Another year, another weekend at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, otherwise known as C2E2!
Compared to last year, the event seemed even smaller and downgraded a bit. The focus on comics was stronger than ever though, while the entertainment aspect left some to be desired. It forced to me check out parts of C2E2 hadn’t ventured into before. Being rather new to the world of comic books (outside the movie adaptations), I found myself surprised by how interesting these panels were.
However, it’s not just about the panels and discussions. There were a few great things to experience at C2E2 2014. Cosplay is one of the best parts of the con, as well as the Show Floor, where everything geeky is at your disposal.
Here’s a run down of my experience at C2E2 this weekend:
Game of Thrones Q&A with Kristian Nairn (Hodor) and Natalia Tena (Osha)
The main attraction on Friday was the Q&A with two cast members of Game of Thrones. Nairn and Tena were great guests, clearly happy to speak with fans and share their thoughts on being part of one of the best fantasy shows in history. Watch a few videobites from the Q&A below.
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In Defense of YA panel
Authors Seth Fishman (The Well’s End) , Lydia Kang (Control), April Genevieve Tucholke, Kendare Blake and E.C. Blake sat down to discuss and defend Young Adult Literature, which gets an unnecessary amount of grief for being either too shallow or just not good enough.
After the authors introduced themselves and their work, the panel was immediately open to questions from the audiences. It began with the typical questions about publishing and how to navigate the world of it. I was hoping to hear the authors share their experience with, you know, defending YA. I think the slack that YA readers (and writers) get are undeserved, so it would’ve been nice to delve into that a little more. However, some great questions were asked during the Q&A. Diversity in YA was an important topic that was tackled, and we also asked why these writers decided to tell stories about young people, instead of older ones, especially with the increasing amount of “adult” situations cropping up in YA literature.
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Watch Kendare Blake briefly discuss diversity in YA lit below.
Why Geek Culture Matters
I went to a few different panels that covered comics, sexism, and geek culture altogether. They were all fascinating discussions and really show how geek culture has evolved throughout time into this big and amazing thing.
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The 24 Reunion
Actors from the acclaimed TV series, 24, came together to talk about their experiences of working on the show. Louis Lombardi, James Morrison and Tony Almeida himself, Carlos Bernard, had a fun time talking about the show and sharing some funny anecdotes from the set.
Cosplay & The Show Floor!
Probably my favorite part of C2E2 is seeing all of the awesome and inventive costumes. This year was one of C2E2’s best years of cosplay. Everyone brought their best and it was so much fun walking through the show floor and convention center, snapping pics as these great cosplayers do the perfect pose.
Click through the slideshow to see all of our photos from the Show Floor and Cosplay.
All photos courtesy of Amanda Trevino
More cosplay!
C2E2 comes back to Chicago next year: April 24-26, 2015
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