Peter Spends A Week In Whoville: London At Large Is Coming

So, typically Lance is the ReedPOPer globetrotting, visiting exciting cities and foreign lands far away from Norwalk, the Smallville of Connecticut. He's not posted missives from his travels as of late because of (a) the top secret nature of most of his treks and (b) I think he's developed a crippling addiction of absinth.

Today, though, I'm happy to report I'll be venturing over the horizon come next week. And, speaking of absinth, I'll be spending the week in England. Me and the soon-to-be-Mrs. will be in London for five days for beef pie, tandoori, and Old Peculiar-fueled exploits.

We'll be hitting up the Tower of London, London Eye, Tate Modern, and other tourist spots, but I aim to make it to Forbidden Planet while over there. And, in all honesty -- as much as I want to see Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park -- the whole reason we're going is the Doctor Who Experience. We've already got our tickets, and I plan to restore America's image overseas by screaming like a little girl every time a Dalek or Weeping Angel pops out at me.

If you've got any geeky locales you recommend I shoot for while I'm in London, swear by any superb Indian-owned Chinese joints, or can arrange a lunch date with David Tennant, let me know in the comments section below.

Oh, and if ya didn't see, the BBC just released the above Doctor Who: Series 6 trailer. And... And... And announced a special preview screening of the first two episodes of Series 6 on April 4th at a theater somewhere in London. I've entered to win tickets, and please won't you join me in crossing your fingers.

You'll know if I've won by the decidedly American shriek echoing out of the UK.

Geronimo.

(PS: Huge props to Kim, Liz, Larry, Mike, Bri, Jackie, Heise, Pete, Fitch, and Greg for keeping the office running while Lance and I will be away. There are Twinkies under the Ewok. Help yourself.)

Japan World Festival Fundraiser

A heads up that Brooklyn College will be hosting the Nippon Sekai Matsuri or Japan World Festival.  A fundraiser with music, martial arts demos, origami, and Japanese games, it'll take place at the Brooklyn College Student Center at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, April 5th.  For details, visit...

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185982124779333

Remember, too, Japan Society's Concert For Japan is April 9th.  The event includes Philip Glass, Hal Willner, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Bill Laswell.  The Japan Society Relief Fund has raised almost $3 million from just under 10 thousand contributors.  You can learn more and donate online at...

http://www.japansociety.org/earthquake

Star Wars Celebration 6 Update

I'm blogging while high right now....36,000 feet in the air high! On my way to San Francisco, but in spite of the title of this post, not see our pals at LucasFilm, but on other business. It's a quick, barely 48 hour West Coast swing then home for a few days.

So what was my point, oh yes Star Wars Celebration 6, of course. I've not posted anything in a while yet we've been working really hard on getting news ready for you. So let's just say that we are close to telling you something about when and where it will be and you might find the host city a real surprise.

Don't hold me to it, but I bet we'll have some real news (not just a mean spirited tease like this post is) in the next 8 weeks. Until then, you can put on your Lando mustache from C5 and relive the memories. Actually on that subject at both PAX East and C2E2 I saw a lot of C5 t-shirts, I mean like a dozen or so at each of our shows. I saw a lot of O Lando shirts and a few of the I Heart Scoundrels shirts on the ladies. Petty cool.

Ok, the pilot just said he sees a weird cloud formation ahead and everyone needs to be seated immediately. No kidding, he said that.

Hope this post gets you thinking about C6, I know I have been!

- Lance

Eataku Zombie Dust Apocalypse!

This is C.B.  He's in front of Three Floyds.  C.B., Three Floyds, Tim Seeley, and C2E2 made a beer called Zombie Dust for the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.  It was yummy. 

C.B. paid a visit to Three Floyds's HQ while in Chicago, and his blog -- eataku.com -- tells the tale.

We're hoping to make a brew for this year's NYCC, too.  So, if anyone from Brooklyn Breweries is reading, please shoot a note over to peter@reedpop.com.

C2E2 Chalk Art

Eric Maruscak's C2E2 mural.  Learn more at pepperink.com.

