Darth Vader at PopFest Chicago

Last summer, I attended my first PopFest Chicago. I was extremely impressed.

While PopFest was not a huge convention, it was run so smoothly I couldn't believe it. There was only one celebrity guest, but Kurt Angle was a great guest, who drew a huge crowd.

While the Olympic medalist was the sole celebrity, he wasn't the only photo opportunity. Walking among the attendees was a great Darth Vader cosplayer. Not only did he (?) have the perfect garb, he had the voice thing working great.

I applaud cosplayers like this. He spent most of the time taking pictures with other folks. At some point, it has to be tiring, especially when folks fumble with the pictures or linger too long. Maybe he gets out of the costume at some point and actually checks out the con.

As for the con, every aspect ran like a machine. From checking in at the press table to the food lines and all in between, I did not see one flaw. A special shout out goes to the young (teenager?) lady assistant at the front desk. Unflustered and very engaging, she andled herself like a seasoned veteran.

For more info, go to popfestevents.com. Also, check here for my recurring coverage.

Darth Vader and me in Naperville, IL-July 2024.

Joseph White and Whitney Collectibles at PopFest Chicago

A familiar face approached me as I entered PopFest Chicago last month. Usually oblivious, I actually expected to see Joseph White there.

A friend of my pal Tommy Else, Joseph was a guest on our The Johngy "OR ELSE" podcast a while ago. At the time, he had recently started an online collectibles business. Now about a year later, Joseph opened a store in Glen Ellyn, about 30 minutes southwest of Chicago.

I saw Joseph had a booth at PopFest Chicago and planned on seeing him there. I didn't expect it to happen 30 seconds into my day there.

I was really impressed with Joseph's booth. He had a lot of cool autographs and merchandise and it was very reasonably priced. My buddy Tony bought several items.

Tommy and I plan on doing an update with Joseph in a live podcast from his store. Tony also plans on visiting his store to check out his inventory.

Conventions like PopFest Chicago expose vendors like Joseph to thousands of potential customers. Likewise, vendors like Joseph attract those folks. It's a winning formula.

I applaud Joseph for a great-looking booth and amount of merchandise. I applaud PopFest Chicago for putting on a fantastic convention.

For more info on Joseph and his business, go to WhitneyCollectible.com. Also, check PopEvents.com for updates and scheduling of future events.

Joseph White and me in Naperville, IL-July 2024.