It’s not often that Black Gate Photog Chris Z and I experience sensory overload at a convention, so this is likely a first. Last weekend, August 16-18, Chicago played host to the Fan Expo in its third year taking over the event from Wizard World.

The 2023 event boasted an impressive list of celebrities, vendors and artists. However, this year was closer to mind-blowing for a lot of reasons that I’m about to tell you. Before I wade in, this is a convention that happens in many cities in the US and Canada throughout the year. We highly recommend you go at least once, if you’re near one of the host cities. You can check out the full line up at my pre-show post.

Attendance numbers haven’t been released yet, but a contact I have in the city of Rosemont’s events office let me know early estimates indicate that well over 100K people attended Fan Expo during its 2.5 day run, with close to that number attending on Saturday alone.

Based on the crowds we saw it’s clear that the event has nearly outgrown Chicago’s second largest convention center, though the 2025 announcement has the Fan Expo back to the same location. Suffice to say this is the largest event of its kind that we have ever attended.

The celebrity lineup which the Fan Expo attracted to Chicago is also one of the biggest we’ve seen.

Headlining the event and leading the representation for the Star Wars franchise was Mark Hamill. Also attending were Diana Lee Inosanto, who portrayed the Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth in The Mandalorian, Hayden Christensen is best known for his role as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Joonas Suotamo, who took over the role of Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy and standalone films.

Though Hamill was clearly responsible for the largest lines at the meet-and-greet photo ops, Rosario Dawson, star of the upcoming Ashoka series, part of the Star Wars universe, was right behind him in attracting fans.

Fan Expo celebrated a diverse range of other franchises as well. The Terminator series was well-represented by Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick and Edward Furlong.

Fans of Firefly were treated to an appearance by Morena Baccarin, while Scream enthusiasts could meet Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, and Laurie Metcalf. The Marvel universe was represented by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio from Daredevil.

Fan-girling over Lance Hendrickson

My personal fangirl moment came from a member of the cast of Aliens. Michael Biehn who played Corporal Hicks was in attendance and I oogled him for a bit from the sidelines, but I waited in line (and paid) to have a few moments with Lance Hendrickson. Hendrickson not only played Bishop in Aliens and Alien 3 but boasts a 64-year career. Now at 81-years-old, and still working by the way, he was incredibly charming and genuinely pleased at my admiration of his impressive Hollywood tenure.

Did I squee? Yes, but only after I walked away.

Fan Expo also boasted over 400 vendors which meant whatever sort of merchandise you were looking for, from cosplay to comics, was there tempting you to part with your cash. We were excited to meet an entirely new batch of favorites to share with you so here we go.

Chris Ginder of Gindo’s Hot Sauces with the comic tie-in

Chris Ginder

Owner of Gindo’s Spice of Life Hot Sauces – One of the first booths that caught our attention, Gindo’s hot sauces were displaying a hot sauce/comic crossover. Founded by husband-and-wife team Chris and Mary Ginder, Gindo’s artisanal sauces are crafted to offer not just a kick of spice but a fabulous blend of flavors. As a hot sauce collector and enthusiast, I loved the three-bottle set with the comic style labels, called The Hammer, The Axe and The Crusher which was accompanied by a wonderfully illustrated, limited edition comic by the same name.

We’re not even thirty feet into the con and I’m already shopping.

Jason McLeod, author of Dark Siege

Jason McLeod, Author of upcoming graphic novel Dark Siege: A Connecticut Family’s Nightmare

McLeod is a paranormal investigator and author who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming graphic novel, Dark Siege: A Connecticut Family’s Nightmare. Based on his 2014 novel by the same name and inspired by real-life events, it tells the story of a haunted Connecticut family through some really-well-done graphics. McLeod also began his paranormal career working for and with the late Ed and Lorraine Warren, the demonologist and medium whose work inspired The Conjuring franchise.

McLeod let us know he works with some of the Vatican’s exorcists which I found interesting as I thought the Vatican had denied having exorcists. However, after a bit of research I found I was incorrect. Apparently, each diocese is encouraged to have at least one appointed exorcist who is specially trained in this area. And since it’s a pretty sure thing the Vatican isn’t going to grant me an interview, I’m probably going to hit up McLeod with a bunch of questions soon, so stand by.

Ryan Oliver, Blind Cyclops Books

Ryan Oliver, Owner of Blind Cyclops Books

Blind Cyclops Books, the Chicago-based publishing house Oliver founded, reflects his commitment to bringing original and exciting literature to the forefront. Under this banner, Oliver has produced multiple titles including the one which made us stop at his booth to learn more. Godfly is a graphic novel in its second printing which tells the tale of two kids wandering a 1940’s carnival. Entering a flea circus tent they unwittingly unleash hell on earth in the form of… The Godfly.

Our friends over at Bloody Disgusting call Godfly “A masterclass in manipulating expectations,” plus we really loved the black and white graphics with “a touch of red.” Pick it up at the Blind Cyclops website or where comics are sold.

Jeff Balke of Jeff Balke Studios

Jeff Balke, Owner of Jeff Balke Studios

Jeff Balke Studios blends traditional and digital animation techniques and is known for its innovative 2D animation and comic book artistry. What caught our attention was their 2D artwork, prompting a discussion with Jeff where I learned about Stanley’s Ghost, his Eisner Award winning comic published by John Carpenter’s Storm Kids Comics. The latest issue sees Stanley Squirrel and his friends tackling a spooky mystery in their beloved town. This new comic promises a perfect mix of fun and fright for readers of all ages.

In addition to their comic ventures, the studio offers personalized commissions, allowing fans to own custom artwork of their favorite cartoon characters. These commissions are tailored for private collections and include options for single or multiple characters in full color.

Austin Janowsky – Zombies, We’re Human Too

Austin Janowsky, Actor, Author and Comic Artist

We stopped to talk to Janowsky as he was promoting his comic that he described as a “zombie origin story.” I was personally intrigued as I had assumed they all just came out of the office of my day job.

Instead, we not only learned Janowsky was a multi-talented creative force but is also an actor. A quick flip through his IMDB bio lists his roles in TV titles such as Bad Monkey, Gray People and Snapped, among over forty other credits. He also let us know we could look for him in the upcoming season of Stranger Things which automatically makes me want to know more about him.

Beyond his acting career, Janowsky is an accomplished author and comic artist, and it wasn’t until we got home that I realized why his name sounded familiar. He worked on our beloved Dirk Manning’s Nightmare World Vol. 4: The Mourning After graphic novel. Janowsky’s latest, Zombies: We’re Human Too has three volumes and is available where comics are sold.

And finally…

Emilia Gawlick’s East Dock sign from Under the Covers Company

Emilia Gawlick, Under the Covers Company

We’ve seen a lot of innovative sign companies in our travels, but Gawlick took the award. Among her many artistic endeavors, Gawlick creates wall art based on movies and video games. From a cartouche containing the Stargate address, to a Nuka-Cola from Fallout, to the sign that sent me into palpitations of fangirl joy: a “life sized” East Docks sign that was Nedry’s downfall in the original Jurassic Park (1993) movie, Gawlick’s designs are Hollywood-prop-class. She also does custom orders, so check out her website for all her offerings.

Big thanks to Fan Expo for inviting us again this year, and to all the great creators who took the time to tell us about themselves and let BGPCZ take pictures.