CHAINSAW KATANA

This is a chainsaw katana. It's a shot from Helldriver, an ultra-violent romp through a zombie-infested Japan from the mind of Yoshihiro Nishimura. Nishimura will present the film on April 28th at Japan Society. The screening is the launch event for this year's Japan Cuts and New York Asian Film Festival. It will be followed by a zombie after party.

This is why I live in NYC.

C2E2.2 A few Post Con Thoughts from Lance

With C2E2 now a solid 7 days in the rear view mirror, it seemed like a good time to share a few thoughts a few links and say some thank you's.

The team left Chicago feeling ecstatic about the way C2E2.2 went down, I don't know if you were on the show floor Sunday at 5pm when we dimmed the lights to wrap up the show but all those left on the floor started applauding. I've never seen that before, anywhere, nor has anyone else on the team.

That seemed to be a pretty good summation of how the weekend went. We needed a strong show this weekend and after talking with fans and exhibitors, we feel pretty confident that we delivered. A 26% increase in attendance to 34,000 was exactly the kind of step forward after a decent launch year that the show needed. We'll know a lot more after we conduct our exhaustive post show research (which by the way, if you get a survey, please take the time to fill it out, we really value and act on the feedback).

The new hall seemed way better and I was pleased to see most panel rooms very full. In general I have little to complain about, except maybe the fact that the building ran out of food on Saturday. In fact McCormick Place officials said they served 6 times as much food as they did last year. A bigger crowd and a hungrier crowd it seems.

Although it's not official, the dates for C2E2 2012 will be March 16-18 and we will be back in the West building again.

A few highlights for me personally were:

- The Rock Band stage, which I used as my morning wake up call. It's amazing how rocking out to a few songs around 8am can really help get the blood flowing.

- The CBR bar at the Hyatt was outstanding. It was equal parts awesome and dangerous to end the day with a drink and a massive representation of the comics industry in one swoop. And yes, we had a few staff causalities the day after St. Patty's day.

- The Comedy Death Ray event on Friday was, I believe, the best event ReedPOP has ever produced. While Patton Oswalt is a personal favorite, I don't say that solely out of hero worship. My point is that is is exactly the kind of event we aim to do more of. It was not a pure comic (and I mean comic in the periodical sense) event, but rather an offshoot of the pop culture world comics helped to spawn. We believe C2E2 and NYCC should be forward looking gatherings that bring new fans into the community - not stereotypical nostalgia shows with talents and stories of days long past (keep in mind, respecting the history of this culture is vastly different from profiting off of the nostalgia of it while offering very little endearing value to the community). The Comedy Death Ray event was a branch off of the big pop culture tree that comics are the trunk; endemic enough, but still striding into new territory to make it fresh and draw in a new audience (a third of those that bought tickets to the event, had never been to a con before). Look for more and more programming like this at our shows.

- Like the Comedy Death Ray event, having Rick Bayless at the show was an awesome creative twist. It was a totally different panel than anything we have run in the past, but it illustrated that we hope our shows are not about just comics, but rather art, self expression, creativity and all rooted in popular culture. Rick had an amazing time, and he was a little nervous about it at first. Another cool example of what we hope ReedPOP shows can do to deliver new thinking and new audiences

- Having Newsarama in a studio on the show floor was a success and something we'd like to replicate again. It brought an energy to the show and a transparency to how the media covers us.

- Maybe my biggest highlight was the Crave Crate of 100 White Castles that the team surprised me with in the show office Saturday night!

While those are my personal highlights and I do believe that the show took a massive leap forward in year two, we are also realistic about the road ahead. Our goal when we launched C2E2 was to bring a national event that celebrates all the strains of pop culture to Chicago and this year was an important milestone, we have a lot of shows and a lot of crowds to deliver to reach our goal for the fans of Chicago.

We look at launch events like C2E2 as 3-4 year processes for them to meet there potential. If year 1 was a little behind where we wanted to be, we feel like we are back on track or even a little ahead after year 2. The only way we'll stay on track to delivering that massive event that Chicago fans said they wanted and our exhibiting customers said they needed is to keep listening to the fans and building the kind of event they can be proud of. Our belief has always been fans first and from that basis we'll build events that are successful for all. In order to do that though, we need to keep hearing from the fans. Email, post comments, come to meet ups whenever I am in Chicago and fill out those surveys we send, you guys are our most critical partner.

