Wizard World Austin Oct 26-27-28 2012

[Will]

Originally Posted by xman25

"Swap out"... meaning you'll trade someone for an autograph ticket(s)?

xman25

Last year I didnt want to take a pic with Hayden so her handler let me trade my photo op pass towards more autos and they made a few extra bucks off it etc.

Dushku came in at 40.00 at the Ohio show so I expect the same for her in Austin so Ill have to toss in extra to get 2 autos for my photo op pass.

With that being said this guest was added to the show-

[xman25]

Is it just me, or is Wizard World not updating as fast/much as they did last year with the guest list. We're about 1.5 months from the show & it seems that by this point last year there was a longer list. Am I wrong about this?

xman25

[HoosierBuddy]

Dushku would be the only reason I'd want to go to the show. That, and to thank Neal Adams for his contributions 30 years ago and tell he to FREAKING RETIRE because his work's shite now.

[xman25]

I'll probably end up going to the show. Right now Eliza is the only reason I'd be there. I hope that changes. I hope there is at least one more celebrity that I want to meet that commits to the show. But, the bright side of there being only Eliza that I'm interested in means that I'll spend less money at the show.

xman25

[Will]

For me there are several artists I want to get something done by that Ill have a chance at, and with Eliza being saturday only, Ill be branching out to get a few other autos fri and sun while the art is being done.

[xman25]

I did the artist thing last year. Unless someone else I'm interested is added, I'll just get an autograph or two from Eliza & possibly a photo op with her, depending on when that is. I'll walk around, take some pictures & videos, then leave. This year's con could be a much shorter experience for me than last year's.

xman25

[Will]

I gotta be honest. Guest wise, this year is looking better overall. Diff strokes for diff folks I suppose.

[xman25]

There were a lot more artist/writers at last year's con that I was interested in. Got autographs from all but two. There where a lot more celebrities I was interested in at last year's con. Got autographs from three of them. Wish I had gotten one more. I am happy with meeting Eliza Dushku. I've wanted to meet & get her autograph for years.

xman25

[Will]

You and I both. Looking at some of the auto prices being posted I think Ill spend alot more on sigs this go around than artists.

I plan on adding Eliza to my baseball that I got last year with Mercedes and Charisma...one of the others will be on a drawing someone is doing of her in the DC Showcase Catwoman outfit. Undecided on the 3rd.

[Will]

Ah hell. Wheaton is on board. Guess Ill try...with no steward vip pass his line might be too long.

[xman25]

New guests announced:

Mike Sorrentino, aka "The Situation"

http://www.wizardworld.com/mitsisojeshc.html

As previously mentioned by out Will, Wil Wheaton.

http://www.wizardworld.com/wilwhwecrstr.html

xman25

[xman25]

The price for Eliza's autograph has finally been posted. $40. Her photo op is $55. I want to do both. The photo op depends on what time she does it. If it's late in the show I probably won't. I don't want to stay too late. I have to drive back to Houston the same day. I'll get at least one autograph, maybe two if I can another picture I like. I found one on ebay that's from a Halloween event.

xman25

[Will]

*canceled*

[Will]

Day 1 I got sigs from Sofia Milos, Craig Parker, and Michael Dorn.

Sofia is gorgeous in person. Extremely polite and is just all around awesome.

Craig Parker is awesome in person. I was told he was great to meet and he really was. Treated everyone that took pics and bought sigs to chat with them and honestly treated them as if they were friends.

Michael Dorn was great too. For a brief time he lived in the town where I went to highschool. Wizard didnt have his pics read to be displayed for the autographs etc so there was a bit of a stall at the start when he got there. I was 3rd in line and while he was chatting with the lady that was first, he mentioned the town he was from etc and I told him it was still funky smelly...its an oil boom town and you could go blind and smell when you got close. Its funky but when you live there, you kinda get use to it. Move away and go back and it hits you like a brick wall and you wonder how you managed to deal with it. He signed a 8x10 I had drawn up of him as the US president from Heroes. I was pretty sure he wouldnt have anything Heroes to sign and nothing I could find online was decent to print out. Earlier this week I realized that Dorn and Eliza Dushku did voice work on a video game that I had a wallpaper pic printed out and he signed that and Ill get Eliza tomorrow.

Plenty of VIP people were pissed at the start because we were suppose to get in 30mins before everyone else but for some lame ass reason we didnt get in until the gen admin time. And they made it seem like they were making it up to us but letting us in 30mins early for sure sat and sun! Wtf ever.

