C2E2 Con Recap - Day 1

Oh what a con! Wouldn't that be the teaser of a lifetime? I could just say that and leave you to wonder what I mean...but you guys know me and know that I love to tell you about amazing, so amazing, here we come!

Any con always starts out with travel and C2E2 is no exception! This year, my con weekend started out at 4:15am (Chicago time) on Friday. My things were already in the van, so it was get up, get dressed and head out the door. Traffic was good, with the usual Chicago hangups and I actually managed to make it to O'hare an hour ahead of schedule. I know you're wondering why the heck I went to O'Hare when the convention center isn't anywhere near there. Simple, my friends. Parking. Parking is way, way cheaper there than at any of the hotels. Plus, I was meeting a friend so that I could escort him to his first ever con! He picked me up (and was a total doll to bring me some yogurt since I hadn't eaten) and we headed in to the hotel.

As always, this is where it gets fun. If you've read my other con posts, you know that somehow I always have difficulty getting to the hotels. Usually a gps has something to do with it. In this case, the gps couldn't hold a signal well enough and kept recalculating about once every block. In the end though, our stubbornness
perseverance won out and we made it! We were too early to check in but they let us leave our bags there and it was off to our first day of the convention!

I would love to say that the shuttle ride was uneventful...Okay, for the most part, it was. However, there was this girl on the bus who was a bit unique and by the time we had gotten to the convention center, she had somehow determined that I should write a story and pitch it to Dark Horse and anyone else who would listen. With my busy schedule, I haven't done that yet but who knows..maybe someday you'll see my name on a cover as a writer. You just never know!

Once we got there, I used my "power of the press badge" to slip inside the exhibitor floor. Mostly I just wanted to drop off my coat and there were only about 15 minutes left before the floor opened up for everyone. Would you believe that somehow I managed to lose Jim in that time? Seriously! Luckily, he was listening for his phone and I tracked him down at the Zenescope table. You would think that I was known for hanging around there or something...oh wait....

After saying hi to everyone there, we headed back to Artist's Alley where 90% of my work takes place. I had forgotten just how huge of a place it was! Poor Jim got bored quickly standing there listening to me talk to people so he wandered off, but not before we went and saw the Buffy Shadowcast! Not being super familiar with Buffy but loving shadowcasts, I was interested. Jim, not knowing a lick about shadowcasts, but loving Buffy was interested. In the end, the venue for this was totally wrong, but the actors put on an enjoyable show.

From there, it was back to work for me and Jim decided to wander around and check everything out. I had a great time talking with everyone back in AA and bumped into more than one person that I knew! I have to say that conventions are so many things to me. I always learn something new and meet new people, but now they're giving me the opportunity to see people that I already know too.

The con floor closed at 7pm and let me tell you, they want you off the floor at 7:01. It's a bit crazy so I suggest that if you're attending this event, make sure your shopping is done by 6:55 and you're making your way to the exit or the orange shirts will shoo you along! They're totally nice about it, but those volunteers

take their jobs seriously. The best part of my day? That's really hard to say. I got snuggles from Eric and Mandy's little girl, Rockell...I got to hang out with Mike and Mary DeBalfo behind their table...and, while Jim was telling me a story of how he met some people who knew me, I happened to look over at the up escalator (we were on the down escalator) and I said, "You mean those people?" Turns out that he had run into Alfred Trujillo and Cara Nicole earlier in the day. We got to stand there talking with them for a bit and then it was back to our hotel to do a quick clothing change and head back out to a party! Busy, busy! Did I mention that I got to pop Jim's con cherry? I have to say that part was pretty sweet. It's always fun to watch a grown man's eyes get huge and watch him fanboy and try to figure out what to look at first.

My take on Day 1? Long. Exhausting. So much fun! I'm already looking forward to next year. Make sure you come back to see how Days 2 and 3 went as well as to see some peeks of our photo gallery from this year!

PS For those who might be wondering, no, I didn't take the route into Chicago where I could dodge the "trolls."

Confessions of a Con Virgin

Submitted by Jim Smith

I was 44 years old and I had never done it.  Never felt the thrill, never felt the sense of wonder.  I was a con virgin.

So, our story begins several months ago, when Katrina and I were discussing conventions that were coming up and which ones she was going to.  I had never been to a con in my entire geeky life, and I floated the idea of accompanying her to C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Exposition, in 2013.  It would be a perfect first con, because, first of all, it didn’t require a lot of traveling.  Chicago was only a couple hours from my home in Milwaukee.  Additionally, I would have the help of a con expert in Katrina, and in return for her help, I could take pictures for the website.  It was a great idea all around.

