AICN COMICS CON REPORT: Nutmeg reports in from this year’s WizardWorld Philly! Plus tons of pics!

Hey folks, NutMeg Adler here. The Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con never seems to disappoint, even if you’re only able to make it for one day, as my husband Matt and I did on Saturday, May 9th. In addition to the comics programming, Wizard World is known for bringing in celebrities from all media: artists, musicians, actors (live and voice), and more--and of course the cosplayers, bringing their favorite characters to life.

I got the chance to meet an icon of rock ‘n roll, the frontman of Twisted Sister himself, Dee Snider. Snider may look like a hard rockin' badass, but he's really a sweetie, and was kind enough to pose for a picture. I also caught up with Frankie Muniz of “Malcolm in the Middle” fame. MitM was always a staple of our TV watching when I was a kid, so it was cool to meet the man behind the Malcolm.

Next, we caught up with Kelly Frye who played the villainness Plastique in episode 1.5 of the CW's hit TV show “The Flash”. Frye had the spotlight at her own panel just off the show floor. Although she’s only appeared in one episode so far, her role was critical in introducing the sinister character of General Eiling, and there are strong hints she’ll be back in Season 2. Frye spoke about Plastique as she appeared in the show “Smallville” (as played by Jessica Parker Kennedy) and compared her to the Plastique we’ve been introduced to in the world of “The Flash”. We also heard from Frye about the possibility of seeing Plastique in future episodes of “The Flash”. She said that she would look forward to delving into more of her character's past.


We then had the pleasure of attending a panel starring Ben McKenzie, known for his role as James Gordon on “Gotham”. One of the audience members asked McKenzie who his favorite Batman villain was. McKenzie jokingly pandered to the fan, who was dressed in a Harley Quinn costume, by responding that Mistah J’s girl was his favorite, which prompted a parade of questioners dressed as other villains to come up to the mic and put McKenzie on the spot. On a more serious note, McKenzie stated he really likes Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma (AKA The Riddler) because of Nygma's penchant for plays on words and puzzles.


As for The Joker, McKenzie confirmed that Jerome (portrayed by Cameron Monaghan in the episode “The Blind Fortune Teller”) is in fact Gotham's Joker. McKenzie said they hope to reach the level that Heath Ledger brought the character to. Pressed for further spoilers, McKenzie said that although he's not tied to a contract on what he can disclose to the public, he gets in a lot of trouble if he spills too much.

Matt also got his turn at the mic, and questioned McKenzie as to how, with a department full of cops who were too afraid to go after a lone serial killer, he could possibly fix the GCPD. The audience laughed, and McKenzie acknowledged with a smile that he would probably have to clean house almost entirely once he becomes Commissioner.

When they are off the set, McKenzie drinks tequila with Robin Lord Taylor, AKA The Penguin. He mentioned that the cast often gets together for a drink after work--that is, of course, the members of the cast over the age of 21. He explains that there is a diversity of age with the show between the kids, young adults, adults in his age group, as well actors who are older than him. No matter the age, McKenzie says that he enjoys working with all of the cast members.

Whoever says that girls don't care about comic book characters should have attended the Hayley Atwell panel; it would put those misconceptions to bed. The outpouring of love for Hayley Atwell, and her role as a super spy who can kick ass in high heels, was just phenomenal. Atwell, who plays Agent Peggy Carter on ABC's hit show “Agent Carter”, was surrounded by admiring female fans, showing Marvel that this show has hit a chord across the demographic spectrum, which is why Atwell was happy to announce that “Agent Carter” has been picked up for a second season!

Although she doesn't consider herself an icon, the fans in attendance obviously felt otherwise, and many asked for her thoughts on important issues facing women today. She advised girls first and foremost to just be themselves. Asked if there were any other Marvel characters she would like to play, she told the audience that she wouldn't want to be another actor's character because she feels that each actor sculpts their character according to their personal vision. Likewise, it came across that Atwell regards the character of Peggy Carter as her baby, and she is thrilled that Agent Carter was picked up for a second season. Atwell said the show will likely take on other eras of Peggy's life, with next season perhaps focusing on the ‘50s, and future seasons going forward in time until we reach modern times, as we saw her as an elderly woman in “The Winter Soldier”.