At first I was ticked because I wanted to use that 30 min buffer to get in sig lines etc to get that over with before the crowd rush hit. Turns out the only person there on time was Lou Ferigno. I dont think anyone else showed up until 2pm and then they slowly trickled in from there.

Reedus and Rooker were no shows by the time I had left. I got a majority of what I wanted to do done within 4hrs so we called it an early day. Tomorrow should be a beast. Sunday should be worse than fri but far more chilled out.

Got a ton of work picked up from Patrick Canter. Rita Moore has done a SWEET Catwoman from DC Showcase that Eliza voice and will sign for me...I hope. Its racy but nothing too bad.

Money was spent quickly and I thought I wouldnt get near what I saved up for the show but it looks like Im on the road to dipping into my reserves lol.

[xman25]

Turns out I'm not going. About two & half weeks ago I changed my mind. My heart wasn't into the show. Eliza Dushku wasn't enough of a reason to go. I put the money I would have spent on the show towards tickets to the last couple Texans games (vs Packers & Ravens). Ended up with a 'game-used' ball during the game against the Ravens. There's a Tri-Star football show this Sunday at Reliant Center that I'm going to. Anyway, maybe next year's Austin show will have more people I'm interested in.

xman25

[Will]

Day 2 started off by VIP's still not getting in half an hour early as stated etc. They blamed it on the vendors and artists not getting their stuff out of the isles but Wizard could have announced earlier to start getting their stuff out of the way etc but it is what it is.

Today I was going to try and get Reedus and Rooker but before I could decide on my own, the line for Reedus was just about full from all the VIP's that got in. Nobody got in Rookers line so I chilled out there and was his first since the VIP's were still in the Reedus line. He was an absolute blast and a pleasure to deal with. I got laughed at for being the only one in his line but I didnt mind being I got in and out without having the VIP pass.

Eliza showed up escorted by Rick Fox which tickled quite a few. They ribbed him a tiny bit about doing his own signing etc. Good humor no doubt. She made everyone wait a few extra mins so she could put out a bowl of candy and decorate her table a bit.

I had an artist do an oversized piece of Catwoman from DC showcase since Eliza did the voice work on it. I loved how it came out and when I showed it to her handler she wasnt too sure Eliza would sign it. Showed her and she was game for it but laughed and said she didnt remember the front of her suit zipping down that far. Cant show the pic at the moment but the zipper was unzipped below the bellybutton. I didnt want to hold up the regular line while I was digging crap out to get signed so I came back later.

Since Dorn was there, I got his sig on the Heroes presidential pic and the 8x10 of Saints Row 2 wallpaper, she was down to sign that and I went ahead and got her to sign the baseball that was signed by Charisma and Mercedes last year. She was actually kinda stoked to sign that when she saw who she signed with. The show people let me trade my photo op in for 2 autographs while I paid the price difference.

Went back through to get a 8x10 signed for a member here and she laughed at me coming through again until I told her I was doing it a little here and a little there so the regular line didnt have to wait on all my bs. She dug that and the volunteers liked it.

I gave my litho to artist Patrick Canter since he was a fan of hers and before I left for the day I went back and got it from him and went back through her line once more and got it signed for him in return for future work which wasnt a problem for me.

It just hasnt been a con for me to get any art but I did give an artist a shot at a Hiro that Ill get tomorrow. I plan on getting in the Reedus line asap and hope for the best to go against the VIP's. After that, I may go back through the artists and see what I have money left over.

Saw Brian Kong was on the list but I think because of the impending storm they have on the east coast he decided to sit this one out and while going through the AA I saw Lord Mesa was suppose to be there but I think he may have had the same issues.

[Will]

Day 3 was quick and easy. Stood in the Reedus line for 2hrs before he showed up thanks to a night of drinking lol.

He got there 10 mins before the walking dead panel started but they put that off a little and let him run out some quick sigs etc for those in line waiting.

Rooker got there sunday before Reedus and when he saw it he walked over and channeled his inner "Merle" and went on a rant about how he's not responsible for his little brothers actions and that he needs to learn how to handle sh*t on his own etc. It was great. Rooker came off as my favorite guest this show hands down.

What irked me was they were so quick with the signing etc that when Reedus signed my ball and handed it back to me he smudged the sig a bit.

[xman25]

How would you compare this year's con to last year's con?

xman25