2014 C2E2 - Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo...
A very big THANK YOU to Con_Panion Andrew Sanford for sharing his C2E2 experience with us!! Enjoy his pictures & review of the expo...
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, better known as C2E2, http://www.c2e2.com/Home/, had its fourth convention on April 25 to April 27, 2014. This was my first time attending and I can report that I had a great time. Put on by convention regulars, Reed Pop, http://www.reedpop.com/, whose flagship show would have to be NYCC, this is a big time show. They reported attendance at the 2013 show as 53,000 and I can confirm that this is a big show. Once a show reaches a certain size, it can offer a little bit of everything for everyone.
According to my local friends, the convention was in a new part of the exhibit hall but there was plenty of room for it. In fact, that would be the first and most impressive take-away: you have a lot of space. This convention had the widest aisles I have seen and I loved it, although one vendor and one convention pro on twitter mentioned they might have been too wide as it allowed attendees to avoid exhibitor booths. One of the more trying things at most conventions is that after a few days is you really get tired of being jammed in elbow to elbow.
Another plus was that the commuter train, Metra, had a stop in the convention center itself, which was good for those of us unhappy with the weather. Chicago is a fun town where you don't need a car to get around and there's plenty of good eats. For me, they might want to move the show to early summer, but the locals were happy with it. The convention center did a have bag/coat check which we made use of to stow our winter gear which was a big plus. On the downside, this was the first convention I went to where they did a “security check” on people’s bags when you entered the floor. The checks were half-hearted at best and I frequently walked through without even opening my bag. If they are going to institute security checks, they need to actually check some bags.
I also appreciated the floor layout, which kept artist alley together. Generally the publishers were kept together as well but like other shows, this one only had one of the big two: Marvel. It seems they alternate shows as Wonder Con had DC. I saw Boom/Arachaia, Dark Horse, Valiant, Zenoscope, and probably a few others I am forgetting. There was a tattoo artist corral and the autographs were spaced on the edges to allow plenty of queuing space.
I am mostly an artist alley guy, and this setup made me happy. I would put the artist alley as slightly above the recent Wonder Con but slightly below this year's Emerald City Comic Con. It is a little difficult to compare as most conventions feature a strong component of local artists, but C2E2 did lure Nicola Scott, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_Scott, all the way from Down Under. One nice touch was a central stage which projected the work of the artist. Each artist had a one hour shift and included some heavy hitters, like Nicola Scott. I enjoy watching artists do the art, so a thumbs up from me.
I can't really judge the Hollywood component as it is not my wheelhouse. They did have Eve Myles, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_Myles, and a plethora of wrestlers including Hulk Hogan. I did not wait in any of those lines so no idea how the interactions went. Stan Lee did make an appearance so the comic front was represented.
If I had to knock the show, it would be the panels but that is entirely dependent upon my tastes. I like a lot of comic book related programming and C2E2 skewed a little more pop culture and fan panels. The panel locations were up on the second floor, with a view of the water. I like that they posted all three days of the schedule outside each room, but the seats could use a little more padding. We only attended two panels but had fun at both. It is not family friendly, but if you want to laugh, go see any panel put on by Jimmy Palmiotti, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Palmiotti, who chaired a panel with Amanda Conner, Cully Hamner, Nicola Scott and Jill Thompson.
I don't do much shopping, but this show looked good for it. I saw some original art dealers and the collection of various back issue sellers, even the rare six comics for a dollar sale (take that quarter bins). There was also a collection of shirts, glasses, toys, and other ephemera. As I was flying home, I didn't do much shopping but I did break down and grab some $5 toys. Again, no expert on cosplaying, but saw some really nice outfits, maybe a little bit less than I am used to see in Southern California but tough to quantify.
All in all, a really fun show, buttressed by a great host city and friends in the area, we may find our way back to C2E2 in the future.
According to my local friends, the convention was in a new part of the exhibit hall but there was plenty of room for it. In fact, that would be the first and most impressive take-away: you have a lot of space. This convention had the widest aisles I have seen and I loved it, although one vendor and one convention pro on twitter mentioned they might have been too wide as it allowed attendees to avoid exhibitor booths. One of the more trying things at most conventions is that after a few days is you really get tired of being jammed in elbow to elbow.
Another plus was that the commuter train, Metra, had a stop in the convention center itself, which was good for those of us unhappy with the weather. Chicago is a fun town where you don't need a car to get around and there's plenty of good eats. For me, they might want to move the show to early summer, but the locals were happy with it. The convention center did a have bag/coat check which we made use of to stow our winter gear which was a big plus. On the downside, this was the first convention I went to where they did a “security check” on people’s bags when you entered the floor. The checks were half-hearted at best and I frequently walked through without even opening my bag. If they are going to institute security checks, they need to actually check some bags.
I also appreciated the floor layout, which kept artist alley together. Generally the publishers were kept together as well but like other shows, this one only had one of the big two: Marvel. It seems they alternate shows as Wonder Con had DC. I saw Boom/Arachaia, Dark Horse, Valiant, Zenoscope, and probably a few others I am forgetting. There was a tattoo artist corral and the autographs were spaced on the edges to allow plenty of queuing space.
I am mostly an artist alley guy, and this setup made me happy. I would put the artist alley as slightly above the recent Wonder Con but slightly below this year's Emerald City Comic Con. It is a little difficult to compare as most conventions feature a strong component of local artists, but C2E2 did lure Nicola Scott, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_Scott, all the way from Down Under. One nice touch was a central stage which projected the work of the artist. Each artist had a one hour shift and included some heavy hitters, like Nicola Scott. I enjoy watching artists do the art, so a thumbs up from me.
I can't really judge the Hollywood component as it is not my wheelhouse. They did have Eve Myles, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_Myles, and a plethora of wrestlers including Hulk Hogan. I did not wait in any of those lines so no idea how the interactions went. Stan Lee did make an appearance so the comic front was represented.
If I had to knock the show, it would be the panels but that is entirely dependent upon my tastes. I like a lot of comic book related programming and C2E2 skewed a little more pop culture and fan panels. The panel locations were up on the second floor, with a view of the water. I like that they posted all three days of the schedule outside each room, but the seats could use a little more padding. We only attended two panels but had fun at both. It is not family friendly, but if you want to laugh, go see any panel put on by Jimmy Palmiotti, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Palmiotti, who chaired a panel with Amanda Conner, Cully Hamner, Nicola Scott and Jill Thompson.
I don't do much shopping, but this show looked good for it. I saw some original art dealers and the collection of various back issue sellers, even the rare six comics for a dollar sale (take that quarter bins). There was also a collection of shirts, glasses, toys, and other ephemera. As I was flying home, I didn't do much shopping but I did break down and grab some $5 toys. Again, no expert on cosplaying, but saw some really nice outfits, maybe a little bit less than I am used to see in Southern California but tough to quantify.
All in all, a really fun show, buttressed by a great host city and friends in the area, we may find our way back to C2E2 in the future.
