One or two winged, cloaked, green-skinned creatures streamed into the great hall, which was surrounded by huge concrete pillars. The scene reminded me of a vast intergalactic visitor arrival lounge.
They passed through a security checkpoint displaying blasters, battle axes, and lightsabers.
They came in peace.
They also have a game plan for navigating the vast maze of toys, curiosities, artists and celebrities that will populate McCormick Place from April 26th to 28th for C2E2, the Midwest's largest pop culture convention. I wish I had. Your best option is to download the event's mobile app, which provides detailed maps, coupon books, schedule updates, notifications, and more.
It must have seemed a particularly difficult task for Batavia resident Warren Swanson, 21, who brought with him an 8-foot-long 3D-printed space battleship Yamato from the Japanese animated series of the same name.
Swanson, dressed in the red and white navy uniform of the character Susumu Kodai, planned to spend all day Friday passing his creations around the convention in a homemade cart.
“This is my love letter to the (animated) series,” Swanson said.
But before he could share it, he had to take it to the parking lot elevator.
It's easy, he said, showing how the magnetized hull breaks down into different parts. Swanson spent the rest of the day roaming hallways lined with glowing lightsabers (ranging from $99 to $1,600), foam swords, cellophane-wrapped comic books, and thousands of other shiny trinkets.
Convention attendees will also have the opportunity to get autographs and photos from some of their favorite celebrities, including actors Christopher Lloyd, Chad Michael Murray, and Cristo Fernandez this year.
Passersby frequently stopped Swanson for photos, but in a place swarming with the ghosts of hundreds of fantastical characters meticulously brought to life, including Batman, Spider-Man and Captain America, it was an unusual sight. Not most of the time. Swanson responded, saluting and clicking the heels of his black leather boots.
Eileen Peterson's problem Friday was that her world blurred and melted overnight. This was the price she paid to become Gwen, the deer-like character from the video game Spiritfarer. To achieve this effect, Peterson, 34, wore white contact lenses with small holes in each of her pupils.
“I have ideas about shapes, so I know where people are,” said Peterson, who lives in Memphis, Tenn. “If the landscape is changing, I have what the industry calls cosplay handlers.” he said. he said, gesturing to his best friend, Toria Olivier, 34, of Chicago.
Mr. Peterson said what he values is authenticity.
“So I thought it was worth being blind for a few hours to get some great photos with my best friends that I'll remember for a long time,” said Peterson, who also wore 3-inch heels. .
Erin Cox's challenge was to keep cash in her pocket where it could run dry in a flash, at least until she could find the nearest ATM.
Cox, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, found himself in front of a booth selling ultra-realistic lightsabers. Most sold for hundreds of dollars.
“I want it all,” Cox said, adding that she didn't really. need Any. She brought her boyfriend with her, at least in part, she said, to warn her if she was panicking and having the urge to spend.
“When I look around, I'm overwhelmed. There's so much I want,” said Cox, 31.
Steve Omins' hope was to survive unscathed for about two hours so he could watch a Chicago-themed movie with friends. With wide Styrofoam wings taped to his arms, he looked as if he were testing out the human-powered flying device of destiny. But when he studied fully upright, he transformed more into a Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza than anything else.
Omins said the costume took about a week to make. He briefly considered the North Side sidewalk ruins coming as “rat holes” that were being removed. But he decided he wanted something classier.
“It's much more iconic,” Omins said of Picasso.