Other than the TIE Fighter Pilot mini bust, there wasn't much else from GG I found I wanted or had the money for. I did see some of the SDCC stuff, including the Stormtrooper Commander and Luke with X-Wing ladder ($25 was the cheapest), but nothing that was reasonable enough to pick up.
Day 4 started off early. I arrived at 9am, and the vendors were still opening up their booths. Today was going to be a great day as I was due to interview Billy Dee Williams, Dave Barclay, and Maria de Aragon! I took a stroll through the vendors area as well as the autograph area, looking for anything new or exciting. Unfortunately, I did not. It was time for my interview with Billy Dee, and all I can say is, he is definitely cool as the other side of the pillow! He gladly answered the questions posed by the ISY family, and posed for a picture with yours truly! This was definitely the highlight of my Star Wars experience! After that, I sat in for the Star Wars Round Table with Peter Mayhew, Jerome Blake, Jeremy Bulloch, Maria de Aragon, Anthony Forrest, and Dave Barclay. These characters had a great time, cracking jokes, poking fun at each other, and answering questions from fans. It was very entertaining to sit in. After that, I joined Dave Barclay in his autograph booth to ask a few questions. I truly had no idea Mr. Barclay had worked on so many projects, including Yoda in ESB when Frank Oz was unable to continue work due to other projects, work on Labrynth, Little Shop of Horrors, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, among others. He was a lot of fun to talk to, and I could have done so for hours! Maria de Aragon was next up, and very entertaining to speak to!
As for my overall opinion of the Chicago Comic Con? Wizard needs to do some serious CPR on this event. The addition of so many celebrities, both new and old, was fun to see, but the rest of the content was seriously lacking. No Marvel or DC? Seriously? Once again, Gentle Giant, Hasbro, and Sideshow were MIA. Mattel and View Askew were not in attendance either. The lack of these greats was definitely felt and commented upon by all in attendance.
The economic downturn could definitely be felt in the vendor's alley. I'm not sure if it was economic, or if the vendors had lost all sense of worth, but there were very few true deals to be had this year. Even if I had taken $500 with me, I would have returned with money left over. There were very few items I was searching for, and what I did find was way too overpriced. The amount of Gentle Giant and Sideshow items was much less than in the past as well. Not exactly sure why, but there were items I had expected to find that I did not see at all, and was very surprised by it. The presentations on Saturday and Sunday were fun to attend, and that gave me more to do than just wander the same aisles over and over again. Overall, I'd have to give the show a C-. I sincerely hope that they do a better job of reeling in the big companies if they're going to continue to call this the Chicago Comic Con.