Thanks for a great time in Chicago and for helping take C2E2 to another level. We are on a pretty exciting adventure together!

-Lance

Panels on Pages @ C2E2.2

The boys over at Panels on Pages covered the show like I have never seen before. I think they shot a solid 72 hours of video footage. I woke up Saturday morning and they were in my room ready to shoot me brushing my teeth. I went to lunch on Friday afternoon and after my first bite of pizza one of the Panels on Pages guys handed me a napkin to wipe my chin. Sunday, I had to run to the restroom....Never mind. I was assured that footage was deleted.

Anyway, point being, check out Panels on Pages (I even gave you a handy link!) for a ton o coverage, especially video coverage. Here is there kick off vid and it pretty much kicks ass....

- Lance

Cafe Bhakti

This is Green Tea. He's a little monster who lives in a teacup. He followed us home from My Plastic Heart.

My Plastic Heart also has a plush art exhibit on display until next weekend. It's tiny but well worth a look - including felt beer cans, bread, pretzels, and brussel sprouts. Also creepy bunnies made out of bags of flour.

Steffbomb -- just as C2E2 -- is part of the exhibit, as well.

Saturday At Large

My plans for today? Sucker Punch and lunch at Angelo Sosa's Social Eatz. Neither happened. I got sick. The girlfriend's parents came down. We did dim sum. I saw a Black Rock Shooter Yu-Gi-Oh colab bootleg across the street from the closed down Chinatown Fair. It looks like Kung Fu Bing is closed down, too. We went to My Plastic Heart. Also, closed. But only because we were early. Kung Fu Bing looks gone forever. Got cupcakes. The girlfriend's parents tried the 3DS. Went to My Plastic Heart, again. Now, we're looking for a potty.

Also, I saw this sign.

Dancing Through C2E2

I had to share this. I'm not sure I should, or you'll thank me, but I could not stop myself.


-Lance

C2E2 Dance Party 2011 from Playing in Peoria on Vimeo.

Maxurday!

Meet Max.

He's Mike Negin's pug.

He's awesome.

But you can tell that just from his picture.

Melenie Acosta Art Show on March 31

Have you heard of Melenie Acosta?  She wasn't a Guest of Honor at last year's NYCC,  but she's been at pretty much every New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con.  Melenie's been a volunteer of our shows for some time, and -- come Thursday, March 31 -- she'll have her art on display at Marymount Manhattan.

Melenie's show -- Who Am I? -- will be on display at 221 East 71st Street, and she'll be hosting a reception opening the exhibiton from 7 to 9 PM.

Come on by, as in a few more years, Melenie may be atop NYCC's guest list.

Godzilla Destroys Midtown Comics

Our friends at Midtown Comics have been graced with an exclusive cover to IDW's upcoming Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters.  Written by Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh and with art by Phil Hester, the book debuts March 30th, but you can grab it now online at midtowncomics.com.

Michio Kaku on Photon Torpedoes

http://bigthink.com/ideas/31687

Concert For Japan at Japan Society

NYC's Japan Society proudly presents a 12-hour Concert For Japan on April 9th. 100% of the concert's proceeds will go to help people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that recently struck Japan. While Japan Society's concert is still confirming performers, the line-up already includes Ryuichi Sakamoto, Philip Glass, Hal Willner, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and Bill Laswell.

For all the details and tickets, visit japansociety.org.

You can also directly donate to Japan Society's Earthquake Relief fund here.

Being Human in NYC! Discounted Tickets from NYCC!

The cast of Syfy's Being Human are coming to NYC this Wednesday -- March 23. Sam Witwer (Aiden), Meaghan Rath (Sally), and Sam Huntington (Josh) will all be speaking at the Paley Center at 6:30 PM, as will Mark Stern, President of Syfy's Original Programming. The Paley Center's hosted a number of high profile events in the past, from preview screenings of upcoming Marvel and DC animated flicks to the premiere screening of Doctor Who: Series Five.  Come Wednesday, a vampire, werewolf, and ghost will be calling the place home.

