Official Press Release

Patrick Stewart, Bruce Campbell, Christopher Lloyd, Morena Baccarin, Felicia Day, James Marsters Among Headliners At Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, August 11-12-13-14 At Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

Ray Park, Julie Benz, Charisma Carpenter, Colin Ferguson, Lou Gossett Jr., Vivica A. Fox, Mimi Rogers, Among 500+ Celebrity Guests, Leading Comics Artists & Creators Scheduled To Appear

NEW YORK and ROSEMONT, Ill., June 22, 2011 – North America’s largest pop-culture tour continues as Wizard World Chicago Comic Con returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, August 11-14, with superstar guests Patrick Stewart, Bruce Campbell, Christopher Lloyd, Morena Baccarin, Felicia Day, Academy Award Winner® Lou Gossett Jr. and James Marsters headlining the list of celebrity attendees.  The event will bring together thousands of fans of all ages and dozens of celebrities and industry professionals to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

Stewart (X-MEN, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) will attend on Friday and Saturday only.  Campbell (“Burn Notice,” ARMY OF DARKNESS) and Day (“The Guild,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”) are scheduled to appear on Saturday and Sunday.  The three-time Emmy Award winner Lloyd (BACK TO THE FUTURE, “Taxi”) and Baccarin (“V,” “Stargate SG-1”) will be available on Saturday only.  Marsters (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Caprica”) is scheduled for Friday through Sunday.

“Wizard World Chicago Comic Con is our longest running event, and we are excited to be bringing our most star-studded field of celebrities and artists ever to the Stephens Convention Center,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard World CEO.  “The show has huge stars like Patrick Stewart and Christopher Lloyd who are known all over the world, and, as always, features guests from some of the most popular film, TV and comics franchises like Star Wars, Buffy and Spider-Man.  This is by far the largest pop-culture event in the region, and the fans, vendors, guests and other attendees have rewarded us by coming in more record numbers every year.”

Wizard World Chicago is also an incredible place to meet and get sketches and autographs from some of the top international creators, many of whom rarely, if ever, appear in the U.S. This includes Mike Deodato Jr. (Brazil), Eduardo Risso (Argentina), Humberto Ramos (Mexico), Mico Suayan (Phillipines), Will Conrad (Brazil), Ariel Olivetti (Argentina), Pia Guerra (Canada) and more.

Wizard World also has a massive number of top comics creators scheduled for Artist Alley, such as Jim Cheung (“Avengers,” “Uncanny X-Men”), Brian Azzarello (writer, “Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance,” “100 Bullets”), Dave Johnson (“Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance, 100 Bullets”), Patrick Gleason (“Batman and Robin”), Michael Golden (“Spider-Man,” “Hulk”), William Stout (Paleontological Artist), Larry Elmore (“Magic: The Gathering”), Ben Templesmith (“30 Days of Night”), Greg Horn (“Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark,” “Hero For Hire”), Freddie Williams II (“JSA All-Stars”), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”) and hundreds of others.

In addition to Gossett Jr., the Chicago Comic Con celebrity roster includes a bevy of major award winners and nominees, including Emmy Award Winners LeVar Burton (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” ROOTS), Peter Tork (“The Monkees”) and Phil Ortiz (“The Simpsons”), Emmy Award Nominees Mimi Rogers (AUSTIN POWERS, “The X-Files,”) and Pam Grier (“Smallville,” “The L Word”), Grammy Award Winner Tia Carrere (WAYNE’S WORLD, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Tony Award Honoree Dan Fogler (BALLS OF FURY, GOOD LUCK CHUCK).

Other popular celebrity guests scheduled to be on hand at the event include Julie Benz (“Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Desperate Housewives”), Charisma Carpenter (“Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”), Colin Ferguson (“Eureka,” THE OPPOSITE OF SEX), Vivica A. Fox (KILL BILL VOL. 1 and VOL. 2, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Kai Owen (“Torchwood,” “Fun at the Funeral Parlour”), Ray Park (STAR WARS: EPISODE 1, X-MEN), Gareth David-Lloyd (“Torchwood,” SHERLOCK HOLMES), Alaina Huffman (“Smallville,” “SGU Stargate Universe”), Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk,” “The King of Queens,”) and James C. Burns (voice actor, “Call of Duty: Black Ops”).  BOONDOCK SAINTS co-stars Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery will also reunite at the event.

The convention center floor will also feature several famous TV and movie vehicles for fans to pose with, including the Batmobile (original “Batman” series), DeLorean Time Machine (BACK TO THE FUTURE), The Mystery Machine (SCOOBY DOO) and Ecto-1 (GHOSTBUSTERS).

Children and adult attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite villain, superhero or pop culture personality for the chance to win special prizes in costume contests.  Event-goers may also try their hand interactive product exhibits and shop for collectible comics, movie and television memorabilia, toys and games at more than 200 dealer booths.

And Sunday, August 14, is Kids Day at Chicago Comic Con, with face painting, balloons, a “passport” treasure hunt and other activities designed especially for kids!  Other special events include card gaming tournaments, professional photo opportunities (Photo Ops) and more.

Chicago Comic Con is the seventh stop on Wizard World’s 2011 North American tour.  Hours are Thursday, August 11, 5 – 9 p.m.; Friday, August 12, noon – 8 p.m.; Saturday, August 13, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; and Sunday, August 14, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Tickets are available in advance online at http://www.wizardworld.com/chicago.html at a savings over tickets purchased at the door.  Advance adult single-day tickets are priced at $25 ($35 on site); four-day all-session tickets are $50 ($60 on site), and tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult).  VIP packages with special entry and exclusive items are also available on a limited basis.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests. Wizard World also produces Wizard World Digital, an online publication covering new and upcoming products and talents in the pop culture world, and is distributed on a weekly basis to online and iPad users worldwide.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

***** SAVE THE 2011/12 DATES *****
August 11-14 – Chicago Comic Con
September 17-18  – New England Comic Con
September 24-25 – Los Angeles Comic Con
October 22-23 – Mid-Ohio Comic Con
October 28-30 – Central Canada Comic Con (C4)
November 11-13 – Austin Comic Con
January 28-29, 2012 – New Orleans Comic Con
March 23-25, 2012 – Toronto Comic Con
April 27-29, 2012 – Anaheim Comic Con
May 19-20, 2012 – Big Apple Comic Con
June 1-3, 2012 – Philadelphia Comic Con
December 8-9, 2012 – Miami Comic Con