Last year’s Philly Comic Con was so awesome and star-studded, I didn’t know where to look. In fact, with so many hot up and coming stars attending – Chris Hemsworth, The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley, Stan Lee, The Five Captains, Torchwood, etc. I couldn’t cover them all. I considered expanding my Philly Comic Con coverage from Saturday-Sunday to Friday-Sunday. Because of last year’s astounding number of talent, I briefly wondered if Wizard World made any money and looked forward to seeing them top themselves this year. What are my final thoughts? Well … read on!

2011’s theme surrounded old school nostalgia with Burt Ward\Adam West and Billy Dee Williams. 2012 focused on hot, Hollywood glamour with the aforementioned talent. 2013 spotlighted local talent by featuring Philadelphia geek groups and nationally recognized cosplayers. Favoring restraint, it didn’t outdo last year. However, in terms of scheduling, the balance worked. Although I missed seeing multiple celebrities in the autograph booths and casually walking through the arena, this time I managed to catch all the celebrity AND comic panels that interested me AND had time to tour the celebrity booths that intrigued me. This year almost all the celebrities appeared occupied when I walked past. Even if you’re not press,  $85-95 price tag for 4 days to see, hear and question your favorite celeb, isn’t bad.

For my outline of the good (page 1), the bad (page 2) and the cosplay (page 3), read on. Let me know if you agree.

The Good

The Lines: 2013 featured even MORE patrons. But, rather than force them to stand in the heat, this year’s lines snaked through the air conditioned building. It reduced the feeling of waiting, added more crowd control and kept the lines moving. Also, it saved people from fainting from heat exhaustion. While I missed the impressive lines surrounding the block, people never felt bunched in.

Jason David Frank: I learned a new respect for the Green Power Ranger. As someone in college the time the Power Rangers aired, I looked down upon anyone vaguely affiliated with the show. But, Jason’s enthusiasm as a cosplay judge and panelist, changed my mind. Seriously, he was so giving in the cosplay and self-defense panels, I would love to see him return again. He even told people on his autograph line that after 5pm there was no charge to talk to him. Nobody moved. That’s how much people loved him.

The Moderators: Mark Lee and Jarrett “the Defuser” Crippen both rocked. Mark Lee, as a new moderator, stood out. Although he looks like an accountant when he steps to the mike, his wry humor reminded me of Jarrett’s amazing charm. I appreciated his ability to interact with large crowds, while keeping them entertained and surprisingly enthralled. As always, “the Defuser” captivated. I loved watching him direct traffic in the early Saturday morning influx. I keep forgetting he’s a cop. He’s done this for so long, but he continues to give energy. Even when telling old stories they still sound brand new and he smartly acknowledges their re-telling. When you’re in panels with moderators that lack Jarrett and Mark’s confident, self-deferential charm, it shows. Jarrett and Mark didn’t wait until :01 seconds before a panel’s start time to engage the crowd and they aren’t shrinking violets so the crowd didn’t ignore them until the star arrived. I saw two larger panels with slightly less talented moderators and you can tell the difference. So keep these two jewels in the Wizard World crown.

The Cosplay: I loved the organization for this year’s cosplay. It was truly excellent. The runway prior to the stage show and the multiple categories rocked.

John Barrowman, John Barrowman, John Barrowman: Seriously, he’s the new Bruce Campbell. Keep it up, John. Keep it up.

More Geek Culture: Including local groups, Marvel/Zenescope portfolio reviews, a webcomic bootcamp, a Philly geek culture review, cosplay lessons, as well as a strong female artists/writers panel made the con feel more regional. I visited almost all of the panels that interested me.

The Main Floor’s Lounge Area – A nice comfy addition

A Direct, 4 Page Program - Hey, it saves paper. In that respect, while I loved wearing a ‘Press’ placard, a wristband is cheaper and just as effective.

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Too frequently comic cons surround the hot female cosplayers. But, I have to recognize the hotness of the male actors, the audience and moderators. Come join me in my appreciation why don’t you?