So, the tentative plan was made, and quickly forgotten.  As C2E2 got closer and closer, I really didn’t make the moves needed to go until Katrina pinned me down and told me that her ability to make plans required me to make up my mind and commit to either going or not.  Realizing that I was holding her up, I pulled the trigger and ordered my badge.  A few weeks later, the hotel was booked, travel plans and pet sitting were arranged, and I was officially going to C2E2.  All that was left to happen was the passage of time.

The morning of the start of the con, I woke up at 5:00am (Katrina was already on the road for over an hour by then), and on the road half an hour later.  I dropped the dog off at 6:30 and hit the road to our meeting point.  A couple hours later, we met up, parked her car in a lot near O’Hare Airport, and drove into the city.  We dropped off the car and luggage at the hotel and hopped the con shuttle to McCormick Place, the venue for C2E2.

I was immediately struck by the number of people there waiting to get in.  This was going to be a big deal!  I was also struck by the cosplayers, and how they ran the gamut of simple and basic costumes (that would be me if I tried) all the way to a full suit of Iron Man armor made of articulated plastic parts.  I started taking pics right away, and went merrily on my way as I started to enjoy the sights and sounds of C2E2.

One of the main reasons I was there was to meet J Michael Straczynski,  the creator of Babylon 5.  Being a fan of B5 since the episode “Born to the Purple”, I was eager to meet the genius who brought this wonderful show to us.  He wasn’t at his table the first few times I checked.  Then, on one swing past his table, his assistant was setting up his table as about 5 people watched.  The table skirt and table were two different sizes, and I figured to expedite the arrival of JMS, I would help set his booth up.  I helped get the table skirt on, talking to his assistant and thinking that her voice sounded familiar.  She thanked me and I made a flirty joke about just needing a guy around who folded his own bed sheets and took my first decent look at her to realize that this was no assistant.  I was face to face (and flirting with) none other than Patricial Tallman, who played Lyta Alexander on B5.  I later tweeted a proposal, but she graciously declined.  She is a class act.

So I got my geek on, meeting Bruce Boxleitner, JMS and Pat Tallman as a bonus that day.  I walked around, talked geeky stuff with people and looked at merchandise and took lots of pictures.  By the end of the day, my step counter had logged over 26,000 steps taken.  I don’t even want to think of what that was in miles*.

On Saturday, it was back at it.  One of the highlights on Saturday was spending time in Artist Alley where various artists, inkers and colorists had tables to meet fans of their art.  That was where I had some comic shock.  I was face to face with the fact that comics were not the tame publications I remembered from my youth.  Many books had taken on an anime styling of coquettish females with large chests, tiny waists, and voluptuous rear bumpers.  While I found this to be moderately bothersome, one publisher’s books based on the Bible really turned my stomach when I noticed an issue called “A Faceful of Peter”**, which the cover suggests was a tale of two gay apostles.  I lacked the courage to pick it up, much less read it.  Yes, I know, you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, but in this case I did.

More cosplay pics, and I was introduced to a professional cosplayer, Cara Nicole, better known in con circles as AZ Powergirl.  She and her husband, artist Alfred Trujillo were wonderful and friendly, and since they were friends of Katrina’s, we went out for pizza Saturday night, and I learned something very important.  They were regular people, just like me, but with MUCH cooler jobs.  Katrina had promised to introduce me to the “cool kids” at the con, and she did not disappoint.

By the time Sunday had rolled around, I was pretty much spent.  I stuck around for a few hours, but said my farewells early, and hit the road around noon.  I picked up the dog, played some cards with my friends, took a nap on their couch, then headed home.  A good night’s sleep, and I was back to my normal life the next day.

As of this writing, I am still 44 years old, but now, I have been there, and done that.  I am no longer a con virgin, and maybe, just maybe, my case of con fatigue will be gone in time for me to go to C2E2 next year!

*10,000 steps = 5 miles approximately.

** Geek-o-Rama actually received a copy of this book to review so watch for that in the upcoming months.

C2E2 Live Chat Stream!

C2E2 Live Video Stream!

Watch live video from c2e2 on www.twitch.tv

Dark Horse Comics Announces C2E2 2013 Schedule!

