Wizard Con 2015

Article by Richard Smith

So as many of you know I've recently entered the world of Cosplay and as such I've been looking for opportunities to don my new digs, meet and do some recruiting. I decided to dive into the world of Con's with a trip to the Wizard World Comic Con in Pittsburgh. I didnt really know what to expect, but I knew I was going to have a good time and since I had just blew almost a hundred buck on my kids Halloween costumes I figured to take them along.

Pittsburgh is about 2 hours from my home which meant an early start to the day. I put my costume in a garment bag, packed up the kids and off we went down Interstate 79. The venue for the event was superb, right on the waterfront. It was a little pricey, but then again I'm note really sure what these things are supposed to cost, this being my first Large Scale Con. My kids got in for free with my admission so there was that. We donned our outfits, me a Starfleet Rear Admiral (naturally), My Daughter was a Frozen Character, and my son living out his Marvel Dreams as Iron Man.

We spent most of the day walking around the vendors room taking pictures, and meeting other cosplayers from around the area. It was quite educational. I briefly flirted with the idea of paying for an Autograph or Picture with William Shatner, but decided against it as I wouldn't be able to justify it to my wife. I am a pretty cheap, so that was an opportunity missed. We were able to see a mock up of the Batmobile of the Adam West series, the DeLorean was there from Back to the Future, and a pirate ship was built inside the convention center and Cap'n Jack Sparrow was on board shouting to the land lovers below.

Everyone seemed to love my son's Iron Man Costume (it was quite well done) he got more request for pictures than I did and I was in quite a few. We took photos with many Avengers, more than a few members of Starfleet, and those that were into The Walking Dead. We even got to see some vintage cartoon characters come to live. Make me feel good as it helps me to know I am not that old.

We had to leave before the panel discussions got started because those were later in the day, but I was very impressed with the event and I am making plans to return in 2016. If you ever have the chance to Cosplay I highly recommend it. It adds so much to the Con Experience.