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Looking Back At C2E2

Check out what the Comic Vine Staff thought of the show!


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Since we had the rare opportunity to get G-Man, Mat, Tom and I all in one place at once, we thought it would be a cool idea to do a combined opinion piece to showcase what we thought of C2E2, long after the big weekend. Check out what Mat, Tom and I thought of the big show and decide for yourself if you think it's worth visiting next year!
 
While C2E2 itself did not have quite the turnout I had expected, (I honestly thought there would be more people) it was still a blast to check out the convention and see so many members of the industry come out in support of the show. The truth is, for it's first year, C2E2 did really very well. Both DC and Marvel brought out their big booths for the medium sized show, and gave fans a huge bang for their buck by bringing many of their A list creators to the convention. Of all the awesome things I got to see, and all the interviews I conducted, I think that the Iron Man auction prop exhibit had to have been one of my favorite parts of the show. From the awesome display of the fake guns and cool Stark Industries toys, to Gwyneth Paltrow's fabulous dress-- It was really neat to see the props from the first film up close and personal-  just in time for the release of Iron Man 2! Chicago is also a great town to have a convention because there is so much to do after the show, as well. Oh, and don't be like me and miss out on Chi-Town's famous deep dish pizza. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to experience all of Chicago, but next time. I should add that the McCormick Center has to be one of my favorite Convention Centers for the shear fact that it has windows! That's right, you don't lose track of time at this show because you have natural sunlight streaming in and a fantastic view of the water. If only I had more time there, but unfortunately, I had to make a quick dash out on Sunday morning. Hopefully we will see Reed bring this show back to Chi-Town, because now I know not to miss it. It was practically perfect: like San Diego without the crowds and a bigger focus on the comics. If you missed the show and all the interviews and floor footage, you can check it out here. I've also added some of my favorite images from the show in a small gallery below. Read on to see what Mat Elfring and Tom Pinchuk thought of C2E2!
 
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"The con Chicago needs. The con you deserve!"
I read this in numerous ads, and it couldn't have been more true. Chicago doesn't have that one great convention. Our main convention is Wizard World, which has gone downhill quite a bit over the years. The last time I went, there was a wrestling ring on the floor, and I knew that con was done for. C2E2 was different. It focused much more on comics and comic related things rather than the entertainment aspect. There were a few things here and there that weren't comic involved, but it was hardly noticeable. One thing that impressed me was the amount of panels and creators that were there. There were a plethora of rooms featuring panels that dealt with everything from what a publisher was up to in the upcoming year, to panels that dealt with quizzing creators on their own work. Another thing that pleased me was the amount of space everyone had to move around. McCormick Place (Where C2E2 was held) is an expensive place to host anything. There's so much ridiculous stuff a person has to go through in order to host a show there, and since this was the first year, the place wasn't jam-packed like Wizard always is, and that meant more room on the floor. The walkways were wider than most conventions and you didn't feel like you were constantly in everyone's way.
 
There were, however, a few problems I did have with C2E2. There weren't many people there. Why? Not much advertising. I couldn't tell you how many times the week before the show I had to explain to people what C2E2 was, even comic fans were stumped. Other than in the comic books, I didn't see/hear anything about this show. Getting to this show wasn't a problem, except for the traffic, but trying to find where you parked at the end of the night was pretty hard. I know this isn't a problem with the convention itself, but there should be more signs. But now I'm just being nit-picky. Although this convention didn't live up to everyone's expectations, I loved it. It's a great start to a convention that Chicago deserves and at least for me, this first year lived up to my expectations.  
 
-- Mat "InferiorEgo" Elfring is a comedian, teacher, comic book writer, and comic store employee.   
 
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There are a lot of people I hung out with at C2E2 whom I’d love to mention here but, since there’s honestly too many to list, I’ll keep it to the most relevant  - - that is, the fans. I was enormously pleased to be recognized and approached by Couzinit99 and Fanboy from our own message boards, as well as Don Rosso, a HYBRID BASTARDS! fan who remembered me from Wizard World Chicago 08’s artist alley. While it’s certainly great to see friends, colleagues and creators I admire, it’s meeting people like you all, in person, that makes these shows truly exciting to attend.   I’m hoping to see even more maniacs from the Comic Vine Community at the San Diego Comic Con in July.
 
Mark this show in history, since it was the first time Comic Vine’s current staffers were all in the same place, at the same time. As always, it was great to see G-Man and Babs, but it was a hoot to get into all kinds of video shenanigans with Inferiorego only a few minutes after meeting him. His duel with the Windy City Jedi was definitely a highlight of the show for me. I must say, too, that this guy’s a “big man on campus” if I ever saw one. It seemed like we had to stop at every corner on the floor because somebody was popping out and saying, “Hey, Mat!” Hell – even the Vanisher from X-FORCE knows him! Anyway, like I said, there’s just far too much to recount here, but I’m giving C2E2 two A’s for Awesomeness in April.
 
 -- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Pre-order the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover now on Amazon.com.