Wizard World is the Devil!!!!

http://www.wizardworld.com/

Wizard World is a company that funds Comic Con conventions in cities all over the country.  Note:  do not confuse these comic cons with Comic Con International in San Diego and New York...you'll be sorely disappointed....

But anyway, I went to my first Wizard World Comic Con in Boston this past weekend.  I've been to my fair share of cons, between Otakon in Baltimore, Anime Boston, Providence Anime Convention and PAX East 2010.  But, I must say, this was the WORST convention I've ever been to.  Even PAC that had about 5 people attending was more enjoyable than this one....

I don't know if they were just unorganized because it was the first year the con was in Boston, but I have never had such a shitty con experience.  Maybe I just don't like the way Wizard World runs things.  Unlike all the other cons I've attended, Wizard World cons offer "VIP Passes" to people willing to shell out a minimum of $150/person (they ranged all the way up to about $500).  I, for one, think this is an unfair way of running a con.  Here was me with my measly $45 3-day pass wristband (didn't even get a badge....not cool), waiting in line for over an hour for each panel I wanted to attend, but that didn't matter for shit.  Because with the VIP pass, you could show up at the panel's start time and cut all 200 people in line before you.  Not to mention, the panel room only held about 150 people and once it was full, all those "poor" people who couldn't afford the $150 pass got shut out of the panel they had waited all those hours in line to attend.  I mean, if this is how you're going to run your con, at least shell out the money to rent a bigger fucking panel room. ><

In addition to my gripes about the line, if you wanted to attend back-to-back panels, you were shit out of luck unless you were VIP.  If you didn't have the pass, you had to leave the room and get at the end of the line, but what's the fucking point?  there's already 200 people in line and only about 50 of them are even gonna get into the room ><

Autographs were over-priced ($60 for Lee majors?  how many pple don't even know who he is? lol),

you weren't allowed to get a picture with the famous person of your choice without being a VIP (unless they were only semi-famous, like the actress who played Kat in Battlestar Galactica....i broke down and got her autograph even though i hated her character lol),

and Adam West is apparently a complete douchebag (he wouldn't talk directly to fans...he asked the guard their name and wrote an impersonal autograph and they were shooed on their merry way)!  The only thing reasonably priced were the comics sold by the individual vendors ><

In all the negatives, there was a few positives.  The whole reason I even wanted to go was because some actors from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were making an appearance.  It's my favorite show, how could I pass it up?  It was amazing to see them and go to a few of the panels, but not being able to even get a photo or autograph was a bit sad.  Hopefully I'll get a chance some other day....

In conclusion, here's my take on Wizard World:  They don't care about you.  They don't care at all....unless you give them $500.  Give them $500 and they'll practically wipe your ass for you... >< This was their premiere Boston con.  This was where you want to make a good impression on a city of fans so that they come next year.  Based on my impression this year, you couldn't pay ME to go to another Wizard World Con.  Some may think my opinion is harsh, but I know I'm not alone in these opinions.  I talked to people at the con and I've seen the comments on facebook and the general consensus is if you didn't have a VIP pass, you did not have a good time.  Not to mention, if you weren't a Buffy fan, there was literally NO panels or programming for you to enjoy.  The entire con revolved around BuffyFest, which was fantastic for those fans, but really shitty for everyone else.

Big Fail, Wizard World........   

Pie is tasty.

Over the past year, i've done a bit of contemplating as to what determines who are your "good friends", who are your "best friends", and who are just "friends"...the following is what i've deduced:

Friends - occaisional text messages/emails to one another, particularly on birthdays; get together for dinner or what have you approx. once a month; always invited to birthday and/or holiday parties; most definitely invited to weddings; comfortable around them, but not entirely comfortable enough to be completely yourself.

Good Friends - hang out at least once a week; occaisonally chat via FB, AIM or gchat; text messages almost daily; don't need to knock when entering each others' homes; comfortable enough to talk about how itchy your boobs are today.

Best Friends - hang out 3-5 nights a week; have a ridicuous number of inside jokes, therefore there is always something to laugh about; when you say "I'm gonna go the bathroom upstairs so I don't stink up your kitchen", their response is "Ok, I'll stink up the kitchen instead"; there's a "spot" on their couch that's yours and yours alone; you don't have to worry about being yourself around them...........ever.


Fin.

P.S. Best friends also don't judge you for stealing pumpkins and dropping them off at your other friends' porches.

Double Fin.