Philadelphia Comic Con 2011 Recap

Hi there!  Sorry once again for my absence of late, but the rigors of Real Life has made blogging a luxury.  However, I'm just starting a glorious four-day holiday weekend, so I'd like to take the opportunity to discuss my visit to the 2011 Philadelphia Comic Con, held Friday June 17th!

As much as I love comic books, this was my first time at a major con.  Thankfully, my awesome wife bought me a ticket (via a great discount on Groupon, of all places), and off I went.  My daughter Megan went along for the trip, along with our friends the MacMinns.  Megan was dressed in a Spider-Girl dress, while I went attired in a Hulk t-shirt.

Speaking of the Hulk, he was there, in the form of Lou Ferrigno.  Other celebrities in attendance included Adam West and Burt Ward, Margot Kidder, John Schneider, Vivica A. Fox, Bruce Campbell, and Billy Dee Williams, among others.  I didn't get any autographs, but it was still cool to see them up close and personal.

I also did some shopping.  I bought a hardcover copy of Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross for $10, Chew Volume 3 for a bit less than that, Essential Savage She-Hulk (don't judge me) for $7, as well as some DVDs, including the TV version of the Broadway musical It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (Megan was interested in seeing it) and the infamous TV special Legends of the Superheroes (which I may discuss in a future post).

I received some comp copies of new books courtesy of Philly comic publishers 215 Ink, for which I'm very appreciative.  I hope to give reviews of their books very soon.

Finally, I picked up some nice artwork for myself and the kids.  I got a print of Wonder Woman for Megan and Batman for my son Brian for only $5 a piece thanks to artist Alan Schell, who also gave us a free copy of a comic he illustrated, Oz/Alice in Wonderland.  You can see his work at his Facebook page and his DeviantArt page.  Check him out!

Finally, I got my very first con sketch, from artist TL Collins.  I was especially looking forward to getting a sketch, as I had a particular subject in mind.  I'll save what it is for another post I want to write soon.  In the meantime, you can check out Collins' web comic Bullfinch three times a week.

Here are Megan and I enjoying some cool cars at the show.  We both had an awesome time.  I hope to make this an annual event.

As I've said, I'll try to have some further posts about the con soon.   Thanks!