In late April, people from all walks of geekdom descend upon McCormick Place in Chicago to pay homage to the gods of comics and pop culture. Some show respect by paying to the Altar of the Autograph. Others don their ceremonial garb and walk through the Valley of Flashbulbs. The family elders bring their younglings to show them the way. Heroes will be made as cosplay battles break out. Fans will cheer on as Darth Maul attempts to take down the Predator and Captain America grapples with Megatron. Merchants travel from the outlying kingdoms to peddle their wares. Artisans, young and old - established and up and coming, share their skills and their stories. -Sound totally made up? It's not. It's C2E2.
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo is a three day event that combines everything I talked about above. How do I know? I had the joy of basking in the overwhelming geek energy with my family - and it was glorious! In the first 5 minutes, I was able to get a picture of a Mandalorian Merc and my photo with Doc Brown. Deadpool came up to my son and his best friend (who were dressed as Captain America and Iron Man) and asked to be in a picture with them. That meant a lot since my son was afraid of dressing up in the first place. A simple act has pushed the day down the right path.
The Energy
You can feel it. It is everywhere. From the moment you get out of your car and start the journey to the promised land, you are surrounded by like=minded people. You are drawn in. You are accepted and respected for your geekdom. For those of you who have never attended an event like this, let me try to explain. I am a Star Wars geek, so I will use that as my example. I remember the feeling I had the first time I watched the trailer for Episode VII. The screen fades, the logo appears and then the music hits. Goosebumps and giddiness, barely able to contain it. Memories of being a child and getting the present that was exactly what you wanted. Take that energy, multiply it and then release it into a convention center FULL of geeks doing the same thing.
The Floor
It is almost impossible to experience everything C2E2 has to offer in one day. I say almost, because I guarantee there is at least one dedicated fan who was able to do it - though they were probably carried off in an ambulance after. Plan ahead. The event's website lays out everything that is going on. They even have a planner you can use. It helps, trust me. It is easy to get lost in the awesomeness. It isn't because of a bad layout - just an overwhelming amount of amazing stuff to see. It is broken down by aisles for the 300+ exhibitors and then there is Artist's Alley. All the artists are listed on a board, if you are looking for a specific one. I would encourage you to just wander up and down the aisles as well, there are over 400 artists total. You may find something you never even thought of. The autographs are set in the far back. Snacks and other sustenance are available from vendors or in the Cafe and believe me, you will need it. By the end up the day we (my family and I) walked over 7 miles.
The Artists and Exhibitors
Are you looking for a personalized action figure of you in costume? How about customizing your Star Wars #1 Blank Cover variant. Where else can you find a Lego Millennium Falcon, an Unsullied helm, a Master Chief HALO blaster and more art than you could imagine. You can buy, sell and trade comics and action figures and everyone is willing to share their story. Here you can find the major comic publishers as well as the independents. Comics you have never seen or heard of, but are awesome nonetheless. Comics focused on the next generation of geeks with stories about a cat with super powers or a dog and his friends where all the proceeds from sales go to an animal shelter. I had a chance to watch Rob Taylor from Herofied (look for an interview coming soon) interact with fans and answer questions about his work. It was very clear how passionate he is and he isn't alone. All the artists I stopped and talked to loved to share their journey. Not just what they were selling and why, but I wanted to know how they came up with their ideas. What inspired them to draw a comic based on Buddhist monks harnessing the seven chakras.
The Cosplayers
Whether dressed as a hero or a villain, you will not meet a nicer group of individuals. They come to show off their hard work and dedication to the craft. They are stopped constantly by fans young and old and asked for pictures. I never saw anyone turned down. One man dressed as Deadpool was on his way to the bathroom and a family stopped him to take a picture with him. A crowd gathered and eventually he graciously stated, "Even Deadpool has to use the facilities, but if you wait right here I will return before you know it." The fans made a path and away he went. As promised, he returned to finish what he started. He wasn't the only Deadpool and he could have easily exited the bathroom on the opposite side. He didn't. I heard a father say to his son, "See, Deadpool's not such a bad guy after all." His son then ran up and took his picture.
The Fans
Head nods and fist bumps turn into full blown debates about Marvel Vs DC. Let me be clear - it stays civilized. It doesn't digress into the name calling and mud slinging that happens too much on social media where you are safely behind your keyboard. Ideas are exchanged, opinions are discussed and everyone walks away after with a smile and a little more knowledge. My wife had a conversation with a woman she never met on the way out of the parking garage about how excited she was to be at her first Con and I chatted with her son about the finer points of Naruto. Fans were gracious while waiting for photos with Cosplayers, and people were not afraid to be nice. It sounds odd, but how many times have you been bumped into and the other person just gives you a dirty look and walks on. With this many people in one place, you are going to get bumped into and you will also hear that amazing phrase, "Sorry about that!"
The Experience
I had the joy of sharing this experience with my wife and son for the first time and we will be coming back next year. Sunday was Kid's Day and there was a variety of different activities. The 501st set up a Blaster Arena where you could test your skills and later in the day Nerf had a POW! obstacle course. Artists talked about bringing comics to kids and a Family HQ was set up were you could relax in the comfort of huge bean bags. My son picked out some comics and immediately wanted to find a place to sit down and read them. He was so excited, it was infectious. My wife was able to find some Superman and Vikings artwork to add to our geek art collection in the office. I was able to chat with some amazing artists and cosplayers about their crafts. At the end of the day, we were tired and our legs killed - and it was totally worth it. If you are thinking about going, do it! You won't regret it. I know I will be there. We would have stayed but we ran out of time...
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