On the Beat at C2E2 2017

C2E2 2017 has come and gone, but what a weekend it was. I practically lived in McCormick Place for the three days and I had more fun this year than

I spent a great deal of time at the Headlocked booth. Headlocked, a wrestling comic, that actually features wrestling, was created by Michael Kingston and he was on hand all weekend to talk to fans. A lifelong wrestling fan, Kingston was disappointed in the treatment of wrestling in other wrestling comics and created Headlocked to solve that problem.

Headlocked has been well-received by the wrestling community, from fans to wrestlers. Many big name wrestlers have contributed art and content to the comic and have been very supportive in general.

Accompanying Kingston at the Headlocked booth was Wisconsin wrestling promoter (and #SuperFriend) Dave Herro, along with wrestling legends “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Lita and Jack Swagger. Wrestling journalist Nick Hausman was also on hand for much of the time.

There was also more wrestling connections with the appearance of former WWE champ-turned MMA fighter CM Punk and his wife former WWE champ AJ Mendez Brooks (AJ Lee). Both were signing autographs and available for photo ops. AJ also signed copies of her new book “Crazy is My Superpower.”

Of course there were also hundreds of creative folks in Artist Alley. Over the years, many of these creators have become friends of mine and each year, I add a few more to the friend list. It’s always good to see Sara Richard, Tom Richmond, Chris Burnham, Dirk Manning, Robert Kraus and other friends. It’s also cool forging new friendships with these folks, like Jenevieve Broomall.

One of the more surreal aspects is seeing longtime friends “working” at C2E2. For instance, I witnessed my bud David Vox Mullen in a new role. Having met him years ago, I am familiar with his work as an actor and producer on the Chicago scene, but I had the pleasure of watching him on a panel about podcasting at C2E2.

I also ran into several friends in attendance. Michael Bradley (aka The Crescent City Saint) is always fun at these events. Dick Griffiths II (aka Chain Male) helped me in getting coverage in Artist Alley. In a pleasant surprise, I almost literally ran into Chicago Red Hots derby skaters Val Capone and Elizabeth Perez. Longtime buddies Charles Alexander and Nick Hamilton also joined me for a day of fun.

Another highlight for me was seeing an attendee dressed as Aquaman. Fans dressing in various costumes is commonplace these days. In fact “cosplay” has become a huge part of these cons. Unfortunately, Aquaman is not well-represented in the cosplay community. That is why it is always extra cool when I actually spot an Aquaman.

I have been attending C2E2 for many years. Every year is like a new and different experience though, but that is another thing that makes it so entertaining. Even four people in the same group can have four totally different, but totally awesome experiences.

I had three fun-filled days at C2E2 and I spent very little time by the vendors or the celebrity guests. There were plenty from both those areas though. Last year, I spent most of my time with the celebrities. Like I wrote, every year can be a different experience no matter what your interests are.

I already heard people talking about their plans for next year’s C2E2. While I do not really have any plans for next year, I know I will be at C2E2 and I am very certain it will be another fantastic weekend.