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| C2E2 Showroom Floor |
Besides musicals plays and the usual shows you see on blogs such as this, this couple has a wide variety of “shows” they enjoy! For instance, concerts. And this summer is going to be full of them it seems judging by the ever growing tickets on our refrigerator door. Shows can be any variety of thing in my opinion….let’s say museum exhibits? A movie at the theater? Or even….comic book conventions? YES!
That, and it’s my blog and I’ll do what I like. So there.
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| Loki says “sit the fuck down!” |
In any case, probably never mentioned on here before is my love for comic books. It started around 7th grade while the 90s X-Men the Animated series was on. I fell in love with the character Rogue, followed by her on again/off again beau Gambit. This was followed by finding a comic book store and discovering that my favorite characters were in book form?! Amazing. So began my comic book collecting – though ill-timed as the X-Men books at that period were going through the Age of Apocalypse arch – and for someone that just knew the animated series, I almost dropped the books altogether due to sheer confusion!
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| Insert “bigger on the inside joke” here. |
Which brings us to today. I still have the want for collecting as I did, but city living spaces and lack of expendable income at times has caused it to go to the wayside. Not to mention, just the slim pickings there is in quality of books. So currently my purchases are The Walking Dead and Saga monthly. Others just get thrown in so I don’t have to put only $4 on my debit card!
The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo is Chicago’s answer for not having to go to the suburbs for a comic book convention. We used to only have Wizard World in Rosemont, and that train ride is hell to say the least. C2E2 has grown significantly in the past four years and resides in the city of Chicago, not 15 miles away in a ‘burb! I hadn’t been since the first year it opened and have been dying to see what it’s turned into. That and it was announced that one of my all time favorite people, Felicia Day, was going to be in attendance! Sold!
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| Mama Wonder Woman and wee Huntress |
I could go on and on about all the things I saw, the people I talked to, and the creativity that was witnessed over those Friday and Saturday afternoons. It would be hard to choose. Instead I will say, that as a nerd/geek/outcast/whatever, a comic book convention is more than about comic books. If you like TV and movies, there’s stuff for you. Anime? That too! My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? All over the fucking place!! There is an abundance of genres to choose from.
My wife and I spent a lot of our time shopping for art for our new place in the Artists Alley. We purchase two pieces, two I can’t recall who they’re done by but will post when they’re framed and put up in the condo, and one by Karen Hallion, whom I’ve been desperately attempting to not buy everything she makes. But seriously, when you combine Disney with Doctor Who, it’s hard. We ended up going with this piece because I’ve always identified with Belle. It’s going to go in our bathroom with a couple of other classy, yet nerdy Doctor Who pieces (well that’s the plan anyways – we still have to get in there and see how it all lays out!).
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| Cast of Firefly cosplay |
Wil Wheaton wrote this great blog post about how comforting it is to be at a convention. And it is so true. It’s a rare opportunity for everyone to be who they are (or in some cases who they wish they were!). No one judges. Seriously. There are women who are wearing not much more than a leotard and tights, who would get the shit kicked out of them in school or on the street because they might be overweight, etc. Instead, they get asked left and right for their picture to be taken! And every convention I go to I’m amazed at the sheer amount of people in wheelchairs, or families with autistic children, and so on. Basically, *everyone* is there to be themselves and not feel like the world is staring them down.
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| TARDIS and Dalek cosplay |
Several times throughout the weekend I choked up when I gazed around the floor at my fellow nerds. They are all so talented, so imaginative, and most importantly so, SO loving. It amazing and I would encourage anyone who’s never been to a show such as this to try it – you might discover a movie you’ve never heard of, an author who’s name you’ve heard of but never tried, or an artist as you’re walking by their table and have the “I *have* to have that print!” thought. That art may not stay with us forever (though I hope it does!) but the memories will. And I already cannot wait until next year!
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| C2E2 2013 |
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