The event will include both a discussion with the Paley Center's guests as well as a special preview screening.

Want to get in? Head over to PaleyCenter.org.

Want discounted tickets? Use code "NYCC" to get your tickets at the Paley Center member price. A big huzzah and kudos to the gents at the Paley Center.

Chicago At Large: Hello Old Friend

We're getting packed, getting prepped, and getting our asses to O'Hare to head back to ReedPOP HQ in quaint Norwalk, CT. Of course, before that...

Yes, Rick Bayless is the official chef of C2E2.

Chicago At Large: Last Man Standing

Going off to bed now after a nightcap with Spike Spencer and Brent from Anime Central. Here's a little picture of Brent's license plate.

Note: While I may be the last ReedPOPer awake tonight, Lance, Larry, Brian, and Kim ruled the night the entire con like a pack of shining, sparkling vampires.

Chicago At Large: Thank You

Thank you. And thank you again. And again and again. C2E2 Number 2 is a wrap. After year one, we asked fans what worked, what didn't, and what they wanted to see next year. Then we went to work. We spent the past year building this party for you, and - boy howdy - did you guys come out. We were floored by the fans, the passion, the costumes, and the love.

Thank you, guys. Fans, volunteers, exhibitors, guests, press, pros, staff, thank you all for believing in us, supporting us, and storming McCormick Place. (And a huge kudos to Liz, Pete, and Mike for rocking your first show with ReedPOP.) You guys drained the CBR Bar. You guys emptied the food courts in the convention center. You filled McCormick with music, cheering, and color. You came from all around Chicago, and - from the folks I met - at least four of you came from Kentucky and one all the way from Hong Kong.

We are honored, humbled, and hope only to build a Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo that is bigger and better in 2012.

Post your photos on Flickr. Become our friend on Facebook. Share your nonsense with us on Twitter. Keep in touch with us. And, more than that, keep in touch with each other. I truly hope you've made new friends, discovered new creators, and formed a family that lasts.

Oh, I realize this is probably all emotional mush, but the team's running on a cumulative four hours of sleep since Thursday night right now. Besides, Jackie says she likes this stuff. C2E2 was a good show, thanks to all of your efforts, but the message we've got for all of you is we want to make it better. We want to make it special-er. We want to make it your con.

Tell us what you liked. Tell us what you loved. And tell us what sucked. C2E2 exists because of you and is for you, and we want want it to be YOUR con.

Thank you.

Chicago At Large: Home Stretch

Here's a live shot from the show floor. It's Sunday afternoon. The home stretch. I thank all five readers who follow along the blog. And, especially, I thank Kim Mueller, ReedPOP's Lead Programming Manager, for working her ass off so that I could send out these ever-so-crucial updates.

Chicago At Large: The Final Product

A blurry shot of Eric's work. For an unblurry edition, hit up pepperink.com in a day or two.

Chicago At Large: Bloody Fingers

Chalk Artist Eric Maruscak's fingers at the end of the road. His mural is complete.

Chicago At Large: Children Are Our Future

The grand finale of the C2E2 Children's Costume Contest.

Chicago At Large: Evangelion 2.22 With Spike Spencer

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of THE anime sagas that has defined anime fandom.  Now, over ten years since the original series, a new set of Evangelion films are being released.  C2E2 along with FUNimation entertainment are very proud to present Evangelion 2.22 today.  Are you an Eva fan?  You already know you've got to be in this screening.  Not an Eva fan?  Don't know what Eva's all about?  Here's a glimpse...



Evangelion 2.22 begins at 2:30 PM in Room 474.  Following the film, actor Spike Spencer -- the voice of protagonist Shinji Ikari -- will be speaking about the role and the saga.

Evangelion 2.22 hits DVDs and Blu-ray March 29th.

Chicago At Large: Limited Autographing Tickets Still Available

Sunday at C2E2.  Kids Day.  Filled with bobble-headed mascots, princesses, padawans, and Tiny Titans.  What to do while the kids are meeting Art and Franco?  Meet Eliza Dushku, Tahmoh Penikett, Jon Bernthal, Laurie Holden, or Mark Sheppard.  Actually, wait, no.  Don't do that.  Don't leave your kids alone.  Instead, after meeting Art and Franco, swing by the Autograph Area to meet Eliza, Tahmoh, Jon, Laurie, and Mark.

