Last month, it was once again that time for me to drive south and head into downtown Chicago, avoid the construction (as much as possible), and make our way to another year of C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. For us here in the Midwest, this is most likely the biggest convention in the area, although there were a few conventions going on in Chicago as well. I think it did affect the crowd a little, as it didn’t seem too terrible on Saturday.

See below for our rundown of C2E2 2018, along with our photo gallery from the convention.

Once again, we got there a little early on Saturday for a big panel, this year was for a Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar panel. It was basically just the two of them telling stories and cracking jokes, and of course, there were a few questions from the crowd. And as a bonus for those who got to ask a question, a hand shake or hug was offered. As someone who is on the outside looking in when it comes to the comic book industry, it was entertaining and interesting. And later on when you are walking around at the various comic shops selling stuff, both names pop up a lot.

And as we started off early on Saturday, we had some time to waste until our next panel at the end of the day. We spent most of the day walking around Artist Alley, which is a place you can easily spend both time and money walking up and down the aisles. There was plenty of great artwork for sale, but thankfully I was able to avoid the temptation to buy anything this time around, since I still have two big poster tubes full of movie posters I haven’t put in frames and mounted on the wall. I can pretty much suggest you spend the time to visit Artist Alley at any convention you may be at, and I am sure you may even go home with some new artwork or stories for those creators you enjoy and want to support. We ended up talking to a few of the artists, and not just talking about upcoming projects they have coming out.

And as we ended Saturday night, we headed off to a special event, “An Evening with Henry Rollins,” which was sold out, with a decent amount of people who were at C2E2 that day and some who came just for the event. We talked to a couple who had driven 5 hours just to see him. And the reason I brought this up, the doors opened at 7pm and the show was supposed to start at 8. And as 8pm rolled around, we were all sitting in our seats waiting for him to start. And after a long delay, he finally showed up and started around 9pm, and thankfully still talked for a few hours. And I think after a few minutes into his first story, we all pretty much forgot about the waiting. If you get the chance to listen to him speak, I would suggest going. This made me sad that I passed up on seeing him in Milwaukee when I was offered a ticket. I know he has a few talks up on YouTube if you want to get a little taste of what his spoken-word shows are like.

And after a full night of sleep and not having to get up super early, we headed back to C2E2 the next day, and we noticed that traffic was less of an issue this time, but Sundays are usually the somewhat slower day of the convention. Most people go to get some last-minute shopping done, in hopes of taking advantage of some deals from the various booths. There were no panels for us that day, so it was spent mostly in Artist Alley once again, with a few side trips to search out for some great cosplay to take pictures of. I also need to point out the Cosplay Central area that was at C2E2, which was pretty nice. They had some nice backdrops set up to help take pictures and there were numerous booths to help with any repairs needed for costumes or accessories. I missed out on a big group shot, which ended up being like 20-30 people I think. Was a little bummed about that, but enjoyed just hanging out and catching up with people.

I think C2E2 is a great event, and it seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year, and for those of us in the Midwest, perhaps the biggest one close to us. It has a way to go before it gives SDCC or NYCC a run for its money. I do wish I had taken more pictures, I had set a goal for myself and didn’t quite reach it. I need a few shows before I get really comfortable asking/taking pictures. But I do thank those of you who did let me take your photo and I hope you like how they turned out. I will see you next year, C2E2!

C2E2 2018 Cosplay Gallery

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