7. The Cosplayers. You know who you are. Nothing’s hotter than a man in makeup and tight leather pants.

6. Giancarlo Esposito (Revolution, Community, Once Upon a Time)
“Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne” was my favorite episode, Giancarlo made it ten times better. To hear Chevy Chase describe Community (a person Giancarlo greatly respects), the show’s too rigid and overtly scripted with no improvisational room. However, according to Giancarlo, it’s the exact opposite. On the first day, the cast rolled in far, far later than the 6am call time with no one off book while planning on improvising/learning as they went along. According to Giancarlo’s daughter, “Dad, this is random.” Would he do it again? Hell, yea! Is he a good actor? Double, hell, yea! You can’t create a character like Revolution‘s Neville without having a smidge of talent and knowing it. Did we get any Revolution spoilers? Not really. Will Revolution’s opening second season  feature Philadelphia. Probably

5. Manu Bennett (Arrow, Hobbit, Spartacus)
Like Adam Baldwin and Julie Bennett, he maintains a working actor mentality. Geek thoughts of Azog aside, did you know he never filmed with any of the other characters? CGI magic. Did you know he accidentally pinched the role from an old schoolmate? Jackson initially cast Manu’s school chum in the role, but after disliking the prosthetics used, went a different way and re-cast Manu in the part. Are Spartacus‘ Crixus and Arrow’s Deathstroke all that different? From Manu’s perspective, yes. He analogized history-based Spartacus with classical music and comic-based Arrow with popular culture and pop music. All the same, no one doubts Arrow is well-written and well-acted. I love listening to actors describe acting as a craft. It shows their dedication to their characters and the shows they’re on. So, is Manu dedicated to Slade? 175%. He’s so dedicated, he almost choked out his scene partner during the audition. Seriously. Any season two hints? None. But, you can always expect awesome meaty goodness from Arrow’s writers. And, season two plots were enough to make Manu return. Speaking of meaty goodness, Manu’s arms are like tree trunks. So, let’s hear it for this piece of Maori hotness.

4. Supermen Brandon Routh and Dean Cain
After the awesomesness of Superman Returns, Brandon Routh should’ve gone onto action film star fame. Instead, he’s in in shows like Partners that aren’t equal to his talent. However, instead of blaming X, Y, and Z, he’s proud of his work, especially his final scene with his Super-son. He heartily encourages fans not to feel ashamed. He isn’t. Honestly, it was a GOOD film (excluding stalking Super-baby), so I get upset when people reference it as otherwise. He’s so down to earth that I wish him the best. Dean Cain equally impressed me. He’s fast becoming the Bill Shatner of the Superman franchise. I expected someone full on his own success, but he’s the exact opposite. Like John Barrowman, he equally recognizes he lives in a house built by fan love. Although Dean Cain’s in his 40s and looks like he’s in his 30s, he self-effacingly pretends he’s in his 60s. His thoughts on Brandon and Henry Cavill? They make them big nowadays. Like 6′ is anything to sniff at. So, while I’m not a fan of Cain’s latest show, I’m definitely his fan and Routh’s fan. I wish both super-hotties continued success.

3. The Guardian Angels – “Real heroes don’t need capes.” Anyone who willingly rocks a beret and patrols his/her area gets my vote. AND, they have a new show coming up on www.FirstRun.tv. So, let’s show them some fanboy and fangirl love.

2. Jason David Frank, The Green Ranger (Power Rangers) - Dude commanded a room full of over energized kids (and their parents) the minute he stepped in the room. From the back of the room, off-stage, sans mike, without a moderator, and with his personality he called everyone to order and started entertaining. Hot. And, despite sharing my age range, dude has tattooed abs a mile long. I will never mock anyone under 30 for liking Power Rangers ever again (to their face). His continued enthusiasm for the show and support of anyone who enjoys it is infectious. Will I ever watch a Power Rangers episode with a straight face? Never. Will I willingly go to any panel featuring Frank? Always.

1. John “Freakingly Awesome” Barrowman (Everything you love). Need I say more? No.

Honorable Mentions: Adam Baldwin for calling out sports scores after his panel. Henry Winkler for being him.

Do I need to pull a Kaylee and get laid? Clearly. Are my statements any less true? No.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NulGeV6YMrk

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GnUBPeEO5g

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er_al-jHYXg

Don’t forget to check out more Philly Comic Con happenings here.

