Fan Expo returned to Philadelphia this past weekend, with celebrity appearances, comic book creators, and cosplay.
Programming Sessions
While paid celebrity autograph signings and photo ops are a focus for many attendees, the show also features panel sessions and interviews with many of the celebs included in the ticket price. [Click/tap images to display full photo galleries.]
Oscar winner Marisa Tomei, in conversation with Jen Markham, discussed ways she influenced the portrayal of Aunt May in her Spider-Man films by showing the character active out of the house and identifying herself as “May Parker” to give her greater individuality. She also noted the character wore clothes in bright colors to match the palette of the film’s superhero costumes.
Cast members from The Office — Rainn Wilson, Oscar Nuñez, Kate Flannery, and Creed Bratton — arrived on stage, following a brief confusion on the part of Nuñez about whether the session moderator called his name. (Bratton explained that, yes, he did.) When asked how similar they were to their characters in The Office, Nuñez confessed that, like his character, he frequently says, “Actually,. . .” The panel was unequivocal regarding which actor is most similar to his character: actor Creed Bratton’s portrayal of officemate Creed Bratton.
Alan Tudyk led a hilarious session accompanied by his self-described “bag of crap,” from which items were distributed to each person who asked a question during the Q&A. He graciously signed each of the gifts which included such gems as an empty envelope, an old airline receipt and, most intriguing, several pages of dialog from previous ADR (dialog replacement) sessions.
Former Charmed cast members Rose McGowan and Holly Marie Combs talked about their time on the series. When discussing their hospital attire in the episode “Brain Drain,” Combs surprised McGowan with a photo on her phone of the off-the-shoulder crop top McGown sported in the episode. After the talk, both stars joked around and posed for a quick photoshoot.
Two Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chloe Bennet (Daisy Johnson/Quake) and Jeff Ward (Deke Shaw), discussed their work in the long-running Marvel series with moderator Kristin Finger.
Fan favorite Felicia Day discussed her many projects past and current, and emphasized the value of creating art for its own sake. Regarding forthcoming projects, she mentioned working with an unnamed artist on a graphic novel for release in 2025 and developing a musical based on her web series The Guild. (One minor note: Day stated this was her first time in Philadelphia. Actually, she was in Philly in 2013 when she spoke at the Wharton School and visited the ENIAC display at University of Pennsylvania. See the photo albums Wharton Web Conference 2013 and Felicia Day Visits ENIAC.)
The Voices of Gaming session included voice actors Jen Taylor, Patricia Summersett, Steve Downes, and Neil Newbon in conversation with Victor Dandridge.
Cameron Monaghan talked with Ben Beck about his roles in Gotham and Shameless.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, best known for playing Zack Morris in Saved by the Bell, spoke with Kevin Polowy about his role in that series as well as NYPD Blue and other shows.
In addition to discussing her roles as an MMA fighter and actor, Gina Carano was geeking out about Mr. Robot, which she is currently binge-watching.
Famed animator Don Bluth regaled fans with tales of his work on The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, and many others.
Comics Creators
In the Artist Alley section of the show floor, comics writers and artists were available for signings and fan conversations.
Creators from the recently launched Ghost Machine included Geoff Johns, Francis Manapul, Peter J. Tomasi, Jason Fabok, and Bryan Hitch, Brad Anderson, and Rob Leigh at a panel session that provided an overview of the titles from the new imprint of Image Comics.
Cosplay: Fans and Marketing Teams
Cosplay was, as usual, prevalent throughout the fan fest. Fans in costumes roamed the exhibit hall floor or posed for photographers in the “cosplay red carpet” area.
The rowdiest cosplay of the show was the marketing street team promoting the forthcoming Warner Bros. feature film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. A large entourage of performers dressed as the film’s Biker Horde marched around the show floor shouting and posing for photos.
For a gallery of photos from the event, see the Flickr photo album Fan Expo Philadelphia 2024:
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