MILWAUKIE, OR— Dark Horse Comics is headed to Chicago’s fastest growing pop culture event - Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo!

Join us for signings at booth #801! Free comics and/or prints with each signing while supplies last.

Please note that lines may be capped or tickets issued for any signing as needed. Inquire about your favorite signings as early as possible. Some restrictions apply. All events are subject to change.

Comics, books, and collectibles will be available for purchase from Dark Horse or your favorite retailer.

DARK HORSE SIGNINGS

FRIDAY, APRIL 26

12:00 p.m. AMALA’S BLADE signing with Steve Horton

Free 8” x 10” print featuring art by Michael Dialynas

1:00 p.m. BATTLEPUG and THE ANSWER! signing with Mike Norton

Free copy of The Answer! #1

2:00 p.m. HUSBANDS signing with Jane Espenson and Brad Bell

Free 5.5” x 8.5” print featuring art by Ron Chan

3:00 p.m. THE SHAOLIN COWBOY signing with Geof Darrow

Free 11” x 17” print featuring art by Geof Darrow

5:00 p.m. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SPIKE signing with Jenny Frison

Free copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike #1

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

10:00 a.m. AMALA’S BLADE signing with Steve Horton

Free 8” x 10” print featuring art by Michael Dialynas

11:00 a.m. CRIMINAL MACABRE signing with Steve Niles and Christopher Mitten  

Free 5.5” x 8.5” print featuring art by Christopher Mitten

12:00 p.m. BEASTS OF BURDEN and SCARY GODMOTHER signing with Jill Thompson

Free copy of Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch

1:00 p.m. DREAM THIEF signing with Jai Nitz and Greg Smallwood

Free 5.5” x 8.5” print featuring art by Alex Ross

Free limited edition Dream Thief paper in action figures

2:00 p.m. THE MASSIVE, STAR WARS, and CONAN signing with Brian Wood

Free 11” x 17” print featuring art from The Massive by J. P. Leon

3:30 p.m. THE GOON signing with Eric Powell

Free copy of The Goon #38

5:00 p.m. THE FIFTH BEATLE signing with Vivek J. Tiwary

Free 8” x 10” print featuring art by Andrew C. Robinson

Enter to win an exclusive print signed by writer Vivek J. Tiwary and artist Andrew C. Robinson and The Beatles Stereo CD Box Set

SUNDAY, APRIL 28

10:00 a.m. AMALA’S BLADE signing with Steve Horton

Free 8” x 10” print featuring art by Michael Dialynas

11:00 a.m. DARK HORSE SUPERHERO and BRAIN BOY signing with Freddie Williams II

Free 11” x 17” print featuring art by Freddie Williams II, as depicted on the Dark Horse booth superhero mural

12:00 p.m. EX SANGUINE and THE OCCULTIST signing with Tim Seeley

Free copy of Ex Sanguine #1 and The Occultist #1

1:00 p.m. BATTLEPUG and THE ANSWER! signing with Mike Norton

Free copy of The Answer! #1

2:00 p.m. TO BE ANNOUNCED! Come to the Dark Horse Spring Fever Panel on Saturday, April 27, from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in room W471 to meet two special guests and find out about an exciting new project featuring one of your favorite Dark Horse characters.

DARK HORSE PANELS

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

12:15 p.m.–1:15 p.m. SPOTLIGHT ON BRIAN WOOD, Room W471

3:15 p.m.–4:15 p.m. MUSIC AND POP CULTURE featuring various artists and creators, including Vivek J. Tiwary, writer of the upcoming Dark Horse graphic novel The Fifth Beatle, Room W475b

5:15 p.m.–6:15 p.m. DARK HORSE SPRING FEVER with Scott Allie, Jeremy Atkins, Eric Powell, Tim Seeley, Mike Norton, Steve Horton, and surprise guests! Room W471

7:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m. HUSBANDS: TELEVISION AND BEYOND with Brad Bell, Jane Espenson, Sean Hemeon, and moderator Matthew Aaron, Room W471

VALIANT Heads to C2E2 with ROBERT VENDITTI, CLAYTON HENRY, MICO SUAYAN and More!

From April 26th to April 28th, Valiant Entertainment will be joining the festivities at C2E2, Chicago's premier comics and pop culture convention, and we're bringing along a ton of special guests and exclusive giveaways to celebrate!