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Who needs Nathan Fillion? Although the Castle big wig cancelled a couple weeks ago, I barely missed him during the uproarious Firefly panel. I couldn’t stop enjoying the bawdy dialogue of Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite and Summer Glau. Seriously, who knew an entire cast playing a crew of off-kilter individuals, shared those same sensibilities? Jewel had the dirtiest mind, followed by Gina and, after Gina, Adam.

While they interacted more with the crowd more than each other, their personalities reminded me of their Firefly counterparts. Jewel typically spouted something highly inappropriate and incredibly sensual. Minutes later Gina slid her own charged statement into the audience. Then seconds after her, Adam Baldwin tried taking it to an EVEN dirtier plane, before Gina reigned him in with an eyebrow. Sound familiar? Summer, like River, appeared the most withdrawn until the moderator started drawing her out.

The cast has done INCREDIBLY well for themselves. After listening to Adam detail the difficulties of a struggling actor two years ago while chugging beers (seriously), it’s clear that Firefly, Serenity and Joss magic helped all of their careers. Jewel will be in The Killing. Gina is on Suits and Hannibal. She briefly thought she dropped a Hannibal spoiler, but she didn’t. Fishburne’s character always talks about his wife in creepy confessionals with Lecter. Also, Gina is “queen of the world.” And, Adam’s filming the Last Ship. Would they answer the Joss call if asked again? Fuck, yea. Joss has the Midas touch. Are there any Joss shows they wish they starred in? Dollhouse got a lot of sleep and Gina needs a good dose of that. The cast all agreed Joss kept Summer busy.

What do they miss most about the show? The cancellation ticked Jewel because Kaylee never got laid. Not having sex was her Kaaaaaahhhhhhhnnnnnnn. If she could’ve said that while orgasming, she wouldn’t’ve been so ticked. Gina loved/missed Firefly‘s communal kitchen scenes as that’s when she interacted with the female cast members. While watching her tete-a-tetes with Adam amd remembering past episodes, I realized that she was right. Her character never really talked to the women folk all that much. Although Adam loved using the catwalk to watch filming, he exhorted getting to know the propsmaster. While Gina/Jewel busted on him, he didn’t deny that always using props meant they edited him into scenes even when he sat in the background. Gina also found the more true she felt to the scene, the more they included her reaction shots because it added to the world the directors wanted to portray on screen. Likewise Jewel and Summer discussed remaining present and trusting their acting instincts.

Out of the entire cast, River and Kaylee’s portrayals always seemed the least confident in the TV series. It never made sense considering Summer’s Terminator performance and Jewel’s randy backwater mouth. But, now I know why. They were both around 19 when Joss cast them. And, now, they’ve grown into their skills. While discussing their favorite non-crew members, Summer liked Early’s quirkiness, characterizing him as a non-villain, while a disbelieving Jewel cried nay.

Should the show return? Maybe in animated form, but otherwise, hell, no. The cast wisely realizes they don’t need to return. Adam paraphrased Joss’ construction of the show as a beautiful far-off castle, best remembered that way. Where are their characters now? Adam joked Jayne would run a school for companions while Summer darkly hinted she always wanted to be a pilot. Jewel envisioned bringing Simon home to meet her folks followed by lots and lots of babies. During Serenity, I thought Joss hinted at a Zoe-wash pregnancy. But, when Wash died I tossed that out the window. Evidently Gina shared my suspicions. Oh, and Gina’s ringtone? Wonder Woman. She calls Wash her best fake husband ever, even though her current husband plays her fake husband on NBC. Why did a show featuring so much “terrible” Chinese (inside joke — a questioner confronted the cast about their bad accents and more), not feature any Asian actors? Who knows?

I still can’t believe a show with only 14 episodes inspired such a rabid following. Even more than that, I can’t believe the PA Browncoats didn’t do a rousing demonstration. All the same, I definitely miss Nathan Fillion during this awesome Firefly panel. In fact, I believe it’s Nathan who missed out.

Check out more Philly Comic Con happenings here. Check out past Firefly episodes on Hulu. For the audio of the panel, listen below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KriDfhzbjcY

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John Barrowman is amazing. Sometimes there are actors you follow because you respect their careers and the genre they represent. However, when you see that person in person and they’re even more fucking awesome in reality, your estimation goes up a gazillion. John Barrowman is such a person.

