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I grew up in a two-television household: one TV for the parents and the other for us kids. This pre-broadband-internet lifestyle meant enjoying entire evenings watching TV shows geared toward me and my young peers.
Thankfully, there were specific networks devoted to getting our attention. Of course, there was MTV, but UPN and The WB were there to fill the more scripted programming needs of our drama-less lives.
Why bring this up? Because this year’s Wizard World Comic Con in Sacramento (Sacramento Convention Center, June 16-18) features quite a few stars from old UPN and The WB hit shows as well as from their current successor The CW. Paul Wesley of The Vampire Diaries makes a lone, but lengthy Saturday appearance.
There will be several Buffy the Vampire Slayer alumni on hand, including Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, and James Marsters. Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause bring some Charmed love, Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) appears in a nod to Gilmore Girls, and Kevin Sorbo visits to help reminisce about the classic Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
TV icons Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) and Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek TOS) will hang out for the entire three-day weekend, while Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) will appear on Saturday and Sunday.
Wizard World isn’t so stuck in the past that it ignores current shows. Eliza Taylor represents The 100 and Cas Anvar helps showcase the Syfy epic The Expanse.
Also, convention favorite Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) joins Guardians-castmate Gunn for the Sacramento weekend.
Legendary artists Tom Cook (Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Smurfs), Phil Ortiz (The Simpsons), and Mike Toth (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) will be on hand to chat with aspiring artists and fans alike. So will popular illustrators such as Sacramento-based Michael Calero, Harvey Award-nominee Ryan Jampole, and Michael Magtanong, and popular authors like Catherine Banks (Artemis Lupine), Genese Davis (The Holder’s Dominion), and Jamie Kain (The Good Sister).
Official complete programming hasn’t been announced as of this writing, but rest assured that cosplay and gaming will be highlighted.