 

Visit Valiant at booth #1029 all weekend long to get a sneak peek at the next big things to rock the Valiant Universe inside the pages of the Valiant Summer 2013 Preview Edition – a FREE C2E2-exclusive convention giveaway, featuring a look inside Quantum & Woody #1 by James Asmus and Tom Fowler and an extended preview of Harbinger Wars #1, the debut issue of Valiant's first crossover event.

 

Stop by for signings and appearances throughout the show by some of the Valiant Universe's greatest talents, including New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (X-O Manowar, Demon Knights, The Surrogates), New York Times best-selling artist Clayton Henry (Harbinger Wars, Archer & Armstrong, Incredible Hercules), and acclaimed artist Mico Suayan (Harbinger, Batman: The Dark Knight).

 

As always, Valiant will also have a complete selection of Valiant comics, trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and t-shirts on hand, alongside a brand new convention-exclusive Harbinger Wars #1/Shadowman #1 blank flip book – debuting for the very first time at C2E2!

 

Then, find out everything you need to know about the Valiant Universe in 2013 on Saturday, April 27th at 4pm in room W471 for the Valiant 2013: Harbinger Wars and Beyond panel presentation! With the landmark events of Harbinger Wars and Planet Death currently underway, find out what's next for Valiant's greatest heroes directly from a panel of Valiant insiders, including X-O Manowar writer Robert Venditti, Harbinger Wars artist Clayton Henry, Executive Editor Warren Simons, Publisher Fred Pierce, and CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani.

 

And rounding out the weekend, join Valiant's Executive Editor and a special slate of surprise guests on Sunday, April 28th at 11:30 AM W474 for Valiant 2013: The Craft of Comics with Warren Simons. In this candid, behind-the-scenes panel discussion, find out just what it takes to put together a compelling story from start to finish, how to make your series stand apart, and how the editorial process functions at the highest levels – from the award-winning industry veteran behind the Valiant relaunch and a host of fan favorite titles, including Thor, Immortal Iron Fist, Invincible Iron Man, and many more!

 

For more information, please visit C2E2.com and ValiantUniverse.com.

 

We’ll see you at C2E2!

ABOUT VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

 

Valiant is a leading character-based entertainment company with a library of over 1,500 characters, including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Shadowman, Harbinger, Eternal Warrior, and many more. Established in 1989, Valiant has sold over 80 million comic books, and today its characters continue to be forged in publishing, licensing, film, video games, and beyond. In 2012, Valiant was named Publisher of the Year  by numerous press and industry sources, including Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc.

C2E2 Cosplay Bar Crawl!

Chicago's first super hero bar crawl is setting out to be its BEST! The guys who bring you the yearly SantaCon bar crawl are throwing on their capes and tights and heading to the South Loop to celebrate C2E2 taking over McCormick Place! Their Legion of Super Crawlers is meeting at Reggie's Music Joint at 5:30 and then hopping to 6 different bars. Drink specials and memorable photo ops are guaranteed with your wristband! Do a shot with Doctor Doom and see how fast The Flash can chug a beer! Come as your favorite character, or create your own -- but don't miss the first annual Super Hero / Villain Bar Crawl!

Route Map: http://goo.gl/maps/rNsnC
Sign in @ Reggie's between 5:30-7pm.
--Reggie's Music Joint, $4 rum drinks, $3.50 Victoria Bottles, $4 Absolut Peppar Bloodies, $5 Sauza Hornitos Plata shots, Red Bull specials
--Kroll's South Loop - $3 Goose Island drafts, Red Bull specials
--Weather Mark Tavern- $5 Skyy vodka & $5 Galaxy Hero IPAs
--Flo & Santos - $15 domestic buckets, $5 well drinks
--Bar Louie South Loop - TBA

Tickets: http://shsvbarcrawl.eventbrite.com/
$10 online ahead of time, $15 cash at the door.

Cosplay Chicago Announces a C2E2 After Hours Event!

The 2013 convention season kicks off with Cosplay Chicago collaborating and directly supporting ReedPOP’s C2E2 brand,
during Chicago’s Grant Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and C2E2 “Galaxy Hero” Beer Launch Event. We are also proud to
collaborate with ReedPOP for Fridays official C2E2 After Party.
Cosplay Chicago presents…

A C2E2 After Hours event: Skeletor’s Evil Plan!

