Albert The Alien

Earlier in the year I had the pleasure of being invited to attend the first annual Chicago Fan Fest, hosted by Wizard. It was a fun two-day show in Rosemont at the convention center, and people were in high spirits. I even got to table next to my ALBERT THE ALIEN artist Gabo.

Ren, Gabe, and myself at Chicago Fan Fest!

Sales were surprisingly good throughout the weekend. I say surprisingly, only because first-time shows tend to have lower attendance and therefore lower sales. But Wizard did a good job of filling the hall with people – especially on Saturday.

Even though the isles were wider at this show, attendees were in high spirits and open to purchasing new types of comics (the kind of comics I sell). There were also a lot of families there, parents with their kids, and people who generally enjoyed comics, TV shows, and geek culture. It’s always nice to attend a show with people in high spirits.

The table setup

Sunday was a bit slower, but they always are. It was a chance to actually get to walk around the floor and bit, say hi to my comic creator friends, and see some of the celebrities they had guesting at the show. I even met a convention model posing as a character from one of the creator’s properties. They were both pretty nice people.

One of the con models posing as a fictional character from someone’s comic!

All in all, Chicago Fan Fest was a lot of fun and a great introductory convention for first-time con-goers and families looking to expose their kids to comics and geek culture. It’s also a fun show for people looking to meet celebrities and attend another show in the area because, come on – they’re a lot of fun!