Many have already heard about Atwell getting her driver's license renewed in costume, but it was entertaining to hear her relate the story firsthand. Atwell had just finished wrapping up filming for that day and realized that she needed to get her license renewed but had no time to change out of costume because the DMV was closing soon. She thought this could be awkward, but she also thought it could possibly be good publicity for the show. Anyway, Atwell went down to the DMV, wig and all, did a flip of her jacket hoping to grab the attention of the people in the DMV, but nobody took the bait. I guess people don't pay attention to celebrities at the DMV. Sorry, Hayley!

The Stephen Amell panel was just one huge girly gush fest. I felt like a teenager again with all the high-pitched screaming surrounding me. Amell, known for playing Oliver Queen on the CW's hit show “Arrow”, is quite the opposite of his playboy character. He spoke about starting his charitable foundation F_CK Cancer, dedicated to finding a way to put an arrow through the heart of this horrible disease. As Sunday was Mother’s Day, it gave him more reason to bring his mother on stage, who herself recently defeated breast cancer.

Amell then dove into spilling some of the secrets of the show. For the most part, he does his own stunts, but insurance draws the line in some instances. Anything in high areas is usually performed by a stunt double. This doesn't discourage Amell for wanting to attempt doing the riskier stuff himself. He's often more than happy to try.

Amell talked about how Oliver has hurt his friendship with the character Diggle on the show because he kidnapped Diggle's wife. In addition, he said he’s very interested to see what’s in store for the next Ra’s al Ghul.

Amell commended the writing team on the show. He has full trust in the team. However, he wishes to see Oliver more at peace and to smile more. It’s said that frowning burns more calories than smiling but hey, “Arrow” writers, quit giving Amell a face workout! Let's see more abs! (Sorry, Matt!)

One brave little boy in a red hoodie stepped up to the mic during the panel, not to ask a question, but to let Amell know he wasn't his favorite character on the show. The kid told Amell that Roy was his favorite. Amell's response was equally adorable, not taking any offense to the kid's comment. That kid was lucky the real Arrow wasn't around to hear it--I’m not sure Oliver Queen would have taken that diss so graciously!

Jason Hayes and his band Critical Hit played an awesome concert Saturday night. They played different video game theme songs, including “Bowser's Castle”, “World of Warcraft”, “Zelda's Lullaby”, “Halo”, “Pokemon”, and “Kingdom Hearts”. Rob Prior (if you remember the name from last year, it's because we saw him at the Drink & Draw contest) also entertained us during the concert as he drew with not one hand, but two! He started out drawing just the letter A, which gradually evolved into the clawed X-Man Wolverine. Rob truly is the best at what he does!

That wasn't even the best part of the show, though. Towards the end of the concert, Jason Hayes had a surprise for us all. Suddenly Charles Martinet, the video game voice of Mario, walked on the stage. Martinet participated in a special rendition of Mario's theme song. Live! with Mario!

Martinet shared his story of becoming Mario. Although he was late to the audition, Martinet was allowed to sit in for the read of the part. He was told that the part was for an Italian Brooklyn man. The only instructions he was given was to keep talking. Thirty years later, he's still talking.

The costumed heroes and villains this year were pretty impressive as well. I found some of the most stunning and detailed cosplay costumes yet. Disney had quite the influence this year. The live action Cinderella film had an impact on one cosplayer, because she came in an exquisite reproduction of the Cinderella dress. Another lady was dressed as Elsa from “Frozen”, wig and all. I guess she's not quite ready to “let it go”! Probably my favorite Disney princess at the con was the lady dressed as Belle from “Beauty and The Beast”. I had first run into Belle while waiting in line for the ladies' room. Her mother was helping her assemble the corset and gown that took up nearly the whole tiny bathroom. I thought it was insane, but hey, if you're gonna cosplay, you gotta do it right! I'm continually amazed by the effort that cosplayers put into their costumes. Considering the time, money, and preparation it takes to get into character, it shows quite the dedication. I have profound respect for these die-hards.

As it has done every year since I started, Philly has once again brought joy to my heart. Between the girl power, nostalgia, and love of comics, I left Philly Con with wonderful memories and stories to share. I'm looking forward to next year's Wizard World and bringing you guys more of the fun.