With Master of Ceremonies and Overlord of Evil, Skeletor
Performances by The StarShip; VIKING JESUS; fire handling by Dollface; Glitter Guild Burlesque featuring Hazel Hellbender,
Red Rum, and Bazuka Joe
Plus Fantastic Mammals, and a birthday salute to Kitty Zombie
17+ show
$10 advance + 2 raffle tickets | $15 day of show
doors at 9PM
Friday, April 26
Reggie's Rock Club
2105 S State Street, Chicago

Fed up with his rag tag band of misfit henchmen, Skeletor scours the Universe for evildoers befitting of his guidance. Bridging the cosmos with aid of the Cosmic Gateway, he returns to C2E2 with designs to conquer Earth, defeat his enemies, and Master the Universe!

Aliens, Time travel, Fire, Damsels in distress, Resurrection, Metal mayhem, Villainy, and special guest- Kitty Zombie! Don’t miss the C2E2 After Party to end all C2E2 After Parties… until next time?!
The Reggies Rock Bus will be stopping by the West Building McCormick Place before the show at 8PM for a FREE pickup to bring “eventgoers” to Snake Mountian… er, Rock Club for the “show”!

Website: cosplaychicago.com
Facebook: facebook.com/cosplaychicago
Official C2E2 listing: c2e2.com/Whats-Happening/Events-R-Z/Skeletors-Evil-Plan/
Venue listing: reggieslive.com/show/c2e2-after-hours-event-skeletors-evil-plan/
Ticket vendor: ticketfly.com/purchase/event/253219wrKey=07C1F0CF775DF1FB2C43172B6A003A57

The StarShip
An alien lyricist and inter-dimensional time-traveler, The StarShip has only one directive- The Orgy at the End of the Universe. An Experimental mix of Industrial, Hip-hop, Electro, and Psychedelic; The StarShip is a unique entity. Known for the song “Fuck The Universe”, his sciFi and pop culture references have made him a cult favorite across all geek communities. Always pushing the envelope with humorous social commentary and an out this World conceptual performance, The StarShip will
take you on a trip that must be experienced to believe.
Band Website: thestarship.net
Facebook: facebook.com/thestarshipmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/the_starship

VIKING JESUS
Legends say that VIKING JESUS is a being that descended upon Earth to give humans better metal. Others say he's a spirit that passes on face-melting abilities from one person to the next. Others say he's just a dude from Middle-of-Nowhere, Illinois who loves video games a little too much. Whatever you believe, prepare to be rocked!
Facebook: facebook.com/allhailvikingjesus
Twitter: twitter.com/vikinggameslive

Dollface
You can take the gal out of the Honky Tonk, but you can't take the Honky Tonk out of the gal.
Dollface wants everyone to treat her like a lady, and if they don't, she'll cut them in half.
She's tiny, but she's fucking mighty, and takes her vitamin every day… it's called a steak.
An all around artist and performer, Dollface knows no bounds. From photography to crafting, silks to grinding, tap to fire handling… Dollface, is the one and only razorblade in the cupcake.
Website: razorbladecupcake.com
Photography: dollfacephotography.org
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/razorbladecupcake
Facebook: facebook.com/j3nd0llfac3

Glitter Guild Burlesque
The Glitter Guild is a wandering troupe of Con-going Cosplayers grown too hot for their costumes. Best known for bringing their passion for everything from D20 to Doctor Who, to crowds of 600+ annually at Indiana's GenCon, the Guild are all truly passionate enthusiasts who give the same loving care to their costuming that they lavish on their obsession of choice. What kind of underthings does a Klingon wear? Where else do Chthulu's tentacles grow? These are questions the Glitter Guild
considers carefully and answers with grins, glitter, and glee. Like all good Guilds, the Glitter Guild now journeys countrywide from Con to Con, bringing jiggles and joy to all the fanboys and fangirls they can find. Featured Glitter Guild performers include- Bazuka Joe, Hazel Hellender, and Red Rum.
Band Website: theglitterguild.com
Facebook: facebook.com/glitterguildburlesque

Fantastic Mammals
This young Chicago-land trio is coming out of the gates swinging with their unique brand of high-energy indie rock. Their driving punk rhythms and swooning melodies are backed by an artful array of chiptune synths. Fantastic Mammals' sophomore album, “What Happened To My Friends?” is slated for a Spring 2013 release.
Band Website: fantasticmammals.com
Facebook: facebook.com/fantasticmammals
Twitter: twitter.com/fantasticmammal

C2E2 Day 2 : A Thousand Miles (or how far I walked!)

