The Prairie Geek has pointed out another unfortunate aspect of Wizard’s departure:

Outside of time, one of the biggest hurdles C4 is facing is filling the content gap left behind by Wizard’s departure. All of the guests who were organized by Wizard to attend the con were under contract with Wizard, meaning they have no commitment to participate in C4 under another organizer. And all of the vendors and artists who had paid for booths are left trying to get their refunds from Wizard, then having to re-register for River City. Fans who pre-paid for tickets will ultimately be in the same position as vendors.

Given the recent track record on refunds given for subscriptions (as in, none were given), one can’t help but be concerned for the retailers and artist alley folks trying to get those hefty exhibiting fees back, or the fans who paid for advance tickets. Hopefully there aren’t many and they won’t face the same problems.

Watch out though, as Wizard is still selling passes for the event online. If you paid by credit card I strongly recommend you contact your card provider as soon as possible.

The River City Conventions team has launched a brand new website and has announced guests for the event including celebs like Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, Andromeda), Adrienne Wilkinson (Xena), Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica), Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager) and Chase Masterson (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). They are also advertising a mystery guest. Featured Artist Guests include: Tommy Castillo, Echo Chernik, Nigel Sade, Steve Scott, Renee Witterstaetter, Dirk Strangely, Michael Golden, Amul Kumar, Mark Texeira and Rodney Ramos.