At the Wizard World Philadelphia comic-book and pop-culture convention, it was anything goes. Fans dressed in outrageous attire were as much an attraction as the famous comic-book illustrators and characters who signed autographs.
More than 25,000 people attended the weekend event, which started Friday, said Drew Seldin, spokesman for Wizard Entertainment, the sponsor and publisher of magazines about comics, pop culture, video gaming, toy collections and anime.
Headliners were Brian Michael Bendis, a creator of Marvel Comics Ultimate Universe; Hayden Panettiere, the invincible cheerleader in the hit TV series Heroes; and the original Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferigno, who said a Hulk movie sequel would begin shooting next month.
Among the thrilled fans was Jason Farrell, who stood in line yesterday for about four hours to get 75 autographs from his favorite comic book illustrator, Michael Turner, who has illustrated covers for Captain America and other comic-book series.
To be fair to the other fans, Farrell, 27, of Perkasie, asked Turner to sign only 20 comic books at a time and then returned to the back of the line.
"His artwork is very awesome - the way he draws his characters, the emotions he shows," said Farrell, who starting reading comic books at age 9 and never looked back.
Also standing in line were Chris Avery and his two sons, Tyler, 13, and Matthew, 11, who had come 235 miles from Inwood, W. Va., for a Father's Day outing at the comic-book convention.
"I've been a comic-book fan and collector for 25 years," said Avery, a police officer, whose hobby has rubbed off on his children. "Michael Turner is fantastic," said Tyler, holding a stack of comic books to be signed. Turner has also drawn covers for the new Silver Surfer, who is featured in the new film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
