NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - Silent Bob’s Project Mayhem: Fan Expo Chicago 2022

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 76: Silent Bob’s Project Mayhem: Fan Expo Chicago 2022 (Standing outside for hours with no encouragement).

Silent Bob’s Project Mayhem: Fan Expo Chicago 2022

July 12, 2022

Cool Movies Darth was able to binge "Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi" in 48-hours to prepare for Fan Expo in Rosemont, IL. Did he have the energy to thoroughly enjoy the reskin of Wizard World (and Chicago Comic Con before that)? There was Carl Weathers, Ron Perlman, Boyd Holbrook, and a bunch of Hobbits, but since there is only one "Return" (and it is not "of the King"), CM Darth was dedicated to the Kevin Smith content. Was he willing to put up with the challenges and lack of encouragement to get his Bluntman and Chronic Funko Pop! 2-Pack autographed? Here is his story.

Allow me to get out of third-person. Happy Prof. Shurtleff of Illinois Central College? I (CM Darth) will try not to make so much light of violent death in this summation. This is my declaration of changing perspective. 

It is kind of weird to have the lack of pressure to watch movies right now. Dare I say, it is a nice reset. Am I relaxing? Probably not enough. C2E2 is just around the corner, so I will have to get my binging spectacles on at some point. There is "The Boys" and "West World" to get to.

Granted, I have yet to see "West World" have much of a presence at either C2E2 or Wizard World/Fan Expo. HBO lacks a presence at the cons anyhow. COMIC CON San Diego will have occurred by the time I go up to Chicago proper. Is there much to get excited for the first weekend of August? If there is no Quentin Tarantino (which you know there will not be), what can top Kevin Smith when it comes to anticipation?

This episode of the podcast is all about my experiences at this past Fan Expo Chicago. To sum it up, Kevin Smith became Darth Maul. He recalls being at Wizard World 1999 where Ray Parks was the attraction that demanded lines that test the endurance of any nerd. My Saturday evening was devoted to waiting to be in his presence, and when the con organizers failed to realize the debacle that they had created, I accepted their suggestion that I would come to the "secret" signing Sunday morning to allow those cheap fans who only bought one-day passes to get their signatures from the third best screenwriter from the 1990s.

Of course, that autograph session they would arrange for the humble supporters did not go off as they sold it. I cannot blame the "Clerks" director. Being a nobody, me having to wake up early to wait two and a half hours is fine. Being the Smodfather, no way that I am coming in at 9:45 am when you were not scheduled to.

Sadly, the end to the weekend will be the headliner, but, I do my damnedest to talk about my experience from the preparations on Wednesday night to the drive home to Morton Sunday night, and then the 90 miles back to Urbana so that I could make it to work Monday at 7:30pm. Perhaps the spending cash my folk gave me was earned after this ordeal.

I am not one to usually get autographs at cons. Wizard World 2019, Michael Rooker was my first so that he would sign a Yondu Funko Pop!. That comes with the abundance of Funkos I suppose. Of course, there were a bunch of Kevin Smith Funkos in my collection, so duty called.

The only other autograph I got prior to Smith's was Robert Patrick. He deserved my attention, but Wizard World 2021 felt he did not deserve an actual panel hall. Needing to see him, I had him sign a 14"x17" print out of a "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" poster. He is a very humble man. My apologies for failing to find something he was featured prominently were scoffed at. "It was Arnie's movie." Far too cool a dude.

And Kevin was a pretty solid guy as well. He was probably relieved that the guy in the Captain N cosplay just asked for a tag on one item instead of half a dozen. I am sure he appreciates all the stories from his fans, but I have a podcast, so I have to save them for my scores of fans. Thanks for coming back to NinetyForChill: The #Podcast.

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.