The miniseries finale! Rather than cut back to three hours’ sleep per night, I decided early in the process to pace myself and set aside some photo sets for the conclusion, rather than trying to post hundreds in the space of a single day.

Winning in the category of Best Fan-Made Inanimate Object was, for me, Lego Order of the Stick. I have a hard time getting into webcomics, but Rich Burlew bypasses this prejudice by reprinting his stick-figure fantasy-comedy in paper editions, so he gets a pass.

We photographed several actors from a distance for value-added entertainment. Some didn’t really care, and would even offer free photos if you asked with utmost humility. In some areas photos were forbidden to keep throngs of amateur paparazzi from suffocating each other and ruining everyone’s weekend. In more than a few areas it wasn’t discouraged at first, and then later it totally was, as “No Photos in This Area” migrated from one table to another as stars came and went. For example, at one point early Saturday, The Walking Dead‘s Jon Bernthal looked like this:

Later that afternoon, Bernthal looked more like this:

That tenacious volunteer wasn’t the only hard worker at a thankless job. I’d like to offer very special thanks to our good friend Last-in-Line Guy. When autograph lines snaked around other lines, when lines changed location or dissolved altogether, or when Q&A seating lines threatened to crush each other in heated civil war, this man and his fellow soldiers were right there in the fray, doing their best to make sense of it all, point you in the right direction, and be honest with you when your day was about to be ruined by an unexpected line-capping.

During the entire Stan Lee ordeal, which was orchestrated entirely by unwritten procedures (my least favorite kind! How did they know?), this particular gentleman aided my wife more than once by orienting her in the right direction and sifting through the aimless crowds to discern the exact places our objectives required us to be. Thank you, Best WWC Volunteer Ever, for helping our Stan Lee experience actually happen.

Bernthal’s costar Norman Reedus was intermittently present but generally flocked whenever he was in the house. On the other hand, Reedus’ Boondock Saints costar Sean Patrick Flannery was a little more accessible. I’ve never seen Saints, but my wife recalls him well from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Without all those Ghostbusters holding their town hall meeting in the lobby, we had a better view of the ECTO-1 and the Notorious V.I.G.O.

Kevin Sorbo may have been a nice fellow to meet, but the only work of his that I own is a copy of a forgotten basic-cable movie called Prairie Fever that my mother-in-law once gave me as a near-random Christmas present. I previously met one of his costars in that film, Felicia Day, at another con not too long ago. When I mentioned it to her, I think I unwittingly unlocked some repressed memories of a not-awesome experience. Rather than risk doing the same for Sorbo, I left it at home.

Also from the strongman department: frequent con attendee Lou Ferrigno, a regular at the Hyatt across the street around breakfast time.

I…have no idea. Little help? Has anyone out there fought a villain called the Horned Juggler?

[Update 4/6/2013: mystery solved — it’s Gamzee Makara from a webcomic called “Homestuck”. Now I can sleep at night.]

Most folks know Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks. I didn’t learn she was also in Winter’s Bone until after the con. I wish I’d researched better beforehand — a great film that reminded me of places I know and fear in our own state.

Lego Clerks vs. Lego Gundam. The crossover to end all crossovers! Special three-minute feature presentation! Even less if Silent Bob isn’t wearing his Mallrats utility belt!

Eureka star Colin Ferguson had one of the healthiest lines all weekend. We’ve never seen the show, but we had to acknowledge the fan base turnout.

Classic heroes, modern flourishes. For the traditional super-hero fan.

James Hong wasn’t the only Blade Runner vet in attendance. Sean Young also appeared on Saturday, including in her own Q&A. We actually skipped most of the scheduled Q&As because the crowds were more insane in that section of the convention center than anywhere else, because we had no shortage of activities on our plate, because we’re terrible at thinking of original questions, and because sometimes we’re terrible at feigning patience while listening to others’ lame or inappropriate questions.

Thus we conclude our five-part series and bid farewell to that overstimulating weekend at last, having had a few days now to readjust to an everyday life in which I’m not surrounded by people who share 20% or more of my interests. Despite the scheduling hitches, my complete failure to locate Tom Peyer’s alleged table, the literal miles of walking, the experimental new layout that turned parts of Artists Alley into an unfortunate wasteland, and the concession-stand pizza I never want to eat again, I’d call the event a success in our book.

Until our next convention, then! And, Lord willing, our next Wizard World Chicago. Thanks for reading. 🙂

(Special thanks to those fellow fans whose moments added the right touch of je ne sais quoi to the whole shebang — that one couple we met last year who knows who they are if they know who we are; Jenn in James Hong’s line; the Green Power Ranger; the nice lady who traded photographer duties with me at Amber Benson’s table; the father of two with the positive Lou Ferrigno anecdote; and the wonderful gentlemen in front of the conference center across the street who were selling Italian sausages and brats precisely when and where we needed them most.)