Wizard World Raleigh has come and gone, but the memories remain. For its first outing in the Triangle, I have to say that they know how to do it right. Then again, they’ve been at this for years, so a well-oiled machine is to be expected. I attended Saturday and Sunday of the con. And while I was disappointed that the David Tennant panels were exclusive to the high-paying attendees, I had enough fun with the other panels and dealer’s room wanderings.
Some highlights included:
John Schneider
My first panel of the con and very cool. I watched Dukes of Hazzard for more episodes than Smallville, so you can understand which character I align him with more. But he did have a cute mention about Michael Rosenbaum being a joker to the point of exasperation on the set. I can understand that, and I love to imagine the fun of that set.
Kevin Sorbo
Surprise winning panel of the first day. I wasn’t even planning on attending, but I had a long break in the afternoon and didn’t want to roam the dealer’s room again. I did watch him on Hercules, but haven’t followed him consistently since. However, I forget how funny he can be. He’s also got plenty of projects in the works, so I’ll be sure to check those out. And I didn’t know that he had three strokes during the run of Hercules. Now I need to seek out his book on the subject.
William Shatner
A full panel, to be sure. I was stuck at the very back of the big panel room, and had to rely on the monitors to watch the proceedings. I’ve seen Shatner once before, at Dragon Con, and mostly enjoy the monologuing that his panels often become. He’s a legend, a media icon, and also a very off social media star with his connection to Supernatural and Misha Collins. I don’t try to understand it, I just sit back and watch the Captain at work.
WolfCop
An end-of-Saturday screening of a movie that promises nostalgic goodness. With that title, you can quickly ascertain the plot. He’s a cop, who’s also a werewolf…. he’s WolfCop! If you like ’80s movies, especially Teen Wolf, you’ll like this movie. The transformation scenes were graphic, along with the death scenes, but where else are you going to get a drawn-out werewolf/human sex scene? Nowhere! And the director has already been green-lit for a sequel, so let the fun continue!
James Marsters
AKA the reason I wanted to attend the con. I have always been, and will probably always will be, a James Marsters fan. I started watching Buffy when Spike showed up, left when he left, returned when he returned, and then went over to Angel with him. I loved him as Captain John on Torchwood, really loved seeing him guest star on Supernatural, and have been a fan of Ghost of the Robot since the first album came out. James is not only a fantastic actor and singer, but also a wonderful human being. He’s intelligent and humble and well-spoken and a fellow nerd. Plus, he serenaded us. What more could you ask for?
Cassandra Peterson
The last panel of the con for me. I’ve followed Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, since I was very small. It was interesting to get to hear more about the behind the scenes process of how the character came about, the filming process of her many works, and what’s in store for the eternal character. She mentioned that Elvira could be seen as a combination of Ann-Margaret and Morticia Addams. While I’ve never thought about it like that, I can definitely see the inspirations!
So, thus concluded my first foray into Wizard World. It’s definitely a winner of a con experience for this year, and a top-rated one of all the cons I’ve attended. I hope to return next year as well!
