It’s that time again! Grab your Screwdivers, Batarangs, Power Morphers, Pokeballs, Dragonballs, Keyblades and Playstation 4 controllers (?) and get ready for Wizard World St. Louis 2016!
This year’s event is going to be mind-blowing in comparison to previous years. Wizard World started making their appearances in St. Louis only back in 2013 and every year since then, the show has only gotten better. I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended and covered every one of them. This year, I’m hoping to give the locals a better look from inside the convention with live broadcasts from WWSTL on Periscope. I may even have a special guest with me (fingers crossed).
What makes Wizard World so special is the kinds of people it brings together. Color, age, religion and the like don’t matter when you’re surrounded by individuals just like you. They’re called fans. This one time a year, the fans gather and celebrate everything comic book, anime and pop culture related and they do it hand-in-hand with their favorite celebrities, comic book artists and animators.
Previous WWSTL events have brought together Hollywood icons like Adam West, William Shatner and Lou Ferrigno. Fans have had the opportunity to meet small screen celebs like Manu Bennett (Deathstroke form CW’s Arrow), Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer), Hayley Atwell (Marvel’s Agent Carter), and even Matt Smith (The Doctor from Doctor Who). This year, Wizard World is taking things to another level with guests from some of the most popular shows on television. Daredevil stars Charlie Cox (Matt Murdok/Daredevil), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson) and, recently introduced, John Bernthal (Frank Castle/The Punisher) will ALL be in attendance this year. We will also have stars from another Netflix hit known as Jessica Jones with Mike Colter (Luke Cage) making his first appearance in St. Louis and the returning David Tennant (Killgrave/Purple Man), better known as the 10th Doctor in the Doctor Who franchise. (main protagonist Krysten Ritter a.k.a. Jessica Jones was originally scheduled to show but cancelled due to a scheduling conflict.)
Other new to the Lou celebrity guests include Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress Elizabeth Henstridge, Sean Schemmel (voice of Goku from the English dubbed Dragonball franchise) and Halo voice actors Steve Downes (Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana). Returning guests for this year will be Matt Smith (The Doctor from Doctor Who), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler from Doctor Who), James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel), Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), Jason David Frank (Legendary Power Ranger, Original Green/White Ranger), Chris 51 and the infamous William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek).
Now let’s talk about the real reason the hardcore fans and lovers of the comic book are coming to the show. We have Eisner Award winners Rick Burchett and Michael Gaydos, Bram Stoker Award Winner Jai Nitz, Emmy Award Nominee Bob Camp, Simpson’s animator Phil Ortiz, Scooby Doo animator Tom Cook and Good Charlotte Lead Guitarist Billy Martin. There are plenty more artists, animators, writers and sculptures all coming to make sure this is one show you never forget.
If that’s not enough to get you want to throw on your best costume and show up, or if this is your first time coming to Wizard World, keep in mind that there will be plenty of comics, crafts, shirts, toys and collectables to buy. The DeLorean from the Back to the Future films will be front and center, K.I.T.T. from the original Knight Rider television show and the 1966 Batmobile from Adam West and Burt Wards dynamic days on Batman.
New this year to WWSTL is Wizard World Gaming. Three onsite tournaments will be held during the event, all on the Playstation 4 gaming system. The games to be played will be Street Fighter V, Tekken 7 and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. Hosting the tournament will be none other than the Master Chief himself Steve Downes and Cortana actress Jen Taylor. The contest will be offering $7,000 in cash prizes. Street Fighter and Tekken will each reward $3,000 and the remaining $1,000 is set aside for Naruto. You must bring your own controller and register for the tournaments. If you have tickets for the Wizard World event itself, you can attend or you can buy tickets specifically for the gaming event.
Well that’s everything! I’ll be at the America’s Center all weekend long taking photos of all your outfits and covering the event in its entirety. If you would like to attend, just go to Wizard Worlds website and buy your ticket now. You can follow me at any one of the many apps below and I surely hope to see you there!
You can find me on:
Twitter- @TKClayton
Periscope-TKClayton
Instagram- TK.UCHIHA
SnapChat- Comicmanalpha
And for photos of previous Wizard World STL events, find me on Flickr- NextHero!
For Wizard World Gaming head to- ">http://www.wizardworldgaming.com/st-louis?SID=6562rf928obm8u4tmsblgonoh1