Fan Expo Chicago Arrives July 7-10

Chicago IL

16 June, 2022

9:39 AM

Description

Fan Expo is only three weeks away. The huge sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming expo will take over the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center July 7-10. Although technically this is the first year for Fan Expo in Chicago, its roots date back to 1972. What started as Chicago Comic Con became Wizard World in 1998. Late last year, it became Fan Expo. It will still be loaded with celebrities, creators, vendors and fans. The Chicago Fan Expo will be the third Fan Expo this year, after Dallas Fan Expo this weekend and Denver Fan Expo July 1-3. Henry Winkler The Chicago Fan Expo celebrity list is loaded. It includes Anthony Daniels, Jon Bernthal, Elijah Wood, Jason Mewes, Gina Carano, Brian O'Halloran, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Corey Feldman, Kevin Smith, Ashley Eckstein, Ming-Na Wen, Sean Astin, Brec Bassinger and many more. Thirty celebrity guests have been announced already and more are still being added. I assume after the Dallas and Denver events, we will see a few more big names added to Chicago. Dana DeLorenzo As always, Artist Alley will be full of talented creators. The list already is nearly 100. Some of the creators announced include Chris Ehnot, Renee Witterstaetter, Trevor Mueller, Tone Rodriguez, Tony Moy, Jeff Balke, Greg Horn, Ariela Kristantina, Dave Dorman, Angel Medina and many more. Trevor Mueller In my many years of attending Wizard World, cosplaying has gone from several people dressing up for fun to being a significant part of the event. Cosplayers are actually announced guests now and rightly so. Cosplayers like ANDCosplay, Geeks A Gogo, Luckygrim, LeleetheBunny Cosplay, DCWbuilds, DJ Croft and Jilleas are listed, but I know many more will be present, either as guests or fans, like my pals Joey Roth and Roxi Heart. Roxi Heart Speaking of Joey, he will once again be joining the Johngy's Beat crew as we interview many fascinating folks. Check out my Wizard World YouTube playlist for all of my previous interviews at Wizard World, several of which feature Joey masterfully handing the interview duties. Joey Roth and Lisa Marie Varon I am really looking forward to Fan Expo. For me, it always starts with Jerry Milani, the PR Manager I have known for years. There is no better ambassador than Jerry, who I call the Pride of Fordham. Jerry has set up so many great interviews for me over the years. More importantly, he has become a friend and I always love catching up with him. Jerry Milani My next stop is always Artist Alley for a first round of greeting old creator friends. This isn't just about getting work done covering the event. It is about friendships forged through the years. Creators aren't my only friends in attendance. Whether year round buddies like Tony Feddeler or folks I usually only see at conventions, like Troy Babbs, sharing the experience with great people is a big part of the event. Three weeks can't go quick enough. Merely writing this piece has really amped up my anticipation. I hope to see many friends there and I will report back here after the conclusion of Fan Expo Chicago.