comic books and collectibles. Exclusives for FAN EXPO Chicago include DC Batman #251 Special Chicago Edition, 50th Fan Expo Chicago exclusive/limited edition: bag, t-shirt, pin and many others.
ABOUT FAN EXPO HQ
FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively it hosts nearly one million fans annually at FAN EXPO Canada™, MEGACON Orlando, FAN EXPO Dallas™, FAN EXPO Boston™, FAN EXPO Denver, FAN EXPO San Francisco, Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo, FAN EXPO Vancouver™, Toronto Comicon, Dallas FAN FESTIVAL and Edmonton Comics & Entertainment Expo. In 2022, FAN EXPO HQ presents six new shows previously organized by Wizard World: FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, FAN EXPO St. Louis, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO New Orleans, and FAN EXPO Cleveland. The latest schedule of events is available here, along with up-to-date ticket information. Discover. Celebrate. Belong.