Wizard World Columbus 2017 - Day 3

Written by Dani / Andrew Livelsberger and Elise Mabry

Photo/Video by Andrew Livelsberger

Combatants from the Columbus chapter of The Saber Legion sparred for out viewing pleasure.

Background:
Wizard World is one of the largest comicon/sci-fi conventions held in Central Ohio.  Day 3 gave us witness to light saber fights and more cosplay!

Impression:
Winding down the last day, the cosplayers were back.  Most new, but there were some that made appearances all 3 days.  This was a long and exciting weekend.  Capped off by lots of panels, competitions and just more of the same cosplay love.

Deathstroke caught me getting his picture.   I might need to run!  :D

Mario Kart!

Star Wars inspired BB-8 dress and hat

Dr. Who teaching a fan a hand signal.

I would not want to mess with this Mandalorian warrior

Weeping Angel gives free hugs!

Rick from Rick and Morty

Skeletor making the rounds, surveying his next possible conquest.

The stand out entertainment for Day 3 for us was the light saber duel on the entertainment stage.  The Saber Legion, a worldwide saber club focusing on saber combat and sparing put on a few matches.

A representative from The Saber Legion explained a bit about the organization.  Then we got a run down of the sparring rules and how points are scored.    This is not a scripted or choreographed fight sequence!   These guys are involved in a sport very similar to fencing.   As you'll see in the images below, there is safety gear involved.

Explaining the dueling rules before the matches begin.

Wizard World Columbus 2017 - Day 2

Written by Dani / Andrew Livelsberger and Elise Mabry

Photo/Video by Andrew Livelsberger

DC Cosplay Meetup on the Entertainment Stage

Background:
Wizard World is one of the largest comicon/sci-fi conventions held in Central Ohio.  Day 2, gave us more cosplay, video game tournaments and Q&A sessions with some great celebrities.

Impression:
Cosplay was amped up a notch on Saturday.  In both quality and quantity, the creative minds of the fans continued to give you a lot to view!

Celebrity Q&A sessions were in full force as well.  We got to see David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch), Catherine Tate(The Catherine Tate Show, Doctor Who, The Office - US) and John Barrowman(Doctor Who, Torchwood, Arrow).

David Tennant answered a question about his interest in helping people with mental illness.

David Tennant provided a humor and seriousness in his Q&A.   He was very personable and relatable.

Catherine Tate loved hearing all the questions about her diverse career.

Catherine Tate started out her TV career on a comedy show, so it was no surprise that she brought a good sense of humor and a light hearted touch to the discussions.  At the beginning of the show, one VIP section was empty, so she invited everyone from the back of the ballroom to come to the front and fill the section.

Just a few weeks after an appendectomy, John Barrowman told some great stories, answered questions and even capped off the Q&A session with a song, "I Am Who I Am"

More cosplayers than you can count!  The dedication not only to crafting the costumes, but to the character immersion is just a sight to be experienced!

While some are professional cosplayers, there are many aficionados out there that put in a lot of effort and in my estimation, there work is just as good as the pros!

Chewbacca shows some love to a folically challenged fan.

Boushh the bounty hunter even showed up.  Wonder who the bounty is for?

Powdered Toast Man of Ren and Stimpy fame.

Dathomirian Zabrak female Sith Lord makes her way to the comicon entrance.

I think that Ghost Rider was looking for his motorcycle!!

Wonder Woman stares down someone in the crowd.

Aquaman, even though far away from his home in the water, looks confident that he can take on any foe that comes his way.

The shreek of the Black Canary!!

Dadrkman comes out of hiding and sits for a minute to see who is winning the Tekken 7 tournament.

A Jawa was wondering the comicon floor, looking for unattended droids to capture and sell on Tatooine.

A Weeping Angel from Doctor Who tried to garb me.  Luckily, I was able to keep my eye on it long enough to escape through the convention center doors.

A curious convention goer gets up close and personal with a Dalek Sek.

Nicholan Brendon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) even stopped by the Entertainment Stage and sang karaoke with some fans.

Even the celebrities got in on the karaoke fun!

Wizard Video Gaming also returned.
This day featured fighting games such as Tekken and Street Fighter.

Even Batman should have a little cash on him!

Pondering a sword purchase from one of the many vendors.

Day 2 was the more intense day....more people, more cosplayers, more energy, just more of everything, really.  To be honest if you can make every day of the three you should as their is a great experience to be had by everyone on each day.  If you can only make one day, then Saturday will be your best bet on being able to get a little bit of everything.

Wizard World Columbus 2017 - Day 1

Written by Dani / Andrew Livelsberger and Elise Mabry

Photo/Video by Andrew Livelsberger

Marvel VS DC Cosplay
Doctor Octopus stole the show

Background:
Wizard World is one of the largest comicon/sci-fi conventions held in Central Ohio.  Day 1, kicked off 2017 with cosplay, video game tournaments, a walk through the artist alley and featured events at the main stage.

Impression:
The doors opened at 4pm.  The lines for ticket sales and entry were long.  You could feel the excitement in the air as Wizard World returned to Columbus, OH on Aug 4-6, 2017.  While opening day may have only started at 4pm, there was no shortage of activity and cosplay participation.


Emotion Into Art artist, Tom Varano, put on a demonstration.   With just brushes and his hands, this artist created these super hero portraits in just minutes!  It reminded us a lot of things you might see featured on social media.

completed Batman

Hulk in progress

completed Hulk along side the real life Hulk, Lou Ferrigno

The base of what will soon be Tony Stark as Iron Man

Artist Stuart Sayger put on a clinic on how to use dramatic lighting in art to really make your work stand out.  Stuart asked the crowd what they would like to see him create and they picked Darth Vader from Star Wars.  Even in this early stage, you can see the pencil sketch starting to turn into the Dark Lord of the Sith with just a few application of ink and paint!  These kinds of programming are great for people wanting to learn more about art and art techniques.

A few cosplayers from Day 1

Tony Stark decided that Day 1 would be a good time to get the caricature he has always wanted out of the way!

Kato Kaelin was at the main stage, doing MC duty as well as running impromptu quiz questions for prizes.  Here, he is asking Poison Ivy a question about the Fantastic Four!

Wizard Video Gaming started off in Day 1 with a Super Smash Brothers tournament followed up by a PuyoPuyo Tetris tournament.  Super Saiyan God Goku showed his prowess in Super Smash Brothers.  Look at that steely concentration!!!