Wizard World Chicago 2019 Preview: Featuring Stranger Things, Legends of Tomorrow, Happy Days, and More

It’s that time of year again folks. Kids are going back to school, the days are growing shorter, and eventually, temperatures will start to cool off. All these things are exciting in and of themselves, but of course, I left the most important part of the list until the end — Wizard World is returning to Chicago on August 22nd and runs through the 25th!

Now hold on a minute, I see all of you parents out there rolling their eyes. Each one of you is thinking about the hundreds of dollars recently spent on school supplies and clothes to cover Junior’s crazy growth spurt, but this con isn’t just for the kiddies.

Sure I could go on about how the lanky kid turned muscle-bound superhero, Zachary Levi (Shazam, Chuck), is scheduled to appear on Thursday and Friday. Or I could brag about how Hell’s most infamous antihero, Matt Ryan (Legends of Tomorrow, Constantine), has a weekend pass out of the torturous flames, but I’m not positive that would impress you.

So instead I’m going to take you back to your childhood, or even your parent’s childhood. The era when everything was less stressful, and probably not as frustrating. The time when the Fonz was the epitome of cool and good guys turned green. 

I’m pretty sure you can guess what I’m hinting at here, but if not, let me clarify. Henry Winkler (Happy Days) and Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk, The King of Queens) will be prepared to meet you while signing autographs and posing for selfies. You can’t tell me the little child still running around inside of you wouldn’t love to flex with the Hulk or exchange secret handshakes with the coolest guy from back in the day. 

Of course, if you don’t want to go that far back into your youth, maybe you would prefer your college years when everyone knew your name. The one and only George Wendt (Cheers) will be around reminiscing about the old days of sitting at the bar, and having a cold one with Sam Malone and Cliff Clavin. But if you insist on yelling “Norm,” I can’t protect you from what may happen next.

This trip down memory lane can’t conclude until you come face to face with the 90’s version of Superman, Dean Cain (Lois and Clark, Supergirl). Although his cape may be in the wash, his heart will still be in the right place. 

Among all these stars of the yesteryears, other familiar faces included in the guest line up are Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Stranger Things), Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride, Nightmare Before Christmas), and Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch). Maybe if you’re lucky there will be a witch’s standoff between Hart and Holly Marie Combs (Charmed). 

The guest list doesn’t stop at familiar faces this year either. We also get a whole slew of voice actors from cartoons and even a couple of videogames. Kurt Lehner (Gargoyles), Kevin Conroy (Batman the Animated Series), and Phil Ortiz (The Simpsons) will be in tow along with several other voices we just can’t seem to get out of our heads. 

And don’t forget to make time for the four most righteous dudes to ever lend their voices to animation, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Rob Aulsen (“Donatello”), Cam Clarke (“Leonardo”), Townsend Coleman (“Michelangelo”), and Barry Gordon (“Donatello”) reunite to make one shell of a good time for everyone in earshot. I don’t know about you, but this will definitely be a major highlight for me.

While you are there reliving your past, your children and your children’s children — if you wish to bring them — will be happy to see the butt-kicking heroine Katrina Law (Arrow, Spartacus: Blood and Sand), David Anders (I, Zombie), and Drew Powell (Gotham).

In more recent announcements, the magical Jake Stormoen (The Outpost) and the evil speedster Teddy Sears (The Flash) will be adding to this thrilling and sensational event. It’s okay — I won’t tell anyone that you want to see them too.

Although I write most of this with tongue-in-cheek, I’m sure you can see that that this year’s Wizard World Chicago will be delivering some hardcore fun. No matter who you would like to meet from past, present, or even possible future celebrities, all of your bases will be covered. The hardest part may be trying to figure out how to do it all in only four days.

While filling out your itinerary for the weekend, make sure to pencil in a couple of minutes to catch the Q&A sessions being held with several different celebrities throughout the day. Bring your most burning questions for everyone to hear and maybe even stump your favorite stars. 

There will also be movie screenings taking place during the event where you can chat up the stars and directors that you are watching on screen at that very moment. It may feel like you are on the commentary reel of your favorite Blu-ray.

Seriously, I’m not sure how this event could get any more amazing!

Oh, wait, yes I can! I haven’t even got around to mentioning the thousands of comic books yet.

Nearly every hero and every genre will be represented at Wizard World Chicago. This includes the major comic labels like Marvel and DC, all the way down to the indie ones including Image and Dark Horse.

Don’t forget to represent by dressing up in your favorite cosplay too. Just imagine dressing the whole family up as a different generation of Batman. That will be sure to catch plenty of attention from fans and celebrities alike. Heck, maybe somebody famous will ask you for your photo instead of the other way around.

So when it comes down to purchasing a ticket, don’t think about the money you already shelled out for that state-of-the-art Trapper Keeper. Instead, think of the countless memories you will be building with your family for generations to come. It is an investment in your family’s happiness — building a tighter bond between you all. 

Or at the very least, the pics can give you bragging rights at work come Monday morning. 

Check out the complete guest list to see if your favorite will be there. Watch our site and social media for more coverage of the event!

Follow Wizard World on Twitter @WizardWorld.

For tickets, autograph prices, schedule, and more information go to https://wizardworld.com/

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