It is that time of year again! C2E2 is in 8 days and we’re going full force for 2014. C2E2 stands for Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo and was my very first convention back in the early days (2011). During that time, the seeds of ComicUI were being sown on I Can Haz Radio show, which I ran live out of my dorm, which then turned into I Can Haz Podcast for the next year. I talked about movies, comics, books, and pop culture in general for 30 minutes or so a week. It was recorded on my iPhone, edited in Audacity at work, then uploaded to an FTP server (which Brian so graciously hosted). It wasn’t ideal but it was news and our soapbox.
Using that as a launching platform, I dared to dream bigger and applied for press credentials for C2E2 that year, who happened to be hosting little known Chris Hemsworth, who would go on to play Thor. It was a great 3 days of soaking in the culture, spending money, and really making great connections. We always look forward to seeing Victor Dandridge of Vantage: Inhouse Productions. He writes his own comics The Samaritan and The Trouble With Love, but also does some fantastic 8 bit art, which you know we always come back with a ton of. Also, we always meet up with other friends from college as well, rounding out the activities we take part in.
The next 3 years, I’ve attended in one shape or another and it marks the true season of conventions for us here at ComicUI. In 2012 I attended a special premier of The Avengers 3 weeks early at C2E2, and finally in 2013, we were able to take the newly created ComicUI there and really spread our wings. Despite some unforeseen illness, some of us didn’t get to see the floor both days, but this year we’re going strong again! Between Brian and myself, we’ll be introducing new people to C2E2 and covering all the panels we can get our hands on.
This year, notable comic guests at C2E2 include Adi Granov (Iron Man: Extremis), Gail Simone (Batgirl), Mark Bagley (Ultimate Spider-Man), Scott Snyder (Batman), Tony Moore (The Walking Dead), and of course, Stan Lee (all things awesome). The beauty of C2E2 is that its entertainment guests often provide more excitement than the comic ones, this year we can probably spot these guys: Ashley Eckstein (The Clone Wars), Brian Posehn (Comedian), Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead), Hulk Hogan (Wrestling), Kristian Nairn (Hodor in Game of Thrones), RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Veronica Taylor (Ash from Pokemon), and several original Power Rangers cast members. As you can tell, its quite the event.
Check out my personal C2E2 schedule below and let us know if you want anything specific from C2E2! We’ll be hosting a public gallery of pictures, videos, and more that you can follow during our trip. Also, don’t forget to check ComicUI each day for our full recap of events and news coming straight from the show floor.
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