This past weekend fans swarmed McCormick Place in Chicago for the annual Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, also known as C2E2. C2E2 is the largest con in the Midwest, and is now in it’s 13th season.
As the weekend comes to a close, here are 13 highlights from the weekend:
1. Super celebrity guests: Captain America himself, Chris Evans headlined the event. Tenoch Huerta (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Zachary Levi (Shazam!), and Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) were also in attendance to meet fans and sign autographs and talk about their time in the MCU and DCEU!
2. The reunion panels: The “Boy Meets World” 30th anniversary reunion panel featured Danielle Fishel (Topanga), Rider Strong (Shawn), Will Friedle (Eric Matthews), William Daniels (Mr. Feeny), Trina McGee (Angela) and Bonnie Bartlett (Dean Bolander) as they reflected on one of the greatest sitcoms of our lifetime. The “Avatar: The Last AirBender” reunion featured Zach Eisen (Aang), Dante Basco (Zuko) and Jack De Sena (Sokka) who reunited for the first time to talk about their time on the show. Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, Marc Blucas and David Boreanaz joined together to talk about all things “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” Mark Sheppard (Crowley), Alaina Huffman (Abaddon) and DJ Qualls (Garth Fitzgerald IV) from “Supernatural” came together to talk about some of their infamous story arcs.
3. FEE-NAY!!!! Will Friedle, who retired the Feeny call after passing it on to the cast of “Girl Meets World,” let out the fan favorite call at Friday’s “Boy Meets World” 30th anniversary reunion panel in honor of Mr. Feeny himself, William Daniels 96th birthday. He didn’t perform the whole call, but the first “Fee-nay” was enough to win the crowd. “That’s all you get,” Friedle stated.
4. Comic representation was strong! C2E2 is proof that the “comic” in Comic Con is here to stay with Kevin Eastman, Jeff Smith, Scott Snyder, Tony S. Daniel, and many others! There was also a tribute to Jason David Frank and Kevin Conroy.
5. The Writer’s Block is a new feature this year and it’s the perfect place for any book worm.
6. Artist Alley was in full swing with dozens and dozens of amazing artists! Each artist brought their A-game because Artist Alley was so packed!
7. The live performances featuring our favorite fandom tunes were such a treat! The live bands, the ocarina performance, and the K-Pop performances were so fun to watch. The DJs were fantastic and even sparked a Wednesday Addams flash mob on Saturday to both Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” and The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck.”
8. There were hundreds of exhibitors that featured tons of unique merch, including con exclusives!
9. There were plenty of fun activities including murder mysteries, escape rooms, fan meet ups, cosplay, gaming, and DnD sessions.
10. Panels on fandom: Fans explored all kinds of topics, from the science behind why we all love horror to mental health in comics and movies, to why our fandoms are so important to us and how we can become better fans.
11. The Chicago connection: In addition to many of the creators being Chicago locals, C2E2 also featured Chicago centered panels and highlighted Chicago’s history in the comic industry.
12. The epic volunteers and staff who helped make this weekend not only possible, but run smoothly!
13. Lastly, the fan community! C2E2 brings in nearly 100,000 fans each year!