We have limited autographing tickets for these five guests still available at the C2E2 Show Store.

And, I repeat, do not leave your kids alone.

Chicago At Large: Garth Ennis Reminder

Remember: Come by 178b as Garth Ennis is doing a no-longer-surprise signing. From 11:30 to 12:30, it's free, and no special tickets are needed. One item per person.

Chicago At Large: Archaia Panel Update

Please note the Archaia and Jim Henson panel is at 11:45 AM today in 470b. The panel is listed correctly online and in all of C2E2's schedules-at-a-glance; however, it has an incorrect time in the program guide.  The details...

Archaia and The Jim Henson Company Present: The Early Works of Jim Henson Screening with Special Tale of Sand Discussion

Jim Henson was a creative genius responsible for some of the most iconic properties today, including The Muppets, Fraggle Rock and The Dark Crystal. But what was he like leading up to that success? Join Archaia and The Jim Henson Company as they explore his early works and creative process, complete with archival, rarely seen footage, brought to you by Henson archivist, Karen Falk. Then, get an advance look at A Tale of Sand, the new original graphic novel coming in September from Archaia and the Henson Company, based on a never-before-seen screenplay written by Jim Henson and his longtime collaborator, Jerry Juhl. Archaia editor-in-chief Stephen Christy and Falk will discuss the behind-the-scenes production of the book and debut some new images from artist Ramón Perez!

Date: Sunday, March 20
Time: 11:45 am - 12:45 pm
Location: 470b

Chicago At Large: Boy Wonder Encore Screening

Boy Wonder - as seen here in the C2E2 Program Guide - screened last night to a packed house. We're doing it again. We've just added a new Boy Wonder screening today.

Sunday - 3:45 PM - 470b

Chicago At Large: Kids Day

Today, we invite the young and young at heart to celebrate Kids Day at C2E2! We're happy to provide free admission to all those 12 and under to enjoy, create and, share in the love of comics, literature, and pop culture! Kids Day is centered around our Variant Stage on the Show Floor, and you’ll an overview of the Kids Day schedule here...

Word Up with WordGirl (10 AM-11 AM)
The Real Story of Puss-in-Boots (11 AM-11:30 AM)
Disney’s Guilty Party! LIVE! (11:45 AM-12:15 PM)
Tiny Titans Drawing Competition (12:30 PM-1:00 PM)
Drawing Star Wars with Katie Cook (1:15 PM-1:45 PM)
Kids Costume Contest (2:45 PM-3:15 PM)
Windy City Jedi (3:30 PM-4:00 PM)
Iron Artist Tournament (4:15 PM-5:00 PM)

For the full schedule, visit C2E2.com.

Chicago At Large: I Hope Nikki's Asleep

It's 7 AM. This is the C2E2 Volunteer Team. They're awesome. Also, I think they slept over in the CFP Room last night.

Chicago At Large: Would You Like Some Tea?

Life-size Ironside Dalek at the Doctor Who Store booth, I love you.

Chicago At Large: Pretty Clever

What color is this? I don't see colors all that fantastically, but I'm told this is green. What is it? The carpeting in the DC Comics booth.

Chicago At Large: Green Chalk

Artist Eric Maruscak is aiming to be done by 1 PM today. Swing by then to gaze upon the completed art.

Chicago At Large: Sunday Programming Hit List

Sunday, March 20! That's today! The last day of the C2E2! We've got a full day ahead of panels and events, and here are some of the highlights...