Saturday in the park...no wait. I seem to have the inner dj turned on and I was never in a park this weekend. Let's just start over, shall we? Saturday was what I tend to call omg busy. I was up by 9 and considering Friday was tiring and I didn't get to bed til 2am, I was concerned with that. I did the usual post-waking things..showered, dressed, ate a banana and then I was off to the convention center!

Yet again, I caught the shuttle to the airport and then it was off to the train! This time, I wasn't alone but got to spend the entire ride with Phil (dad), Connor (son - about 13) and this adorable little girl whose name escapes me, but she had a stuffed wolf named Sammy. Phil was in town from Indianapolis and the kids were up from Kentucky for the weekend. We had a great time talking and hanging out. So great that I gave them one of my cards and Connor said he was going to add me on Facebook. I hope that they do. I really liked them.

Then, it was off to the next shuttle. This time, it was totally packed. In fact, about 30 people were left standing on the curb. Yeesh! I got to the convention center and it was absolutely packed! There were people everywhere which is great for the convention, to be sure. I had intended on taking a lot of pictures but I only had 2 hands and carrying my camera in one of them got old pretty quick and I'm weird and don't like wearing it around my neck. I always feel like a tourist and on a day where I'm trying to be professional, tourist just doesn't blend. I did take a few right at the beginning though...

Then, it was up to the 3rd floor where it was even more jam packed with people! I stopped by Big Dog Ink to say hi and then started making my way around the exhibitor booths. This was my very first time saying, "Hi, my name is Katrina and I'm here looking for new people and companies to work with." I don't know if it was the press badge or the super cheeriness, but it seemed to work! I had a great time talking with people and quite a few of them either handed me their "babies" to review or promised to send me digital copies.  At one table, I bumped into Ralph Tedesco  and you know dang well that I made sure to give him my card. I also asked him about a couple of titles and if they had them with them. Not only did they have them, but he encouraged me to stop by and he'd *give* me them for Roger to review (they're children's titles).

It took me probably a few more hours, but I did find my way to their table and got to meet Stephen, head marketing god for Zenescope. It was nice to put a face with a name and hopefully, he felt the same way. While standing there, I kept answering questions for others coming up to the table. I can't help it. I'm a helper and I really do love their product. Who knows, maybe if I'm helpful enough, they'll hire me to do something..lol! Ralph came back to the table while I was standing there and between my love of their books and his generosity, I think I walked away with 5 trade paperbacks for myself and 3 trades and a preview issue of Jurassic Strike Force for Roger. These guys might not have given me much re-posting love before this but they sure treated me well that day. I'm looking forward to continuing my relationship with them.

I think it must have taken me about 5 hours, but I did finish making my way around the exhibitor floor about 5:45pm and I went and hung out at the Big Dog Ink table. I hope it didn't bug Tom that I was hanging around, talking with Nei. I did spend some time pitching their books to people who came up and I did make at least one artist commission happen. I also took around some of their Vote Independent posters to a couple of other booths. I think it would be rather brilliant of them if they created postcard sized pieces for that campaign and considering I'll be hitting the Phoenix Comicon floor hard in another month, it'd be something I could hand out when I'm talking about it with other independent artists/companies. I wished more than once this past weekend that I had something like that with me.

Somewhere around 6:45, I decided I ought to head back to the hotel since nobody had extended me another dinner invite. Shuttle, train and shuttle later, I made my way into the room where I decided I just couldn't move another step unless I absolutely had to. So, in true fancy schmancy press/princess style, I called room service and had a lovely bed picnic while talking to Justin and Eric. Sleep ended up taking over (after these two old men fell asleep, I have to say..and it was 2 hours earlier for them!) and day 2 came to a close.

Scene: One tired girl curled up on a huge bed, drifting off to sleep with a smile on her face because people liked her and want to work with her...camera pans to see lots of comic books and other goodies from the day... *giggles*

For today, I leave you with a few more pictures...until tomorrow where I'll wrap up with Day 3!

Make sure you come back tomorrow to see what happens on Day 3 and how my gps showed me yet again how much she loves me!

C2E2 Day 1 : Friday the 13th...

