Wizard World Philadelphia, our area’s largest comic book and pop culture celebration, is just a little under a month away. This year’s event, held June 2-5 at the Philadelphia Convention Center (yes, you can still buy tickets here), features such big name stars as Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, and Chris Hemsworth from the Marvel movie franchise; Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson from “Back to the Future,” David Duchovny from “X-Files,” and everyone’s favorite butt-kicking heartthrob from the zombie apocalypse, Norman Reedus from “The Walking Dead.” As we lead up to this great event that’s a short hop, skip, and web swing from the Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin bridges, we thought it’d be fun to look back at our very first story covering Wizard World Philly. 

By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

Comic books. Over a decade ago, these stories of heroes faster than a speeding bullet were seen more as junk taking up space in your parents’ basement than an actual force of pop culture. Today, comics have gone from a collector’s item for select enthusiasts into a true global phenomenon, leaping from the printed page to the silver screen, and turning masked avengers into a billion dollar industry.

A prime example of the increasing popularity of comic books was last month’s Philadelphia Comic Con Wizard World Convention, where tens of thousands of comic book and science fiction fans descended upon the Philadelphia Convention Center. Attendees could meet Stan Lee, the creator of iconic comic book characters such as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and Fantastic Four; Chris Hemsworth, lead actor in “Thor,” and “The Avengers;” all five captains from the “Star Trek” series; and dozens of other actors from television and the silver screen. Also on hand were countless rows of vendors, selling everything from much needed back issues, pop-culture t-shirts, movie memorabilia, and action figures. Among the countless tables was Ro3Co, a Pennsauken-based company looking to bring back a retro style action figure with their Warlords and Warriors line.

“Warlords and Warriors is a world of might and magic, where a barbarian prince and his heroic warriors battle evil warlords and demons of dark magic in search of the lost warrior king,” explains Rob Roman, co-owner of Ro3Co and a Pennsauken resident. “We were inspired by childhood memories. My grandmother used to buy me action figures at Woolworth’s when I was a kid. It’s great to make something old to be new again.”

The line, which will be produced by PA-based Zoloworld in time for the holidays, contains ethnically diverse characters with rich back stories.

“We want it to appeal to a variety of people. We’re keeping it very good vs. evil for the kids, but for the adult collector, we’re going to have a dark side of the story as well. There’s a little something for everyone.”

Pennsauken’s Passion for Collecting

Action figures are a true passion for Roman, who has been a collector since he was a small boy and is the proud owner of over 10,000 vintage and current G.I. Joes and countless other types of heroes and monsters. Another Pennsauken resident has also been collecting since he was little, and has accumulated an impressive number of comic books. Ron Crane, Pennsauken Township’s chief financial officer, has over 1,200 comic books, locked safely away in a climate-controlled storage facility. Crane scours the Internet, comic book shows and the like to fill in the missing pieces of his collection.

“I watched cartoons as a kid and the heroes were larger than life. They were someone to look up to,” says Crane. “I was always into super-hero books. My favorites were Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, but I also liked collecting horror comics and medieval books like Conan The Barbarian.”

Among Crane’s prized possessions: a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, also known as the first appearance of Spider-Man, as well as Amazing Spider-Man #1, the first issue of the wall-crawler’s individual title.

Crane shares his love of collecting with his two boys, Ronny, age 11 and Roger, age 9, showing that something once thought of as children’s entertainment can be shared across generations.

“Watching my kids get into super heroes and collecting is what revived my passion for it,” adds Crane. “Now when we look for books to add to our collection, we look for what they like.”