Photos: Inside The Cosplay, Comics & Celebrity-Sightings Of C2E2 2017
By aaroncynic in News on Apr 24, 2017 5:02PM
The long-term effects of the mainstreaming of comic books, sci-fi, fantasy and all things geek/nerd culture can and will continue to be debated for years to come. But one effect is evident—events like C2E2 have something for almost everyone.
The three-day extravaganza—arguably Chicago’s largest celebration of fandom of almost all types of genres is so jam-packed with panels, workshops, discussions, autograph signings, celebrity sightings, cosplay, and thousands of artists showing off a multitude of wares that the deeper one’s love of geekdom goes, the more likely one is going to need a TARDIS just to fully experience everything.
This year’s layout took up a huge swath of McCormick Place, with the bulk of space taken up by merch from artists and fan’s from all over the world, with autograph, snack, and all form of gaming opportunities carefully lining the outer ring of the floor. The convention center’s concourse transformed into an informal runway for cosplayers— particularly before Saturday night’s world championships—with stormtroopers, superheroes, starfleet officers, wizards, wookies, and more mingling.
A large group of cosplayers pose for a photo at Chicago's C2E2. Photo by Aaron Cynic.
Saturday offered opportunities to see panels with living legends, with a morning one-on-one panel featuring Stan Lee and Frank Miller, and an afternoon panel with Miller and Brian Azzarello. In both cases crowds were at maximum capacity, and both had plenty of fun, jovial moments that left attendees grinning.
The men, the myths, the legends. #StanLee #FrankMiller #C2E2 pic.twitter.com/WGRUTzmfDI
— C2E2 @ C2E2 (@c2e2) April 22, 2017
“What drew you both to write Batman,” one fan asked Miller and Azzarello on their panel. Before answering Miller first passed the question to Azzarello who quipped “they pay me?” to laughs from the audience. “It’s really my collaborators that draw me to a project,” said Azzarello in a more serious tone. “That, and having something to say about the character.”
“Batman was always my favorite when I was a kid,” said Miller. “I liked him because he couldn’t fly - he needed a car. It was just a lot harder to be Batman than Superman or the Flash...he’s so simple. There’s nothing radioactive about him - his parents were murdered and he’s out to set things right.”
One of the other fun panels we managed to catch was a conversation and semi-impromptu video game session with Walking Dead star Michael Cudlitz, whose character Abraham was brutally killed off at the start of season 7 by the baseball bat wielding Negan. The 30-minute session on the Twitch stage on the main floor was full of puns, with Cudlitz at times playfully making jokes at various members of the audience.
Walking Dead star Michael Cudlitz, who played the character Abraham, on the Twitch stage at Chicago's C2E2. Photo by Aaron Cynic.
“It’s kind of cool, you guys are awesome...except that douchebag right there,” Cudlitz said, pointing towards a Negan cosplayer when asked to describe his first time at the convention. “What’d you say, ‘oh Mike Cudlitz is at the convention I’m going to get dressed up as Negan.’”
Speaking a little on his death in the series, Cudlitz said “Robert Kirkman was never happy with the death he gave Abraham in the graphic novel. He kinda has a pretty passive death, kind of like Beth’s death in the TV show where you’re like ‘wait, that’s kind of crap.’ But people die sometimes doing not heroic things.”
As we said earlier, there’s no doubt that the world of fandom is mainstreaming. The explosion in popularity of superhero and science fiction movies and television shows, along with the simple fact that some generes and universes date back many decades has allowed for an event like C2E2 to become a generational experience. It wasn’t hard to find costumed parents leading around their costumed children - and we even spotted a few sets of grandparents and grandchildren.
That, along with the sheer size of C2E2, make for an interesting scavenger hunt to find unique items, experiences, and people that stand out in the sea. Among them was Mike Esposito, an Army Major from Mount Prospect, who cosplays as “Captain Chicago.”
"Captain Chicago" on the floor of C2E2 at McCormick Place. Photo by Aaron Cynic.
“I’m currently a major but when I came up with the concept I was a captain,” said Esposito. “I had the idea because I blew out my ankle on a parachute drop a couple years ago and had to get stem cells injected into my ankle. I told my wife ‘I’m an army captain in the basement of a government facility (the VA) getting an experimental serum injected into me.’”
As always, the cosplay contest features a parade of incredible costumes and creations that highlight incredible ingenuity of fans. This year’s featured a full runway, and we were floored by the sheer amount of hours and detail every fan who participated put into their projects. On the floor, one of our favorite booths to pop by was Terminal Cross Stitch, which among other things, featured both a cross-stitched Ned Flanders and Jeff Albertson (AKA Comic Book Guy) that we very much would like to hang on our mantle.