11:30 am - 470a - Star Wars Dark Horse 20th Anniversary
11:30 am - 474 - Mark Sheppard Q&A
11:30 am - 471 - MARVEL Television Presents: The Super Hero Squad Show and Iron Man Armored Adventures
1:00 pm - 470a - Tim Seeley Spotlight: Presented by the PoP PrincessCast!
1:00 pm - 471 - Garth Ennis Spotlight
1:00 pm - 474 - Brightest Day
2:30 pm - 474 - Eva 2.22 Plus Q&A w Spike Spencer
2:30 pm - 471 - MARVEL: Next Big Thing
2:45 pm - 470b - Avatar the Last Airbender: Beginning and Beyond
3:00 pm - 475a - Silver Age Trivia Challenge
4:00 pm - 470a -  FABLES: The First 100

Get all the details and all the panels at C2E2.com.

Chicago At Large: Surprise Garth Ennis Signing

Coming to C2E2 on Sunday? Come by 178b as Garth Ennis is doing a surprise signing. From 11:30 to 12:30, it's free, and no special tickets are needed. One item per person.

This isn't Garth in the image. It's Mike. Mike's awesome, and you may have seen him back in Artist Alley. We're in the bar right now with a few hundred of our closest friends.

Oh, and Jackie, this news is fantastic, awesome, and super!

Chicago At Large: Killed The Keg

Three kegs, actually. There is no more Zombie Dust at the CBR Bar. A thanks to all the fans who drank up this C2E2 brew, and apologies to their livers.

What's this a picture of? Outside CFP. Still in C2E2. Following some pizza with a few like-minded idiots also hanging around, I'm now waiting to lock up Console Freeplay. Eh, it's OK. I saw a Lady Matt Smith in fishnets and got to hold a Lancer. Vroom! Vroom!

Chicago At Large: Best In Show

The Masquerade is a wrap!

Chicago At Large: Saturday Night Masquerade

Here we go. Mario Bueno on stage. The Masquerade is beginning now in the IGN Theater.

Chicago At Large: Chuck At Large

C2E2's Chuck panel starts at 6:15 PM in the IGN Theater. Are you there? If not, get going.

Chicago At Large: Shuttle Bus Update

Going to the Masquerade in the IGN tonight? The shuttle buses are sticking around until the end.

Chicago At Large: A Preview

The Masquerade is tonight at 7:30 in the IGN Theater. This is just a preview.

Chicago At Large: Group Shot

From today's costume contest. Our main costuming event, the Masquerade, is tonight at 7:30 PM in the IGN Theater.

Chicago At Large: Saturday Costume Contest

Black Adam wowwing the crowd.

Chicago At Large: Feed Me

Hungry?  The food court on the 2nd Floor of McCormick Place is now closed, but we've got the show floor food court and gaming hall food court open.

Chicago At Large: I Love C2E2

Panels are jamming. Huge line at reg. Me? I'm floored by the Rockband Stage.

Chicago At Large: Cutest Thing Ever

Can you see that? Probably not. That's the Doctor and Hit Girl walking into the con. They're a couple. And it's the cutest thing ever.

Oh, how's the show going? Amazingly.

Chicago At Large: New DC Portfolio Reviews!

Pssst! DC Comics is doing Portfolio Reviews today from 3 to 5 PM! The first 25 fans to come by Room 187a at 3 will be able to meet with DC editors.

24-Hour Anime Podcast Marathon For Japan

22

Not at C2E2?  Might I suggest you tune into the Anime Fans Give Back To Japan podcast marathon going on later today?  Organized by the Unofficial One Piece podcast and featuring the ANNCast, Fullmetal Podcast, Konoha Corner, That Anime Show, The Animanga Podcast, Not Another Old Cartoon Podcast and more as well as voice actors including Steve Blum, Crispin Freeman, Stephanie Sheh, and C2E2's own Spike Spencer, it's raising money for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan and will run from 6 PM today until 6 PM on Sunday.








Get details now at helpjapan.onepiecepodcast.com.

Chicago At Large: Saturday Programming Highlights

You've got today's IGN highlights. What about C2E2's other panels? We've got over 50 events going on, and you can glance over the biggest here...

