ROSEMONT, Ill., August 21, 2018– Group Q&A sessions with the stars of “Outlander” (Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin, Lotte Verbeek and Graham McTavish), “The X-Files” (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson), “Smallville” (Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum and James Marsters), Ghostbusters(director/writer Ivan Reitman and star Ernie Hudson) and “Boy Meets World” (Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong), panels with standouts Ian Somerhalder (“The Vampire Diaries”), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy, “The Walking Dead”), Karl Urban (Thor: Ragnarok, The Lord of the Rings trilogy), three superstar “Women of Pop Culture” (Pom Klementieff of Guardians of the Galaxy, Holly Marie Combs of “Charmed,” “Picket Fences” and Charisma Carpenter of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”), anime, video games, cosplayer and comics creator sessions, workshops, adult and kids costume contests and more highlight the programming offerings at Wizard World Comic Con Chicago, August 23-26 at the Donald E. Convention Center.. Most programming is included as part of the standard event admission and is in addition to the live entertainment options (dancing, music, etc.) all weekend.
Some highlights of the more than 120 hours of panels scheduled include:
· Group sessions with the the casts of “Outlander” (Thursday, 2 p.m. all; Sunday, 11:30 a.m., Skelton, Rankin, Verbeek, McTavish), “The X-Files” (Saturday, 5:15 p.m.), “Smallville” (Sunday, 1 p.m.), “Boy Meets World” (Friday, 4:30 p.m.), Ghostbusters (Saturday, 2:45 p.m.), “Women of Pop Culture” (Saturday, 11:30 a.m.), “Kim Possible” duo of Christy Carlson Romano and Will Friedle (Sunday, 11:30 a.m.), “Charmed” tandem of Combs and Brian Krause (Friday, 2 p.m.) and “Marvel’s The Runaways” team of James Marsters and Greg Sulkin(Saturday, 5 p.m.)
· Interactive Q&As with Rooker (Saturday, 4 p.m.), Urban (Friday, 5:30 p.m.), Somerhalder (Saturday, 2 p.m.), “Outlander” author Diana Gabaldon (Saturday, 4 p.m.), David Krumholtz(“Numb3rs,” Saturday, noon),Matt Ryan (“Constantine,” Friday, 4:30 p.m.) and author Violet Ramis Stiel, daughter of Ghostbusters writer and star Harold Ramis (Friday, 5:30 p.m.)
· Disney Trivia panel with Walt Before Mickey stars Thomas Ian Nicholas and Jon Heder (Friday, 4 p.m.)
· Animation panels featuring Rob Paulsen “(Pinky and the Brain,” “Animaniacs”) and Maurice LaMarche (“Pinky and the Brain,” “The Real Ghostbusters”) (Friday, 5:30 p.m.)
· Anime actors panel with Maile Flanagan (“Naruto”) and Amanda C. Miller (“Boruto”) (Sunday, 12:30 p.m.) and “RWBY” voices Lindsay Jones (Ruby), Kara Eberle (Weiss), Arryn Zech (Blake) and Barbara Dunkelman(Yang) (Saturday, 3 p.m.) as well as various Anime themed panels throughout the weekend
· Wrestling conversations with Billy Gunn, Velvet Sky and Enzo Amore (Friday, 4:30 p.m.) and Christian, Tommy Dreamer and Road Warrior Animal (Saturday, 1:30 p.m.)
· Drawing Disney with licensed Disney Fine Artist Clinton Hobart, including an original surprise scene from “Fantasia” painting, to be raffled off to Creative Stage session attendees at the end of the show (Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday, 1 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.); the more sessions a fan attends, the more chances to win it
· Creator-themed hours featuring industry superstars Phil Ortiz (“The Simpsons”), Joe Wos(“MazeToons”), Josh C. Lyman(“Voltron Force United”), Howard Chaykin (“American Flagg!,” “Star Wars”), Mostafa Moussa (” Superman,” “Fantastic Four”), Tom Cook (“Masters of the Universe,” “Smurfs”), Genese Davis (Omensight, The Holder’s Dominion), Rob Liefeld (“Cable,” “Deadpool”), Mike Watson(Freestyle Komics) and more
· Fan- and professional panels on subjects ranging from self-promotion, writing to get paid, fan art, cosplay body paint, Marvel vs. DC, “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” and “Doctor Who” fandom, manga, geek branding, webcomics, film and game production, “Firefly,” YouTube, Dungeons & Dragons improv, Etsy, video game design and more
· Kids programming all four days, including story time, face painting, puppet shows, dance parties, magic, learn to draw, (and Kids 10 and under are free every day with paid adult)
· World-famous Wizard World Comic Con Adult Costume Contest, Saturday at 7 p.m. and Kids Costume Contests on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
· Cosplay with special guests Hendo Art, Thousand Faces OhMySophii, Knightmage, A Smile and a Song, Lookie, Newdll and more, throughout the weekend
· Cosplay and Industry Workshops (Foam Building, Heroic Posing, Sculpting, Social Media, Molding/Casting, Wiz-Art, Weathering Weapons, Learn To Play Pokémon, Graphic Design, Worbla, Creating Characters, Cosplay Painting & Weathering), require additional ticket
Unless noted, programming events take place in the designated General Programming Rooms or show floor stages at the convention center. VIP tickets or additional costs may apply to ensure access to select activities, as noted.
A full list of Wizard World Comic Con Chicago programming is available at http://wizardworld.com/programming-entertainment/Chicago (subjects, guests, times and rooms subject to change).
Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The 10th event scheduled on the 2018 Wizard World calendar, Chicago show hours are Thursday, August 23, 4-9 p.m.; Friday, August 24, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, August 25, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, August 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with paid adult.
Wizard World Comic Con Chicago is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday evening.
For more on the 2018 Wizard World Chicago, visit http://wizd.me/ChicagoPR.
