Pop culture-palooza: Entertainment enthusiasts unite at C2E2 in Chicago this weekend
The Midwest’s largest pop culture convention is returning to Chicago’s McCormick Place Friday through Sunday, April 11-13, bringing with it something for every type of entertainment lover.
Produced by ReedPop, the 16th iteration of the convention is most well-known for its comics. However, the event grabs the attention of many through its inclusion of video games, TV shows, movies, comedy, books and much more.
“Pop culture extends to all corners of the world, and we’d like to bring it to you under one roof,” said Chris D’Lando, events manager at ReedPop. “So whether you are into comic books, we've got that for you. But if you don't like comics … there's a little bit of something for you at C2E2, and we're very confident that you can come and have a really amazing, full day at the show.”
This concept is proven through C2E2’s ever-changing features that keep the event new and exciting for attendees each year.
“Our guest list is very, very diverse,” D’Lando said. “This year we've got the cast of ‘Outlander,’ which does not necessarily appeal to the same folks who may be coming for some video game voice actors that we have.”
This year’s event is holding a 40th anniversary cast reunion for John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club,” bringing together Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy.
Most notably, attendees can also view panels, take photos with and receive autographs from Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Sean Astin and John Rhys-Davies from “The Lord of The Rings”; Sam Heughan, David Berry and Charles Vandervaart from “Outlander”; and Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Matthew Mercer, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe and Travis Willingham from “Critical Role.” Stars from “Futurama,” “RoboCop,” “Starship Troopers,” “Red Dead Redemption,” “Baldur’s Gate 3” and more also will be on hand.
C2E2’s Show Floor will offer opportunities for guests to purchase collectibles from exhibitors representing their favorite pop culture world. Its famous Artist Alley will be lined with comic creators including Charles Soule, Frank Cho, Gene Ha, Humberto Ramos, Kami Garcia and Steenz.
“They have one of the best artist alleys,” said Vincent Zurzolo, co-founder and president of Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect. “They’ve got really great quality creators at their conventions, as well as budding new artists, so that makes it really special.”
Zurzolo, having been in the comic business for nearly 40 years, has attended C2E2 every year since its beginning and ranks it as one of his favorite shows of the year. Though he annually attends with the purpose of buying and selling comics for his business, he’s also made surprising connections there.
“I’m also a creator, and I made my first comic book — and found one of my cover artists — at C2E2,” Zurzolo said. “I walked through aisles of probably 200 creators and stumbled upon this guy who I thought was really special, and he … did a great cover for us.”
Through his career and personal interests, Zurzolo has grown to be an expert on all things comics. He has only high praises for Chicago’s contribution to the pop culture phenomenon.
“One of the most special things, I think, about C2E2 is that it is such a massive show … but maintains a very comic book-centric convention,” Zurzolo said. “You couldn’t possibly get bored if you spent a whole week there.”
Zurzolo, surrounded by his vast collection of comic books, can be visited at booth 1427. His personal comic book, “The Addiction,” can be found at shop.theaddiction.co/.
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Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 11-12, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 13
Where: McCormick Place South Building, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago
Tickets: Adults: Friday: $59, Saturday and Sunday: $69; kids: three-day is $34 with the purchase of an adult ticket, Sunday only is $19; see c2e2.com/en-us.html