Philadelphia. Driving in, you are immediately hit with the smell of cheese steaks. Your thoughts stray back to elementary school and learning about Independence Hall and Ben Franklin. Your more adult self thinks of Rocky.
But sometimes there are other reasons to come to Philadelphia. Sometimes there is a different kind of history that pulls you in. Sometimes, there is the slightly musty old smell of books and the thought of superheroes, and on a warm Saturday in June, three travelers were pulled to Philadelphia, not because of its rich history, but because of…comics!
That’s right Wizard World Philadelphia. Home to thousands of comics, hundreds of celebrities, and comers from all walks of life. This year’s show however would hold some special reasons for attendance namely the hope of meeting a childhood hero, and the continued quest for comics and toys.
Upon entering the Philadelphia Convention Center, where once again this year’s show was held, you are pulled into a river of people all travelling in the same direction, all with seemingly similar purpose. For some the hope of adding to a collection, for others the dream of meeting a star, and still for others it is about leaving the outside world behind for a couple of hours and forming a new life in a world where anything is possible.
Walking into the main room your are blown away by the magnificent sight of comics, and toys and costumes, and props. You have died and entered comic book heaven. My brother Paul, my friend Diego, and I however did not come unprepared. No. We had a plan. For me it was meeting a childhood hero for the first time. Someone who I had watched at a young age and who had made the impossible seem real. For me this show was all about Ricky “the dragon” Steamboat. But that would have to wait because it was only 10:00 AM and that signing would not arrive for another four hours. For my brother it was meeting Stan “the man” Lee again. Getting another book signed and graded by CGC, the comics Guarantee Corporation. But this time it was more serious. It wasn’t some Amazing Spiderman from the 90’s or even something more recent. No. This time it was Amazing Spiderman 8!!! Last but not least my friend. He did not really have any agenda but was just along for the ride, to smell the comics so to speak. So there we were in the middle of Wizard World Philadelphia, without a clue as to which way we should start our journey. We decided to go right.
It’s funny how you think one thing and just when you are sure of it, something comes along and changes your whole game plan. Coming to Philadelphia, we had all agreed that we were not there to buy anything. That is what we each said. We all had our destinations in mind, but little did we know that our flight plan was soon to be rescheduled. It happened about twenty minutes into the show. I spotted it, or maybe it had called to me. Either way I made my way to the stand where an original Marvel Superheroes Training Center sat still factory sealed and in the box. I had made a promise to not spend money, but this was my kryptonite. For many show goers this item would not stand a second glance but for me it was pure gold. I had been searching for one for a long time, and this magnificent specimen was just what I was looking for. It managed to adhere to my strict requirements for condition. The colors were vibrant. The factory seal was unhampered with. This was coming home with me. And then it hit me….the price! “Ninety dollars!” The market for this toy line is not huge. There was no way I was going to pay ninety dollars for it. I knew what to do. Bide my time. Surely the seller would bow to my demands as the show came to a close. I was patient. I could wait. I put it back on the shelf. I moved on. But I knew I would be back and I knew it would be mine. This seller was about to fall for my trap like so many villains before him.
We continued making our way through the show, browsing here, stopping there. Not much else held our interest as far as toys were concerned. But that was ok. I would come out of this a champ. I would get my training center before day’s end.
Eventually we made our way to Stan Lee. Stan Lee. I had met him twice now and have nine items signed by him. But the mention of the name, the sound of the voice, the picture on the wall gets me every time. Just knowing that the voice I listened to every Saturday morning coming off my TV was sitting there, not but 100 feet ahead of me still sent strange feelings coursing through my body. The line was long. Very long. My brother did not care. He was here for one reason and one reason only and no long line, not the Green Goblin himself would keep him from his goal. He walked to the end of the line. We watched him do it. We thought man that is a long line. We thought should we go stand with him and keep him company? We walked on.