It’s the first time I’ve seen the ENTIRE ROOM hit on a panelist and watch the panelist hit on himself. He’s such a casually carnal being and is so comfortable in his sex symbol status that it created an insanely fun, playful atmosphere. On conference calls and convention rooms, whenever a fan/writer remarks on a male actor’s looks, he immediately tosses the compliment aside. But John Barrowman knows he’s hot, knows we love him because he’s hot and plays with it, which makes it even more awesome. Honestly male actors, just take the compliment, acknowledge the truth and move on. John Barrowman does it so humorously and matter-of-factly without diminishing our utter appreciation of his surprising brilliance. When he told a seriously petite woman to treat the oversized microphone like his member, I died. While I always found him attractive, his charisma literally made me consider disrobing and launching the stage multiple times. Because of his utter self-comfort as a walking id, I’m surprised he has boundaries and comfort levels when interacting with other actors. Then again, he did a good job of extricating himself from over-amorous fans (including an awesome one dressed as X).

His brazenness totally reminded me of Bruce Campbell. Is he the new Bruce Campbell? Like Bruce, he’s written multiple memoirs before hitting his 50s. Like Bruce, when he noticed two rows of empty seats, he overrode the volunteers and ran outside to let more people in. With his utter fearlessness in truth and confrontation, maybe there’s a switch that flicks when actors turn 40 and they no longer care. Although, yes, Barrowman looks his hot forty-something years on TV, in reality he literally looks a decade younger. Maybe it’s his insane energy and intense physique. He is seriously hot and in crazy shape. I always found him attractive, but seeing him in person tripled it. But, I can’t tell if it’s his personality that clenched it. He was so electrifying I couldn’t stop taking photos of him. So, enjoy the moving slide show attached to the podcast broadcast.

I love that he brings his casual sexuality to his on-screen roles and his co-workers. He claims he forced James Masterson to redo the Torchwood kiss ad nauseum just to fuck with him and his heterosexuality. And, that he kept flashing his balls to the crew during live over the shoulder takes. Yum. Interestingly, before taking Arrow he stipulated a shirtless scene with Stephen Amell. However, did he even NEED to ask for that? Is there any character who HASN”T seen Ollie shirtless? Does Ollie even KNOW what a shirt is? There is no man who Amell HASN’T had bro-erotic chemistry with. Maybe that’s why Ollie’s bedroom heat with Laurel sucked, Laurel lacked Diggle’s amazing arms!! In the spirit of Arrow’s bromantic tension, Barrowman nipple tweaked Amell in a lost take. Who would he fuck, marry and kill of X, XI and IX? In order – fuck X, marry XI and kill IX (after shagging him senseless).

I kept learning new items about John. He’s definitely more fun than a barrel of monkeys. You should see him work a banana AND his banana hammock! He has a beautiful tenor, which I didn’t expect. You know how some actors sing, but really shouldn’t? John can and does. He clearly comes from a theatre background with his fluidity and utter self-comfort. I’d hate to do improv with him because he’d beat me under the table … oh, if only he would*swoon*. You can always see the mechanisms cranking in his mind. Even when he shared his thoughts about society at large, he never lost the audience. I’m glad he didn’t sing Springtime for Hitler and I’m glad he explained why. And, I do agree with his thoughts towards reclaiming certain words.

I never viewed Barrowman as bi-dialect. However, his American accent in Torchwood and Doctor Who always sounded off — too harsh and too brash. Throughout the panel I kept thinking how natural his American accent sounded. Then he admitted he uses a more American dialect with American audiences and used a Scottish brogue when talking to Tennant behind the scenes. Let’s be honest, his Scottish accent sounds like an American with a Scottish brogue. However, I FINALLY understood why his American accent in the UK sounded off, while his American accent in American shows always sounded perfect.

Seeing these new sides to John, including his secret weapon the Banana Hammock (his jockeys) which he wore with the intent to flash, makes me look towards Scandal’s return. He always plays the intense evil guy or intense action guy, but I’d love to see him in a role closer to his true personality. Like any child picked on, he gloats over his former, now impoverished bullies. But, he admits his fans support his lifestyle and doesn’t mind giving people a peek now and then. but, he tells fans who whine about hating later Torchwood episodes to shut up and enjoy the run. I’m sorry, John, I’m still mad they killed off Tosh.