Woo! Guess where I just got back from? Well, if you read here last week, you would know that I spent the weekend in Chicago...all by myself! Eek! Clearly though, I survived and I have returned bearing lots of new and hopefully fabulous things to write about. In fact, I have enough review material to last quite a while! So, over the next few days, I'm going to give you a general run down of what I did, who I talked to and how me, the girl from Middle of Nowhere, Michigan, handled riding the train and making her way downtown. (Does anyone else immediately hear this song when I say making her way downtown?

 

So, let's get started, shall we? My weekend started bright and early on Friday. I had to get up, finish packing everything up and then loading it all into the van. Pretty routine for a weekend away. Nothing too exciting there. For those wondering (and know that I own a ton of bags), I took the apple bag and the bag of holding (aka the button bag) for this trip. I made a trip into Ionia to pick up some last minute essentials and breakfast foods and then, I was on the road!

Well, I tried to be on the road! I had to stop at the gas station and I swear the pump had it in for me. Just as I start pumping gas, I notice the sign that says the auto shutoff off. Ugh! I can see it now, gas running all over the place while I'm thinking about something else. Of course, this made me totally paranoid so I just started at the nozzle inside the side of the van. I had nothing to worry about because at $50 it just refused to let me put more gas in.  That would have been awesome except the tank wasn't full. Geez louise. I gave up and got on the road.

The drive..uneventful. Just another long drive that I won't bore you with. Then, I got near Chicago and what the heck? The gps made me drive over that bridge that I totally hate and have to mumble reassuring phrases to myself all the way across. Thank goodness nobody could hear me or they'd have totally labeled me a crazy head. It's true. I have this issue with heights which means things like down escalators and tall bridges that I have to drive across freak me out big time.

Clearly though, I survived and after dealing with downtown traffic, made it to my hotel. I had more fun here. Problem 1: I didn't have the card that the reservation had been made with. They decided to ignore this though because the room was paid in full already.  Problem 2: My room was on the 4th floor and my van..the other side of a huge parking lot. Now, a smart person would have grabbed a luggage cart? Did I? Nope. I'm stubborn and decided I could do this. After all, the elevators were right there the woman said..and how far down on the 4th floor could it be? Right. Let's just say that by the time I got to my room, I was ready to throw my favorite apple suitcase out the 4th floor window. I didn't, however, because I really didn't want to go naked all weekend. Not even at a comicon is that ok.

Want to see my room? Here you go:

Pretty fancy schmancy, eh? So, I finally made it and sat out my stuff before decided to...brave the train! That's right! I went ahead and went on down to the convention center on Friday night to pick up my pass. Of course, this wasn't as simple as grabbing a shuttle. First, there was a shuttle to the airport. The very nice driver and an off duty maid made sure that I knew how to get my pass and where to find the train. I'm glad because I never would have found it. The train right was boring as heck. I'd wished I'd brought a book with me. Then, there was finding my way out of another station and then standing around with 4 other guys waiting for the con shuttle. That took foooorever to show up but it finally did and I got down to the center with just enough time to snag my badge and to say hi to the folks at Big Dog Ink. For people who had said they were excited I was coming, they had no idea who I was! Thank goodness Brett from Bluerainbow knew who I was! Then, he was nice enough to invite me to tag along with them for dinner.

Dinner was a lot of fun, even if the prices made me pray to the gods that I was going to be able to eat the rest of the weekend. It's not often that I get asked to go to a quality eating establishment such as Gibson's. I was a bit envious of the delicious meals that were put in front of the others, but I had to be realistic and had a peppered steak salad and a lot of water. The steak was absolutely gorgeous but the salad itself was lacking. It needed more dressing and a better mixture of greens. It was supposed to be romaine and iceberg but it was about half a head of iceberg and had 4 tomato wedges as well as the 4 steak medallions. Kim, was really nice and had me try a bite of her steak and Brett was equally nice and let me try out his creme brulee. What really made the night though was listening to Jen, Nei and Shane tell lame jokes and then all of us eventually getting not only our waiter in on the comedy act, but also a busboy that he sent over. Before the night was over, I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.

Our waiter, Drew, telling us a joke.

After dinner, Brett was nice enough to spend ages trying to get to my hotel. He dropped me right off at the door before running Jen and Shane back to their hotel and then heading on to his. I'm really glad that I got the chance to meet him this weekend. Up until now, he's just been a name in Kate's livestream. Really, I want to say thank you to Kim, Tom, Nei, Jen, Shane and Brett for allowing me to tag along and to feel like part of a group. I don't get that experience very often and I know they're like family so to be included was something special.