Finally! Part 1 of a 4 part series featuring photos taken at Wizard World Chicago 2006. Many of these pictures are rather blurry. You can thank Bill and his amazing camera skills for that. You can also thank my wife for going out of town and snatching up our camera to take on the trip. At any rate, you can click any of the photos for the full sized version. Enjoy!
There were a lot more people in line at 9am than I expected there to be. The doors opened at 10am for guest who purchased their tickets at the gate, but at 9am for those who purchased in advance. I figured there would be quite a few people purchasing in advance, but didn’t think there would be several hundred taking advantage of the early entrance.
Here you can see Thor in the distance reading a comic book. If you squint you can see the girl next to him (to your left) with her hand on her face. I believe this was his wife or girlfriend. She was wearing some type of belated costume (a cheap mini-skirt, boots and a small cape) but she seemed very embarrassed by the whole thing (especially during Thor’s photo ops), as if she had lost a bet.
Here you have Mystic and friend (the girl in the back… I think she’s an anime character).
Mystic was wearing glasses for most of the convention… and no shoes or socks. Now that’s devotion!
This was promoting his comic book character by dressing up like it.
A really detailed Predator costume. I’m guessing that this person was paid by Wizard World to dress up (most of the better costumes were).
More paid Predator guys.
The Punisher! This guy was extremely serious.. never saw him break character.
No idea what this is…
Love the convention badge on the waist!
This skating area was set up to promote the new Tony Hawk video game. They were giving away $20 to any costumed character who successfully skated. Thor gave it a try and nearly broke the skateboard. His girlfriend also gave it a try… she didn’t seem embarrassed by the whole thing any more and was letting loose a little.
Here’s another shot of Thor on a skateboard. Everyone watching started chanting “Thor, Thor, Thor!”
Not really sure what this costume is.
At first glance this seems like a pretty good mask… and then you realize it’s store bought… where’s the true devotion, Venom??
This guy is dressed as War Machine and spent a lot of time on his costume.
Super Friends!
That’s all for now, check back soon for Part 2 of this 4 part series!
Update
I said some fairly rude things in this and the other Wizard World picture posts. For that I apologize to any who were offended. It was meant to be in good fun, but translated over the internet to hate. I have removed the commentary in question to make for a more enjoyable experience.
17 responses to “Wizard World Chicago 2006 in photos Part 1”
Hey loved the pics except one small error. The two armored guys below the Predator are Necro Soliders from The Chronicles of Riddick. They weren’t in the Predator movies.
Thanks for the correction, Mandi. I’ll be posting the rest of the pics within the next few days.
Where’s Part 2. 3 and 4…and where is Batman from Saturday???…the keaton-esque one?? now that was kicking costume there!…
Mike:
I’m getting to it 🙂
I’ve had a really crazy schedule lately, but it’s starting to slow down… finally! I’ll be posting the final parts very very soon, including the very Batman you mention… whom I suspect was you.
I also have some really shaky video footage (was filming with one hand) that I’m going to try to edit down so that you guys don’t get as sick watching it as I did (I nearly puked… honestly!)
haha…me batman?? haha…nooooooooo…i shouldn’t reveal it if was me…thanks for the update…look forward to the rest!
I can’t help but remember an old saying: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” You’d do well to adopt that philosophy.
Now, for clarification: the blue lady is named Mystique, not Mystic, the Predator was not paid by Wizard, the dude with the skull mask is Darth Nihilus, love for the characters is what “possesses” people to dress as those characters– not to mention a spirit of good old-fashioned fun– and OF COURSE the Justice League impersonators practiced their poses, and OF COURSE they’ll pose like a celeb with fans because people (not just children) like to play at meeting a superhero or movie monster or elf or whatever.
This is what is called FUN! If ya don’t like it, leave it alone, and please don’t try to talk like you know what people are thinking; you’ll always be wrong.
I can’t help but remember an old saying: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” You’d do well to adopt that philosophy.
