C2E2 2023 Pop Culture Awesomeness!

I spent much of my weekend ensconced in pop culture fun at C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo). As usual, I had a fantastic time meeting celebrities and creators, checking out the vendors and attending panels and Q&A's.

After debuting in 2010, C2E2 grew into one of the biggest Chicago conventions, drawing more than 100,000 people, filling nearby hotels and bringing lots of business to area restaurants and other attractions. Founded in 2006, C2E2 organizer ReedPop also runs 30 other events worldwide, including Comic Con Seoul and New York Comic Con, which I attended last October.

Since I have attended every C2E2, I have seen many of the creators several times, eventually becoming friends with some through our interactions. Creators including Art Baltazar, Franco, K Lynn Smith, Ali Cantarella, Trevor Mueller, Terry Huddleston, Tom Richmond, Sean Forney and Dirk Manning are some of my longtime favorites. More recently, I have added DJ Corchin, Enerjax, Ant Lucia, Dan Dougherty, Seth Damoose and Tim Jacobus. At C2E2 2023, I met Kayden Phoenix, who I recently interviewed.

On the celebrity front, we met actresses Danielle Fishel and Charisma Carpenter. Both women were extremely nice and engaging.

We also met wrestler Danhausen at the Pro Wrestling Tees booth. PWT always brings in great wrestling stars to their booth. They also do fantastic work with producing tshirts.

Danhausen is highly entertaining in and out of the ring. I have a long history with Danhausen, going back to Motor City Comic Con about a decade ago. I met Danhausen's father Brian at MCCC back then and he told me about his wrestler son. I knew the elder Danhausen was proud of his son, but I had no idea how far the kid would go. Fast forward several years and there is the wrestler Danhausen on my television. That was really cool to see his development.

C2E2 is such an amazing event. There is something for everyone. I love meeting the artists, especially when they are sketching at their booths. I could watch them draw for hours.

I also caught up with a bunch of friends in attendance. One surprise was running into artist Jamie Koala, who was simply there as a fan.

It was three days of great fun and now I have withdrawals. The good news is, since I have added NYCC to my con list, I don't have to wait another year to be back. Thank you ReedPop!