When it comes to convention exclusives, Wizard World L.A. is usually the first big convention of the year for collectors.  Here are some of the Convention Exclusives that debuted at WWLA 2008:

Hulk #1 WWLA Exclusive "Red" Variant Cover by Michael Turner
This was Wizard's signature exclusive for 2008 WWLA. It wasn't the blockbuster hit that Captain America #25 was last year, but it was still quite popular due to Michael Turner being at the show. The item was "free" with an advance purchase ticket, but the one day ticket was $28.

Heroclix Knightfall Batman by Wizkids
Wizkids is usually the most popular place for exclusives at Wizard World, because of the debut of their summer convention exclusives. I say usually, because this year, the Knightfall Batman was the only exclusive available. Sinestro Corps Anti-Monitor? Sorry, gotta wait until Comic Con.  There was very little traffic at the Wizkids booth and very few Knightfall Batmans sold. You'll continue to see very few listings for this item until Comic Con.

WWE Mick Foley as Cactus Jack Action Figure
This is a Toyfare (Wizard-owned magazine) Exclusive debuting at Wizard World. There were 3,000 made and the cost at the show was $20. Mick Foley was there signing at the show, but he would've charged you another $20 to sign your figure.

Top Cow WWLA Exclusive Comics
I don't usually pick up any of the Top Cow convention exclusives, because you can usually pick them up on the cheap here on eBay.  The exclusives available were:
- Witchblade #116 WWLA Exclusive Cover by Marc Silvestri
- The Darkness #3 WWLA Exclusive Cover by Michael Broussard
- Wanted: Director's Cut Hardover Exclusive Convention Foil Edition

Lady Death: Icon #1 WWLA Edition
There were only 100 books made. Brian Pulido signed and numbered each book as it was sold, which made it pretty cool.  The book had the Wizard World LA logon on the front and the back.  I believe this is the 4th version of Lady Death: Icon #1 so far as Brian also made 100 exclusives each for the Mid-Ohio-Con, Phoenix Comicon and Megacon.

CELEBRITIES
With WWLA being the first "pop culture" convention in the L.A. area, there were a few celebrities on-site. It wasn't just B and C-list celebrities as there were three notable celebrites.

Summer Glau
Summer was the headliner for this year's WWLA as she was featured prominently in the convention ads and flyer. Her fans certainly came out in droves as her autograph line was about 300 people deep an hour before she was scheduled to appear.  She had two two-hour sessions which were both completely filled.  She was kind enough to personalize the autographs as  everyone was very appreciative that she did that.

Alyssa Milano
Alyssa was a very late add to the WWLA line-up. She appeared on a panel to promote her upcoming movie, Pathology. After the panel, she signed promotional posters for the movie at the Golden Apple Comics booth. Another long line, but definitely worth the wait to see someone I've been watching on TV all my life!  She was very sweet and said "Hi" to all her fans as she signed the poster. She even stopped to pose for a picture with my wife, even though she wasn't supposed to because the event organizers wanted to keep the line moving.

Milo Ventimiglia
It's Peter Petrelli! Milo was also there for the Pathology panel. He actually has top billing over Alyssa for the movie. He was actually at the front of the autograph line, signing the promotional poster.   

Wrestlers
In addition to the aforementioned Mick Foley, Christy Hemme (TNA Wrestling) and Rob Van Dam (ECW) were also on-hand. Autographs and polaroids were $20 each.

Sci-Fi TV
There were several former TV stars at the show. The only ones I can remember really attracting anyone were Erin Gray (Wilma Deering from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) and Herb Jefferson, Jr. (Boomer from the original Battlestar Galactica series).

If you found this article enjoyable or helpful, please select "Yes" in the survey below.