Now, for clarification: the blue lady is named Mystique, not Mystic, the Predator was not paid by Wizard, the dude with the skull mask is Darth Nihilus, love for the characters is what “possesses” people to dress as those characters– not to mention a spirit of good old-fashioned fun– and OF COURSE the Justice League impersonators practiced their poses, and OF COURSE they’ll pose like a celeb with fans because people (not just children) like to play at meeting a superhero or movie monster or elf or whatever. This is what is called FUN! If ya don’t like it, leave it alone, and please don’t try to talk like you know what people are thinking; you’ll always be wrong.
A-KO:
When did I try to talk like I know what people are thinking? I have absolutely no clue what these people were thinking.
You, however, seem to have a pretty good grasp on the situation.
The fact is, the people who dressed for Wizard World put themselves out there to be made fun of. You can’t dress like a super hero in this day and age, walk around in public, pose for pictures and not expect to be poked fun of on the internet. I’m not saying these people are worthless or stupid or sub-human, etc.
I am, however, pointing out the absurdity of the fact that they are dressed up in public like their imaginary gods.
By the way, you should practice what you preach. It’s never good to start a rant with “if you can’t say something nice…”. Just a word of advice… I worry about you sometimes.
[…] I first met Sean Tenhoff at the 2006 Wizard World Chicago convention. He was sitting in the Artists Alley, a section of the convention filled with independent artists, mostly of the comic book variety, all hoping to make it big. My friend Bill was there with me and he actually made the discovery of Sean’s Bean Men severed heads. Knowing my taste, he called me over and I quickly purchased one for $10. Sean was really cool. He showed me his book of drawings and even stood up to shake my hand after I purchased the head (which came with a free comic book that Tenhoff had made). […]
the fat guys from predator picture. those are from the chronicles of riddick. and the one that says a costumed fanboy, but I dhave no idea what it is. That is the sith from KOTOR 2
“Not really sure what this costume is.”
He’s from Star Wars: KOTOR II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Nihilus
I’m sorry… Joe is it, of freakcomics.com, but I’m finding that yes, it is true that the internet gives us the power to say whatever we feel like saying …BUT… it is how we use this power that makes the bigger man. While you go out and make fun of these people in the publicly on your website, we should actually give credit to the people in the costumes!! Yes some probably know that they have no business wearing the costume, that they can’t pull it off, but damn it they probably wanted to be the heros that we all wish could be in real life!!! That’s why we read comics in the first place, to look up to them, give us guidance, and relate to the chacters. NOW, if it compells you to insist on making fun of these fans who are brave enough to dress as their heros in public, even though they might have more than a hunch that they can’t pull it off, know who’s behind the mask first! So what if some people bought some pieces of their costume? They at least went out and had fun! I actually went up and talked to the Justice League and they were all very nice. All of them actually made all their costumes, and the detail was amazing! The even invited me to the Video Game Concert with them and hang out later at the local Denny’s! I actually can’t find anything awful to say about them. They are the nice group of friends and I hope I will get to meet them next year… And FYI, I didn’t smell anything awful about them! You didn’t seem to take time to get to know these awesome people, obviously… Next time, Don’t be a dick!!!
Hello, Monkey Ninja.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I’m sorry you took this post so literally. I really can’t help but stress: dressing like a super hero is bound to get you made fun of. Being fond of something is one thing… being a fanatic is quite another. I’d venture to say that the Super Friends pictured above are no worse than football fans who dress like idiots at a game, painted chests in 30 degree weather, etc.
But that’s the thing… those people are asking for it too! It’s all in good fun.
As for them not being able to “pull off” the look… those are your words, not mine. I never said they looked bad. I did mention that they’re in the most awkward phase of their life (aka puberty), and there’s no denying that they are. I’m still shocked that a kid at that age would see fit to dress in spandex for all to see.
And regarding the oder, I’m only reporting what I knew to be true. If the smell was rising from a different nearby source then I apologize for the inaccuracy.
[…] back in August of 2006 I posted part one of mine and Bill’s Wizard World Chicago photos. Then I failed miserably by promising a part two and never fulfilling that promise. Well, […]
The picture underneath the female predator…. thats from Chronicles of Riddick, not more predator guys.
The guy in the black cloak and white mask (under the second shot of thor) is Darth Nihilus from knights of the old republic 2
[…] Wizard World Chicago 2006 in photos Part 1 | Freak Comics Aug 17, 2006 … Beware, what you're about to experience may cause you to question whether or not collecting comics … […]