Slade Vs. Wizard World Austin 2016: Death to Ming Edition

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Flash, a-ah, saviour of the universe
Flash, a-ah, he’ll save everyone of us
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Flash, a-ah, he’s a miracle
Flash, a-ah, king of the impossible

 

He’s for everyone of us
Stand for everyone of us
He’ll save with a mighty hand
Every man, every woman
Every child, with a mighty flash
Flash, a-ah
Flash, a-ah,…

 

The lyrics sung by the famous Freddie Mercury and a little band known as Queen! Why am I mentioning this? Because this is the song that was jamming through my speakers as I headed to Austin Texas for Wizard World 2016! This convention specializes in pop culture and is put on in multiple states by Wizard Entertainment.
This year the convention was bringing out some heavy hitters. Sebastian Stan – Captain America: Civil War, William Shatner – Star Trek, Matt Smith – Doctor Who. They are all awesome and amazing actors, but I was there for one person, SAM JONES – FLASH GORDON!!

The Wizard World Program

I want to mention that this year, there was a new feature added to the convention. This feature was the metal detector that was at the main entrance of the convention. This was, by all accounts, a good addition. I felt that the convention was taking security very seriously and it gave me a sense of relief.

The convention floor had a great layout this year. I really like how the showroom floor flowed from gaming to vendors to artist to celebrities. They had stages on the showroom floor for smaller panels with the bigger panels taking place in the bigger rooms upstairs.

The vendors were plentiful with an amazing selection of items. Some of the swag I collected was a SNES edition of Earthbound and a Netflix Daredevil masked signed by Charlie Cox. Comic artist Michael Cho was at the convention this year. His artwork is absolutely amazing and I was lucky enough to snag a Spider-Man print and had him sketch Daredevil in the top corner.

The Cosplay of Wizard World

One thing I will say about Wizard World is that the cosplay did not disappoint. There were all sorts of characters from all sorts of fandoms being represented. The costumes were amazing and I would have to say that Eleven and Frozone were probably my favorites from the conventions. Take a look at the pictures below and see for yourself the amazing work these cosplayers put into their costumes.

the-vixens

Meeting Sam Jones

Sam Jones was on an end table in the celebrity section and was easy to locate. I approached the table getting ready to meet the actor from Flash Gordon and Ted. I walked up and shook his hand and he started to chat with me. We talked about about how my name has the double ‘n’ and how he thought it was unique. I handed him a business card and explained what Temple of Geek is. I chose a photo and had him sign it. He ended up being a really cool guy.

The photo op was no different. I waited in line for about 30 mins to get my picture with him. There was a total of about 15 people in line to see him that day. As he approached, he genuinely seemed to be impressed with the size of the line. I got in and we posed for the picture. As I stood next to Sam, I noticed how tall he was. He thanked everyone as they went through the line.

Final Thoughts

Wizard World Austin is a great convention that all fans should check out. They always put on a great show every year and they have a great rotation of Celebrities that are in attendance. If you never been to a Wizard World Convention, check out their website here to see when and where the next con is.

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