C2E2 Quick Thoughts

I had a great time at C2E2 this weekend, despite only attending on Saturday and Sunday. I've seen mostly positive, though somewhat mixed, reactions online, but from a fan perspective, it was a very enjoyable show. There was plenty of room at McCormick Place (really, too much room, which is something I think they'll try to fix next year), making for an easy to navigate and un-crowded experience.

Some of the highlights of my time there include:

- Getting my Complete Action Philosophers book signed by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, both of whom were incredibly cool guys. I also got a quick Modok sketch from Ryan and chatted with him and his lovely family for a few minutes.



- A quick chat with Jim Mahfood, one of my all-time favorite artists, about the wonder of Hunter S. Thompson and all things Gonzo (he had on a Gonzo symbol shirt, I had a Gonzo tattoo to show off).

- New Dr. Who on the big screen with an appreciative audience who laughed, clapped, and cheered in all the right places.

- The look on my daughter's face when she was handed a free Iron Man action figure and got a picture with Spider-man at the Marvel booth. Great job by Marvel on their kids' day stuff.

- Getting my copy of Area 10 signed by Christos Gage and Chris Samnee, with a quickie sketch by Samnee. Both of those guys were really down-to-earth and great to talk to. A review of Area 10 should be forthcoming here in the next couple of weeks.

- A "Local" sketch by Ryan Kelly - beautiful work, Ryan.


- Some surprise purchases and signing, including buying a copy of "You Have Killed Me," from Jamie S. Rich and all three of the "Swedish Invasion" comics from Top Shelf. I was able to get 2 of the 3 signed and chat for a few minutes with the artists, Mats Johnson and Kolbein Karlsson. It was very interesting to get these guys take on Chicago and C2E2 - I hope they had a great time in our city. I also had my credit card for the purchase run by Matt Kindt, which was a very weird experience - ("Love your work, 3 Story was awesome, now process this transaction....")

- Drooling over Doug Mahnke original art for Final Crisis #7.

There was plenty more going on, but those were the things that really stood out for me. I did somehow miss a couple of creators that I wanted to see, such as Cameron Stewart, and Bill Willingham (despite seeing him in or around the DC booth about 7 times during the two days I was there), but for the most part I got to check out everything I was there for. As for the rest, the answer is easy for a seasoned Cubs fan - "Wait 'Til Next Year"!