‘Star Wars,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ Zombie Groups Among Fan Communities To Add Fun To Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con

March 19, 2013 Patrick Hickey Jr. Books & Comics 0

Cosplay And Fan-Based Organizations Bolster Inaugural Event At America’s Center, March 22-24

Fan communities representing the most fervent followers of blockbuster franchises like “Star Wars” and “Ghostbusters,” zombies, pop culture and science fiction are among the groups that attendees will see roaming the Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con floor, March 22-24 at America’s Center.  Cosplayers from these groups love to interact with fans, adding another level of fun and in many cases raising money for charity.

Some organizations that fans will enjoy meeting include:

  • 501st Legion, an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.
  • Archon, a premier fan-run Science Fiction/Fantasy convention that began in 1977, held in Collinsville, Ill.  Archon has a personal touch – it wants everyone who visits to have the best time, meet fellow fans and great guests, and go back home eager to return the following year.
  • Airship Vindus, based out of Columbia, Mo., is a collection of prop-makers, costumers, writers and artists that desire to produce and share multimedia projects specializing in all things concerning the steampunk genre. Calling the project Steamworks & Shadows, one of its main goals is the inclusion and inspiration of steampunk artists and fans in the Midwest.
  • The Finest, a costuming club focused on the creation, display and cosplay of G.I. Joe and Cobra costumes from the action figure lines, comic books, cartoons and most recently the movies.  The Finest is always looking for new members who strive to bring to life one of the most iconic toy and comic book lines of the 1980’s.
  • Kansas City and Saint Louis R2 Builders Groups, founded in 1999 by Dave Everett, an internet fan based club with over 5000 members worldwide. Using the web as a common means to gather information and share thoughts and ideas with one common goal:  to build their very own, life sized, R-Series Astromech Droid.
  • Great St. Louis Ghostbusters, who entertain children of all ages at toy shows, conventions, and other events in the St. Louis metro area. The GSTLGBs meet about once a month with no dues and no requirements for membership except that members like Ghostbusters.
  • STL Nerdy Girls, a spin-off of the Oklahoma City Nerdy Girls meetup. The purpose of this group is to foster continuous learning for women of all ages interested in things typically described as “nerdy.” It hosts a book club, participates in lectures and tours, and volunteers with various organizations throughout the community.
  • The Rebel Legion, an international Star Wars costuming organization created by, of and for people interested in creating costumes from the Star Wars mythos. Research, create, build and improve your costumes in a place where costumers with similar passions share skills, tips and ideas.
  • Z.O.D. Zombification and Disaster Preparedness, an organization whose purpose is to promote zombie/apocalypse enthusiasm as well as disaster preparedness in a positive atmosphere and to provide opportunities for growth through entertainment, instructional programs, & community involvement. Z.O.D. was born from the mind of Author Shane Moore’s fictitious zombie fighting group from his novel “The Apocalypse of Enoch”

The inaugural Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con features Stan Lee, Laurie Holden, Billy Dee Williams, WWE® Superstar Randy Orton®, Henry Winkler, James Marsters and Dean Cain at the top of a standout lineup of celebrities.  They will be joined by an All-Star collection of well-known artists and a variety of activities, exhibitors and special attractions in the second event on Wizard World’s 2013 calendar.

Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con, produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK), will bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.  Admission is free for kids 10 and under, and Sunday, December 2, is “Kids Day,” an array of programming specially designed for children.

Event hours are Friday, March 22, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, March 23, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 24, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For more on the 2013 Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-stlouis.html.

 

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14316 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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