I ventured for the first time to the 2012 Chicago Comic-Con, otherwise known as Chicago’s Wizard World. Attendance figures have not been released but the event, held at the Donald P. Stephens Convention Center), was packed.

Having attended San Diego’s Comic-Con last month, I felt right at home seeing excited fans in costumes and a full day of programming events. However, Chicago’s Con has the huge bonus of smaller lines and easy parking access.

After getting my press band, I checked out the convention floor. It didn’t take long for me to notice how many artists were in attendance, and the significant number of art supply exhibitors led me to think this was more of a convention of comic book lovers. In a way, it made me realize what San Diego Comic-Con must have been once before it got super-sized. Next, I headed to the programming wing and found two very cool TV show-based panels.

Ghostbusters and stormtroopers? It must be Comic-Con time!

The Charmed Panel

For a show that aired from 1998 through 2006, I was impressed at the devoted following Charmed still has. The fans appeared to enjoy every second of the 45-minute Q&A session with former cast members Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause.

After discussing how the actors had to deal with a plethora of costume changes and writers having no boundaries, Combs and Krause were asked about their favorite episodes. Krause chose Hippie Leo” and Combs liked “Coyote Piper” and the episode involving “Future Evil Paper.”

There was an interesting line of questioning about the show’s final season and the circumstances under which Rose McGowan joined the show.  Combs didn’t say much and giggled a lot, which leads me to think there must have been a dramatic situation. However, she admitted the entire cast wasn’t sure if fans would take the transition to Rose well. Then, she confessed how the network “always picked us up until the last minute” and joked about how having to deal such a situation could be a possible explanation of why the actors were so neurotic.

Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause reminisce about their experiences working in Charmed.

A funny situation arose when Krause admitted to being scared the entire time he was filming. “Yes, it wasn’t just a daily thing,” he said, describing how the three female leads were constantly blowing up the men in the show. “The show is about the girls, it isn’t about the guys. I knew the only way to create drama was to have a baby and kill the father.”

I wasn’t surprised when Combs, who currently appears in the immensely popular Pretty Little Liars, was asked about the identity of the character “A” on that show. “It could be any of us,” Combs responded. “I do know it’s more than one person, there’s a team.” The mystery continues!

Dean Cain and Laura Vandervoot Q&A

The Cain/Vandervoot panel was all about super powers. It was interesting to hear Vandervoot confess to not really knowing about Supergirl when she was cast in Smallville (2008-2011). Cain shared that he was the youngest person cast as Superman when he was offered the breakout role in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993–1997).

Dean Cain and Laura Vandervoot discussed their ‘super’ powers with fans.

Cain reminisced about how he got the role when he was 25 and admitted to being 46 years old now. “I got the job and they’re going to realize I can’t act,” he stated. He then revealed to having beaten Kevin Sorbo for the role as they were the two main actors being considered. Cain also had to audition with 12 different actresses to narrow down who would play the iconic Lois Lane. That process involved shooting a test scene in which Superman had to be more moral than Lois. Each of the actresses under consideration had to make a move on Cain and he joked about how challenging it was to do those scenes. “Teri (Hatcher) was the last one, she was the best,” he shared and then added that their great relationship and chemistry basically served as the basis of the Clark Kent/Lois Lane relationship.

One fan asked Cain to name the 12 actresses who were being considered for Lois but Cain showed how much of gentleman he was when he wouldn’t name them. “No kiss and tell,” he said, adding only that some of the actresses were often guest stars on the show.

Apparently, filming ‘flying’ scenes as a super hero on TV can be either super fun or painful. It requires the use of green screens and a lot of harness work. While Cain mentioned flying brought Hatcher to tears at times, Vandervoot confessed to doing about 90% of her own stunts because she “loved it so much.”

Cain’s favorite episode is the 1995 proposal episode, the season two finale entitled “And the Answer Is.” Vandervoot vaguely remembered the plot details of her favorite episode. “I was really bad ass but I don’t remember why,” Vandervoot confessed but her fans were able to help her out. It turned out to be “Red Kryptonite.”

Vandervoot was recently seen in V and discussed how the series had been “hazily cancelled.” She explained that it went from being cancelled, to a mini-series, to being cancelled again. “The show and the producers didn’t know where it was going,” she explained. She had one more fun reveal before the Q&A session wrapped up: her Ted co-star, Mila Kunis, was a big V fan and was upset by its cancellation. “I told the producer but that didn’t save the show,” she joked.

View of the main convention floor during Chicago’s Wizard World.

Cain doesn’t think there will be a Lois and Clark reunion but he would be happy to participate in it if it were to happen. Currently, he’s spending much of his time producing but he can be seen next in the NBC reality show, Stars Earn Stripes.

In conclusion, Chicago Comic-Con doesn’t have the star power of its San Diego counterpart. However, there were a significant number of celebrities in attendance and I found it to be a more manageable experience. The interactions with the celebrities who do attend are much more personable in nature. I look forward to seeing the 2013 programming. I hope to be back!

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