The Great Philadelphia Comic-Con was a place for geeks of all sorts. Living up to their motto, “Get Ur Geek On,” the con had guests covering all genres of the entertainment world including horror, sci-fi, animation, video games, cosplay and music. Fitting in perfectly amongst the multiverse of geekdom is Alice Cooper, a genuine rock icon going on fifty years in the business. Along with his near 30 albums and countless hits, Cooper is also a bonafide crossover star. The rocker, now 71 years old, earned a bevy of younger fans when he appeared on the Muppet Show in 1978. He appeared multiple times on Johnny Carson, before making a scene-stealing appearance in 1992’s Wayne’s World. It was there I first heard his music and I was hypnotized. He currently has two tours going: one with his main band and another with the Hollywood Vampires, a supergroup along with Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and members of Guns n’ Roses. On Saturday afternoon, April 13th, Cooper had a Q&A panel, entitled “Welcome to my Nerdmare,” answering questions about his career in music and entertainment.
Strolling out to shouts of “We’re not worthy,” Cooper certainly still controls a room. The moderator jumped right in with questions, and then we got to ask one too.
This past weekend, The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center hosted 3 days of geek craziness at the Great Philadelphia Comic Con. The Con’s motto is “Get Ur Geek On” and fans poured in to meet celebrity guests, take in four panel rooms worth of Q&A discussions, weekend-long gaming tournaments, cosplay, and more. One of the celebrities I was most interested in meeting was Jeffrey Combs. A veteran character actor with over 130 credits to his name on IMDb, Combs was there in between co-stars from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jake Busey from Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners. While many know him from his classic role as Dr. Herbest West in Re-Animator (1985), Combs has been performing as Edgar Allan Poe in a one-man show for a decade. I was able to speak with him about the convention, his career, and his upcoming work. I totally got my geek on!
Rocky once famously ran through the city of Brotherly Love training for the fight of his life. This coming weekend the geeks will be running to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center for the Great Philadelphia Comic Con. Beginning Friday afternoon, April 12th at 1:00 PM, the convention is three days of celebrating comics and pop-culture for fans of all ages. The Con’s motto is “Get UR Geek On!” and whether you are into comics, movies, anime, cosplay, or all of the above, you can bet you’ll find something to entertain you in Philly besides a good cheesesteak.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press