Raleigh WizardWorld Comic Con Report

On the weekend of March 13th-15th, warriors, rogues, superheroes, villains, starpilots, men and women, boys and girls, gathered at the first ever Wizard World Comic Con to open in Raleigh, NC. They braved closed-off streets and a St. Patrick’s Day parade to celebrate their fandoms by meeting other fans and their heroes. Their efforts paid off: convention goers got to meet actors David Tennant, William Shatner, Sean Astin, Kevin Sorbo, Jason David Frank, Sonequa Martin-Green, Addy Miller, and others, as well as a host of comic book artists and writers of both comic and prose fiction.

Wizard World’s debut in Raleigh contained more than enough panels to keep convention-goers busy all day. When not viewing panels and waiting for autographs and photo-ops, fans had video game tournaments, a board game parlor, and several merchandise venues to choose from that offering everything from T-shirts to Steampunk gear and of course, comic books.

At any convention, cosplayers make the atmosphere, and at the Raleigh Wizard World Comic Con, clever costumers showcased a variety of thoughtful creations. Some of these can be seen in the pictures posted below and in the embedded videos.

In the midst of all the rush, the local Wake and District Public Safety Pipes and Drums played a touching tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy, who recently passed away. The schedule did not herald the performance and this reporter did not know the significance of the tribute until he saw a video posted on YouTube by the wife of one of the band members.

In comparison to the NC ComiCon that comes each November in Durham, NC (within driving distance of Raleigh), WizardWorld comes out ahead with better-quality programming, but the NC ComiCon has decidedly more available from their vendors. With such a solid start in North Carolina’s state capitol, next year’s Raleigh WizardWorld Comic Con is sure to offer a heavy-hitting selection of panels and appearances. Check out the gallery below for images of cosplayers and special guests!

Professor Xavier came to hire more mutants for the X-Men.

Iron Man shows off the latest suit from Star Industries. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

Left to right: Nightwing, Bat-Girl, Batman, Robin.

Forget the grappling hook, Batman takes the escalator. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

These two fine ladies added color to the media kick-off with their Doctor Who cosplay outfits. They are both members of a Doctor Who meetup group. The lady on the left included elements of all eleven Doctors in her outfit.

Waluigi, Luigi, and Mario.

Mario and Luigi wearing F.L.U.D.D. the water cannon and the vacuum cleaner from the Nintendo GameCube titles “Super Mario Sunshine” and “Luigi’s Mansion.” Image taken by Pamela Poole.

The photographer and I loved Princess Leia’s outfit. She knew, of course. The cosplayer said this was the first outfit she made herself. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

A young Yoda trains Dad in the ways of the Force. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

I’m sure that like this fan, our heads are often in a galaxy far, far away. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

The Mad Hatter didn’t offer us any tea. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

Dakota the Dinosaur. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

Comics writers and editors John DeFalco and Danny Fingeroth (both in center) pose with Star Lord, Captain America, and others.

Clark Kent no longer reports for The Daily Planet, but for Legendarium Media.

Legendarium Media’s A.D. Poole interviewing comic artist, writer, and editor Renee Witterstaetter. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

Sean Astin signing autographs.

Sean Astin signing autographs.

Sean Astin reads the Prologue of Terry Pratchett’s “The Colour of Magic.” Image Taken by Pamela Poole.

Sean Astin records the response from the crowd after stepping on stage. Image taken by Pamela Poole.

William Shatner at the Raleigh WizardWorld Comic Con.

Image Courtesy of WizardWorld

Image courtesy of WizardWorld.