C2E2 a look into Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo

Bert
May 6
3 min read

C2E2 Is Chicago's Comic and Entertainment convention. Starting in 2010 C2E2 with attendance around 20,000 people it has grown each year getting up to about 100k now. This year Saturday had sold out right before the show. There is also a ton of activities, artists, and things to see and check out at C2E2 every year.

I have been to C2E2 3 times once in the early times (2011) and then this year and last. Its changed quite a bit since the first time I have gone. There are a ton more places to spend your money at C2E2 the size and scale of the space had grown so much. There are much more resellers and people selling merchandise than there once was.

I walked the floor for several hours and explored the rooms next to the main floor. In the rooms i found a room called the Tavern. It was a great place to escape the buzz of the main floor and enjoy less stimulating space. When we were in there the main lights were off and they were playing the party game I am Kind of a Big Dill designed and hosted by the indomitable Grant Lyon.

There are a lot of things going on at C2E2 First off there are a lot of comic books by indie publishers and resellers of older issues. There are also a ton of people selling what I will call nerd merchandise. There were 3d printed dragons, stuffed animals, light sabers, posters, clothing of all kinds, and board games.

I was able to checkout a few of the board game booths there. First up was Gudnak, they were right up front doing demos of the game! They had a really nice setup and featured Gudnak a 2-4 player strategy game. There were a bunch of indie games there too. 1985 Games was there with a ton of cool accessories like playmats. There was a game called Game of Ham which had all the vibes of something from Cards Against Humanity. There was also an open play board game space with a decent game library.

on a Star Wars speeder — On a Star Wars Speeder

I had my 5 year old daughter with me so we spent a lot of time in the family section looking at star wars droids and listening to books being read in a space with a bunch of bean bags. There are a lot of activities for kids in the family section and of course there was one of (maybe a suspicious amount of) the fudge shops right next to it. There were a lot of lego to play with and look at. It was really a great place to escape the crowd for a bit. It can be overwhelming as there are like 100,000 people there. There are places to get a bit of a stimulation break like pride lounge and a space where the lights were off except some table lights (this is where we played Kind of a Big Dill.

All in all I would say that C2E2 has evolved quite a bit since the first time I went but it is still focused on the Nerds. Comics are still a mainstay but I would say that they are maybe not the focal point they once were for this event. There are a ton of things to do and see here and there is something for nerds of every age. The environment was welcoming, inclusive and friendly. If you find yourself in Chicago