My only complaint of an otherwise awesome panel, surrounded the shut out. EVERYONE should have seen John Barrowman. He’s the gift that always gives. There were extra seats towards the front, but they were scattered. You know how people hate sitting next to each other? Maybe next time the wizard world staff should emphasize for in-demand rooms that people get over their fear of letting their butts touch another humans for 45 minutes. Surprisingly, no one saved seats.

Anyways, John Barrowman rocks it. Who else wears cartoon pants for his fans AND wears it well? (OK, other than Bruce Campbell). Seriously, John Barrowman is the new crack/cocaine. He is kinky, quirky, addictive, adorable and fun. Who else gives up his lunch hour for his fans while chomping on bananas? Who else goes the extra distance knowing people waited in line to see him, rather than cutting the panel short? Who else pulls a little boy up and shares his fear of old school Dr. Who villains? Other than Captain Jack? John Barrowman.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0LIlcORNvU

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Philly returned to basics by realizing cosplayers aren’t the red-headed stepchildren you hide in the basement. While the panels surrounding down and dirty cosplay provided great hints to an enthralled audience, the true star included the adult and kids competitions. Adult competition photos follow!

Professional Cosplayers

I met an awesome cosplayer and professional costumer right before the event. Batman Beyond was the first costume he created for a Halloween cruise. Since then he’d undergone three-to-four versions, improving each one. While he waited for his vendor to fetch him, he willingly posed for an admiring crowd and interacted with random jokers (literally, random Jokers) and tiny cosplayers. His costume already looked awesome, but I respected him more because he snapped every single tiny closure that I didn’t notice, so that we received the best cosplay photo from him, even though he wasn’t on the floor yet. That’s what I call professionalism.

I planned on pointing people towards his site. Unfortunately, I lost my notebook and his contact information (placed within the notebook). So, if you cosplayed as Batman Beyond and talked to CliqueClack let me know.

Cosplay Advice

During the Cosplay panel, the panelists stated cosplay competitions surround personality. And, normally, pretty girls with great costumes don’t win. They were right (although Starfire did win …). However, I saw tons of gorgeous Poison Ivies, Harley Quinns and Catwomen in incredibly awesome costumes. But, when they hit the stage they lacked personality. They just stood there, probably accustomed to fan boys yelling “great” and “awesome.” I wanted to see them get more into character like the Jimmy Olsen cosplay or Green Hornet’s Kato. Also, after seeing so many Harley Quinns and Poison Ivies over the years, I wanted to see more imagination with the female superhero costumes like Lego Batman or female Loki. Another snippet I picked up from the cosplay panel? Don’t die and cut your hair (unless you want the style permanently), use a wig instead.

The Cosplay Competitions

This year’s cosplay competition rocked the house. Jarrett Crippen continues to impress me as a one-man crew. He DJ’d, interacted with the judges, announced the competitors and I didn’t notice ONE blip. In fact, because he always had the right song cued immediately (Jeopardy, Power Rangers, etc.) I initially assumed he had technical help. And, the runway from the back of the room, zig zagging through the audience with four-point photo stops, helped EVERYONE to get photos.

Kids — Because last year’s kid’s cosplay overflowed the smaller room, they boosted it to a bigger one. This year featured adorable kids like the superfriends-family, a crying Ewok, a reluctant Chun Li, a ginger Doctor, a blonde Doctor, and so much adorable cuteness you can’t help yourself. Although I expected more kid’s activities for Sunday,  the Morphin power hour and cosplay rocked. Seriously, if I have children, I want to send them to “Tommy” for lessons.

Adults — The adult competition featured a Starfire with day-glo eyes, multiple awesome armor suits, pantsless Superfriends (no joke), and more. Whenever a Kato-styled martial artist or Power Ranger competitor hopped on stage, Tommy gleefully interacted. Having an open judge to play off of gave the competitors more confidence.

Adult cosplay photos on page 2. Kid’s on page 3. And, cosplay guides available on Amazon on page 4. 

Check out my Philly Comic Con 2013 overview and keep an eye out for new posts!

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