Home > WIZARD WORLD TOUR 2007: A LOOK BACK Four Incredible Shows Nation’s Premier Pop Culture Convention Tour Closes Another Record Breaking Season with Big Announcements, Special Guests, Sneak Previews and Hollywood Stars
WIZARD WORLD TOUR 2007: A LOOK BACK Four Incredible Shows Nation’s Premier Pop Culture Convention Tour Closes Another Record Breaking Season with Big Announcements, Special Guests, Sneak Previews and Hollywood Stars
Congers, NY (January 2, 2008) – Wizard World, the nation’s largest touring event for pop culture, comic books, anime, toys, games and collectibles, wrapped up the 2007 campaign in Texas, November 16-18. The 2007 Wizard World Tour hosted well over 130,000 fans who had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the celebrities, artists, creators and stars from the world of comics and entertainment. The tour, which was born eleven years ago, has already announced dates for the 2008 and 2009 shows in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Texas.
The highlight of the 2007 tour came in Chicago when at the conclusion of a 40 minute Q&A panel that featured Batman himself, Christian Bale, as well as Gary Oldman (Lt. Gordon), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face), Director Christopher Nolan and Writers Jonathan Nolan & David Goyer the lights went out for a first look at some never-before-seen footage of “The Dark Knight.”
Major comic happenings throughout the year were brought to bear along the way as well as the major movie news. Fans were given their first chance to confront creator Ed Brubaker after the death of Captain America. When questions as to why he would kill the beloved hero, with a smile, Brubaker responded, “I didn’t kill Captain America, the Red Skull killed Captain America.” Brian Michael Bendis announced the Ultimate Origins story line and Dan DiDio told fans about Countdown: Arena for the first time.
“Wizard World is, has been and always will be about our fans,” said Martha Donato, Senior Vice President, Wizard Entertainment. “Our 2007 tour had something for everyone, from the diehard fan to the first time convention attendee. It was full of surprises and the very best our industry has to offer. As the 2008 tour comes together we are planning to reach even higher to make the shows a truly fantastic event for all the fans of pop-culture.”
Renowned comic talents and Guests of Honor included Brian Michael Bendis, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics Joe Quesada; DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio and Aspen Comics Founder Michael Turner.
Celebrity guests taking part in the tour this year included Rock Legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (Kiss), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Michael Madsen, Laura Vandervoort (Smallville), Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (Former WWE World Champion) David Arquette & Paul Reubens (Tripper), “Heroes” stars Zach Quinto (Sylar), James Kyson Lee (Ando), among others.
Comic book talent complemented the phenomenal participation by Hollywood talent, the 2007 Wizard World events featured stars of the comic industry, including: Ed Brubaker Michael Turner, John Romita Jr., J. Scott Campbell, Greg Horn, Sal Abbinanti, Jeff Balke, Joe Benitez, Mitch Breitweiser, Jim Calafiore, John Cassaday, Tony Daniel Patrick Gleason, Paul Jenkins, Alex Maleev, Mark Millar, Greg Pak, John Russo, Matthew Tow, Arthur Suydam, Matt Wagner and many others.
The Wizard World Tour, which started in Chicago in 1997, is renowned for its continued commitment to offering fans the opportunity to meet the driving forces behind the comic book industry. Wizard World in its eleventh year continued to thrill fans and bring them into the fold with bigger and better costume contests, the Wizard Fan Awards and more trips to the “Wheel of Doom.” Additionally, Wizard World continued to expand the variety of its exhibitors and partners, adding Rock Star Games, BioShock, Press Pass, among others to the Tour this year.
The 2008 Wizard World Tour will begin March 14-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The tour is scheduled for stops in Philadelphia May 30–June 1, Chicago June 26-29 and Texas November 7-9.
The 2009 Wizard World Tour will once again begin in Los Angels March 13-15, with stops in Philadelphia May 8-10, Chicago, June 25-28 and Texas tentatively scheduled for November 6-8.
For a complete list of events, guests, activities, ticket prices and times, visit www.wizardworld.com
About Wizard
Wizard Entertainment is the industry leader in the comic book and collectibles market that publishes Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture, ToyFare: The Toy Magazine and Anime Insider, as well as Toy Wishes: The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment and Special Operations. Wizard’s publications have a monthly national readership of more than two million and are currently sold in 25 countries and five languages. Wizard World, the convention division of Wizard Entertainment, is a four city tour that brings the best in comics, film, television, anime and collectibles to Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Texas. www.wizarduniverse.com is the online home for all of Wizard's publications and its content spans the full range of Wizard's pop culture subject matter. For the latest news of interest to readers of all Wizard publications, Wizard Universe can be found online at www.wizarduniverse.com
Media Contact
Drew Seldin
Wizard Entertainment
845.268.2000 ext. 216
dseldin@wizardent.com
