One of the banners for C2E2 when walking towards the entrance at McCormick Place.
I love comic book conventions. I’ve only been to a few, Baltimore Comic-Con and Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, but I always enjoyed attending them. This was the first ever Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, or the more aptly named “C2E2.” It was also my first time at McCormick Place. It’s a really big convention center; there was another convention taking place, for kitchens, I think.
I’m a bit experienced with comic book conventions so I came prepared with my comics and books to get signed and my sketch book to collect some drawings from my favorite artists. However, while there was a good handful of great artists and writers, I wasn’t too keen on getting my comics signed as I used to. Nowadays, I just love conventions for getting more sketches, meeting the creators themselves, browsing the vendors for any unique deals and rare finds, attending various panels to get more insights or announcements, and of course, taking pictures of the cosplayers.
My only disappointment with C2E2 was probably the low number of costumes. Usually, there would be crowds of people dressed as comic book/movie/anime/cartoon characters. However, there was a sparse number of them around. But I think I can overlook this since this is the first C2E2 ever. I think as long as it continues every year, the attendance and participation will grow, just as the San Diego Comic-con did.
Photo taken on 04.16.10
