St. Louis Comic Con - Wizard World Recap

While the BIG Comic Con is in San Diego each year and is on my Bucket List, an opportunity presented itself earlier this month, and I made a semi-spontaneous decision to attend Wizard World - St. Louis.




My Sister and I had talked about going; but had not make any serious plans, which usually means that it will not happen.  That all changed when they announced that Matt Smith (actor who played the 11th Doctor) would be attending.  I compared ticket prices, and after calling my Sister at work [probably talking way too fast, as I tend to do when I am excited], I ordered two VIP passes.

My Dad, Sister and I went on Friday afternoon (opening day); which looking back was the best decision we made.  We had no schedule, so we could spent all the time we wanted walking around, looking at the vendors, seeing all of the artists and their work, and people-watching. Wow, there was so much people-watching.

There was so much wonderful artwork to purchase; but I kept to just a few things; a Sherlock print, two pieces of text art, and some window decals (not shown).




Looking back, it was well worth attending opening day since the crowds were small.  If/when we go back, we will definitely be attending the first day.

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Saturday was the complete opposite.  There were soooooo many people; but we synchronized our "watches" [iPhones], hatched our plan, and began our day.

First up was the Photo Op, which was very surreal. We hopped in line quite early, wanting to ensure that we could be in, out and onto the next activity.  When the line starts moving, you are asked to have your ticket ready, yourself ready, and then are herded through a curtain with about 10-15 other people. There is a piece of tape on the floor [stand there], a celebrity on a stool [Eeeeee!] and a photographer [Smile!].

It might sound like I'm being sarcastic; but actually from my perspective it was perfect.  There is no time to do anything; but smile...and Yes, even this 34 year old was a little star-struck....can you tell?




Next up was the Autograph.  Oh, the autograph...this tormented me for days. You see, as part of the VIP package I could get one of several generic 8x10's signed, or I could get something unique signed.  I knew right off the bat, that I would want something unique; but what?  My Sister pretty much knew right away; but as usual I was over-thinking it.  Hmmm...where's that pixel quilt (oh, right...wrong Doctor...hahaha).

Much to a lot of people's dismay, I have no plans of making an 11th Doctor pixel quilt; yet that didn't mean, that I couldn't make a small wall-quilt using a piece of fabric he signed. The evening before, I prepped the fabric, taping it to foam core. Yet, the whole time I was hating my decision.

Now granted, I had a few other ideas back when I first bought the tickets; but it seemed too late to put any of them into action...or so I thought.  That's the nice thing about being in an enormous hall surrounded by vendors, you can probably find what you need in no time.




Having survived the photo shoot, the autograph experience was a breeze. My plan is to make a shadow box for this book, adding some of the ephemera from that weekend [wristband, lanyard, etc] and hang it on my wall.

Saturday ended with my Sister and I finally being able to sit down, as we were in the audience for Matt Smith's panel, only a few rows back from the stage.  The panel was quite entertaining as young fans would ask the most adorable questions; yet like everything else, it was over much too soon.




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While the decision to purchase VIP tickets was semi-spontaneous, I had wondered when I pressed that Order button if it would be worth it.  I can tell you with the utmost authority that it was worth every penny and more, and not just because we got the photo and autograph; but because I could celebrate that geek-filled weekend with my Sister and Dad.

Geronimo!


--Kristy