FAN EXPO Chicago 2026
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Photo by/courtesy of Mike White
Actor Rob Colletti, artist Jeff Brennan, artist Amanda Conner, writer and artist Jimmy Palmiotti, artist Eric Radomski, agent and host Sean Clark, artist and director Frank Paur, artist and director Larry Houston, animator Tom Cook, actress Olivia Hack, and actor Robbie Rist joined me from their booths at FAN EXPO Chicago 2026 to talk about their work and conventions.
All of the interviews are below.
Rob Colletti is an actor, best known for his work in One Piece and School of Rock: The Musical.
To listen to the interview with Rob Colletti, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Jeff Brennan is an artist, best known for his work on Cyber Girl L.E.E.T.A., Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Dragon Tales.
To listen to the interview with Jeff Brennan, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Amanda Conner is an artist, best known for her work on Harley Quinn and Power Girl.
To listen to the interview with Amanda Conner, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Jimmy Palmiotti is a writer and artist, best known for his work on Harley Quinn and Punisher.
To listen to the interview with Jimmy Palmiotti, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Eric Radomski is an artist, best known as the co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series.
To listen to the interview with Eric Radomski, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Sean Clark is the agent behind Convention All Stars, as well as a social media personality and the host of Horror's Hallowed Grounds.
To listen to the interview with Sean Clark, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Frank Paur is an artist and director, best known for his work on Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles.
To listen to the interview with Frank Paur, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Larry Houston is an artist and director, best known for his work on X-Men, X-Men '97, and The 7th Portal.
To listen to the interview with Larry Houston, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Tom Cook is an animator, best known for his work on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Ghostbusters.
To listen to the interview with Tom Cook, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Olivia Hack is an actress, best known for her work in The Brady Bunch Movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Hey Arnold!.
To listen to the interview with Olivia Hack, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
Robbie Rist is an actor, best known for his work in The Brady Bunch, Doc McStuffins, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies.
To listen to the interview with Robbie Rist, click the play button below (or click here to open the audio player in a new tab/window).
FAN EXPO Chicago 2027 is currently scheduled for August 20-22, 2027 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
Tickets and 2027 guest information isn't available yet, but you can sign up for email updates for that and more on the FAN EXPO Chicago website.
When tickets go on sale, they can also be purchased on the FAN EXPO Chicago website.
Mike Reflects
Interview availability at a show like this is always contingent on how long lines are, how guests are feeling, and a host of other things that can change day-to-day, or even hour-to-hour. As a result, I never really know who I'll be talking to until it's time to talk to them.
This year, it ended up being mostly artists, which was great.
I've never been much of an artist, myself. I took drawing classes—even one devoted to comic book and strips—as a kid, but it wasn't something I was particularly good at or comfortable with.
So it was fascinating to learn about how these various professionals all found different aspects of it that called to them, as well as the different ways in which they left their marks.
A friend of mine has been telling me for years to do more interviews with artists, and I'm glad I finally got the opportunity to take his advice.
As far as the rest of the show, it was, overall, a wonderful weekend.
The only downside was that they seem to have regressed in the number of chairs and tables for sitting, relaxing, and eating.
The first year of FAN EXPO taking over from Wizard World, there were pretty much no seating options on the show floor, even by the concessions. The next year, they fixed that, with chairs and tables galore.
This year, I don't know if it's how they used the space or what, but it seemed like there were a lot fewer spots to sit and eat, with a lot more people relegated to sitting on the floor.
Hopefully that's fixed by next year, because it's otherwise a truly great show.