If you have never been to Wizard World Philadelphia then let me paint this picture for you. Imagine watching all of your favorite movies, then reading all of your favorite comics, and then imagine being able to summon all of them to your home. That is what it is like being in Philly. My friend Diego and I continued to amble but as we did we were met by the Hulk, Thor, Loki, Batman, Poison Ivy, and just about every other member of the Justice League. Now we knew that they were not real, that these were regular people under the costumes, but the costumes looked so good that for a second there they almost had you believing. Then you get transported back in time…almost literally because in front you is the Delorean, and next to it the Batmobile, and next to it the Mystery Machine, and next to them the Ghostbusters! All the pictures in the world could never recapture that moment, but needless to say we tried.
We continued on. Time passed and soon we found ourselves making our way toward the main reason for this year’s trip….Ricky Steamboat. A line had already formed wrapping itself around the signing area like a snake. We got in line. We waited. And Waited. And waited. Steamboat was late. So we waited and waited. Daniel Bryan arrived. Still we waited. Time was at a standstill. Questions began to surround my thoughts. Was he going to be a no-show? Would he never get here? How much longer would we have to wait? Finally, just as my knees were beginning to give out, my back had reached its limit for soreness, and my mind was ready to say “forget this'”, Steamboat showed up. My vigor was renewed. I was ready to tackle the line. I said to Diego, “Man, that wasn’t so bad.”
The line moved quickly and soon we were there, right in front of a living legend. A master of the squared circle. But most importantly a hero. I had Ricky sign two promos. One was an old black and white glossy shot of him posing from 1987, the other a much newer color WWE photofile, but still with an old shot of him holding the belt. He signed them both and shook my hand. I thanked him, Diego took a couple pictures and hours of waiting translated into seconds with a superstar. Definitely worth it.
Our mission was complete. We were free to roam the rest of the show without a care in the world. But wait two questions floated to our consciousness. Where was my brother Paul, and would I be able to talk the seller of the Marvel Superhero Training Center down in price so that it could travel back to Jersey with me and find its place among my many other treasures? We decided to look for Paul first, the training center wasn’t going anywhere right?
Trying to find someone in a sea of people is hard. We found this out after ten minutes. You’re thinking this is the age of cell phones, why not call him. We did. He didn’t answer. Finally, we found him on the floor with his eyes closed just outside the main room. Apparently my brother Paul, satisfied with his signing, had decided he had had enough and it was time to go.
There was just one thing left to do then…get my training center. As Diego and I followed the path to the seller’s booth, I began running scenarios through my head. What would I say to him first? What should I start off with as my first offer? How high would I in fact go? What would be the best way to approach this situation to make sure I got the item? I could already see it. I pictured it on a shelf in my collection room. It was going to be perfect. There was no way I was leaving without it. This seller would be putty in my hands. I would use my years of toy collecting and negotiation tactics to entrance him so that he almost wanted to give it to me for free. As far as I was concerned this was already a done deal. I knew it would be there because like I had said before, this line was not one that garnered much interest and well it just had to be right? I mean didn’t it?
Well, needless to say, I learned a very valuable lesson that day as I approached the seller’s stall. My eyes scanned the area where my prize had been, but to my great shock it was not there. No problem. Perhaps he had moved it. Realizing that no one was going to buy it he probably put other items in its place. Items that had more potential for a sale. I immediately inquired about the item. I was slapped in the face with a curt reply, “I sold it.”, where the man’s words. I took a step back. Surely I had misheard him. I inquired again. Same response. My stomach fell. I got that sick feeling that you get when you know you did something wrong and now someone is letting you know about it. How could this have happened?
After minutes of regret and what would end up being an hour of sulking, I was hit with a statement that was both wise and at the same time unwanted. Upon hearing the news my brother Paul said, “You should have bought it when you had the chance. Now you learned your lesson.” This was certainly not the sympathetic hand on my shoulder I was looking for. After my brother picked himself off the ground, and learned a lesson about speaking to his older brother after he missed out on a golden opportunity, we all went home.
So we ended our three-hour tour of Wizard World Philadelphia with some ups and some downs, with heroes met and lessons learned. The good and the bad of a show all mixed together to make wonderful memories to last a lifetime. You can see photos from the event below:
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