The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (also known as C2E2) returns this weekend, fittingly held at McCormick Place, Chicago's unique matrix of architectural puzzles. This year will be his 15th, and the good thing is that not much has changed. If last year was anything to go by, it would still be exhaustingly wide, still crowded on Saturdays, likely to burn through your paycheck, and studded with celebrities (as they would be themselves) 1 autograph Choose from around $65 to $110 per wallet), it's still a window into modern fan culture.
But for a moment there, the future looked as bleak as a zombie apocalypse.
After several years of the pandemic, the Comic-Con industry seemed destined to disappear, but it's doomed by its unique model. Will Lou Ferrigno insist on seeing my vaccine card before hugging me? Were all the people cosplaying the Justice League destined to gather in a Zoom hall right now? C2E2 There's a simple reason why smarter artist-focused geek gatherings like (and August's indie comics-focused CAKE Con) have remained important. Even in a fractured digital world, this audience still needs a physical space to meet and a runway to showcase their work. Creativity.
Inevitably, social media is not the solution.
“Hoarding these things and the community's eagerness for in-person conversations has helped us navigate the pandemic. I feel like I came out the other side.” New York Comic Con and Star Wars Celebration. He said that at the end of each C2E2, the company had numerous conversations with attendees and decided that the future would be more like a cocktail party. There are also workshops on Pokemon cards and cosplay.
“It may sound silly, but what we're saying internally right now is that we value our friends.”
With that in mind, here's a quick list of your best bets for C2E2 2024.
1. At the heart of C2E2 is people-watching. Specifically, cosplay, intensely realized latex uniforms, an inventive alternative to Hollywood's CGI and robotics, and the surprising number of people who want to dress up as the Joker or Harley Quinn. It all builds up to Saturday's Cosplay Central Crown Championship. (And that's the scene.)
2. C2E2 Prom, Friday 8pm This is a cute idea first launched in Chicago after ReedPop's success with 2 Geek Proms at Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con. Costumes are highly encouraged. There's a background for the photo, and of course there's a theme: Chicago's 15 Years of Fantasy. Admission fee is included in the ticket.
3. Josh Brolin. Guest of honor. She's straight out of Dune, made a memorable guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, and has a memoir coming out this fall. Needless to say, Thanos is still feared as Marvel's greatest villain. He'll be signing autographs for $200 a pop, but on Sunday (included with your ticket) he also does a great Q&A with the audience.
4. Maya Hawk. One of the best parts of C2E2 is that every year it brings in stars on the verge of becoming superstars (Chris Hemsworth, Steven Yeun, Millie Bobby Brown), but this year, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's daughter Hawke, a singer-songwriter and co-star of “'', appears on the show. She appeared in Stranger Things and will soon play Flannery O'Connor in Wildcat, directed by her father. She signs autographs Saturday and Sunday and chats with the audience on Sunday.
5. Horror is the new science fiction. A generation ago, it would have been heresy to host a Comic-Con without repeatedly bowing to the typical Otaku-Con topic: Star Trek. So perhaps it says a lot about the world today that the hopeful stories of sci-fi are being replaced by the survival stories of horror. The evidence is as follows. So many panels on horror as a growing genre of literature, comics, movies, and podcasting. It also includes a conversation with Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright from the original Alien, as well as several appearances by James Tynion IV, who reigns as the paranoid god. Horror manga.
6. Hollywood Reunion. In addition to “Alien'', “Hannibal'', “Star Wars: Rebels'', “Clerks'', “One Tree Hill'', “Rick and Morty'', the movie “She's All That'', etc. , there will be many cast reunions (via Photo Session with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook).
7. Stage bound. One of the interesting things about C2E2 is that we are very passionate about theater and improvisational workshops. This year, there will be panels on using superheroes and Dungeons & Dragons in improvisation, as well as conversations with three of Annoyance Theater's mainstays: Mick his Napier, Jennifer his Estrin, and Susan his Messing. And if you run into a costume malfunction, DePaul University's theater department has a prop repair booth.
8. Darren Criss. Theater, stage and television actor Darren Criss (whose theater group Team Starkid was based in Chicago for a while) has starred in shows like Glee, American Crime Story, and perhaps the most recent Off-Broadway. He is back in the movie “Little Shop of''. Horror. ”
9. Social gathering. C2E2's biggest lesson: If you're passionate about something, others will be, too. Check out C2E2's website. Throughout the weekend, gatherings will be held in the McCormick neighborhood for fans of Scott Pilgrim, Studio Ghibli's “Our Flag Means Death,'' and Tamagotchi “Dune.'' Infinitely.
C2E2: The 2024 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo will be held April 26-28 at McCormick Place South, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Drive.Tickets start at $70 at www.c2e2.com
cborrelli@chicagotribune.com