11:30 am - 470a - Top Cow: We Create... Universes Panel
11:30 am - 471 - China Mieville Spotlight Panel
11:30 am - 474 - DC Universe
1:00 pm - 475b - So, You Want to Work in Animation, Huh?
1:00 pm - 471 - MARVEL: Fear Itself Panel
1:30 pm - 475a - Dynamite Entertainment Panel
1:30 pm - 470b - Vertigo
2:30 pm - 471 - Video Game Industry Round Table
2:30 pm - 474 - DC Icons
3:00 pm - 475a - How To Be A Frickin' Genius Voice Actor, Step One
3:00 pm - 471 - MARVEL: Avengers Assemble
4:00 pm - 470a - Oni Press Presents Panelmonium
5:30 pm - 474 - Drawing DC Panel
5:30 pm - 471 - MARVEL: Cup O' Joe
7:00 pm - 475b - Do You Have a Great Idea for a TV Show?
7:00 pm - 470a - Dwayne McDuffie Memorial

Eat up the entire schedule at C2E2.com.

Chicago At Large: IGN Theater Schedule

Where are C2E2's biggest panels?  In the IGN Theater.  Room 375e, you'll want to check it out for a few minutes.  Or hours.  Or all day.  Here's the overview.

Chris Hemsworth Q&A - 11:45AM – 12:45PM
The Walking Dead Q&A - 1:00PM - 2:00PM
Eliza Dushku & Tahmoh Penikett Q&A - 2:15PM - 3:15PM
True Blood Q&A - 3:30PM - 4:30PM
Vampire Diaries Q&A - 5:00PM - 6:00PM
Chuck Special Video Presentation and Cast/Producer Q&A - 6:15PM – 7:15PM
C2E2 Saturday Night Masquerade - 7:30PM - 9:00PM

Click here for all the details.

Chicago At Large: Vampire Diaries and Chuck Autograph Signings

Remember, C2E2 is featuring Vampire Diaries and Chuck signings today!  They're a little bit different than the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo's other signings, so read up to score yourself Captain Awesome's autograph.

The Vampire Diaries Signing
The Vampire Diaries stars Michael Trevino ("Tyler Lockwood"), Candice Accola ("Caroline Forbes") and executive producer Julie Plec are scheduled to sign Saturday from 3:00-3:45pm in Room 178a. Tickets for The Vampire Diaries autograph signing are free, and will be distributed to the first 100 fans beginning at 2:00pm on Saturday, March 19 at Room 178a.

Chuck Cast Signing
Fan favorites from the cast of Chuck will be signing Saturday from 8:15pm-9:15pm in Room 178a. Chuck co-creator/executive producer Chris Fedak and series stars Joshua Gomez ("Morgan Grimes"), Ryan McPartlin ("Captain Awesome"), Vik Sahay ("Lester Patel") and Scott Krinsky ("Jeff Barnes") are scheduled to sign. Tickets for the Chuck autograph signing are free, and will be distributed to the first 100 fans beginning at 4:00pm on Saturday, March 19 at Room 178a.

Knowing is half the battle.  The other half is getting your booties to 178a.

Chicago At Large: Imperial March

Remember yesterday when the C2E2 show floor opened? The Midwest Garrison led the procession in, and here are two photos that paint the picture a little bit better. Big thanks to MyEye Photography / Lance Neilson.  More, bigger pictures coming after the con. And today?  What's going on today?  The show floor opens at 10 AM, and maybe somebody'll be swinging on by to lead our attendees in.

Caturday

As soon as C2E2 is over, I'm buying me a pug.

Chicago At Large: Zombie Dust is Dead People

Remember, the con continues at the CBR Bar in the McCormick Hyatt, featuring the official C2E2 brew -Zombie Dust.

Chicago At Large: Rockstars

C2E2 guest Mario Bueno and some of C2E2's finest volunteers in an afterhours Rockband jam.

Chicago At Large: I Want All The Ham

Blurry, blurry Patton Oswalt in the IGN Theater.

Chicago At Large: The Show Floor Is Closed

It's closed. No more. Go home. Or, actually swing by our last panels, Tabletop and Console Freeplay, or the CBR Bar. Then go home.

Then, sleep well, because tomorrow C2E2's hitting on all cylinders.

Chicago At Large: Late Buses

Going to Comedy Death-Ray with Patton Oswalt tonight? The shuttle buses are sticking around until the end.

Chicago At Large: We're Trending Nationally

Ok. Dude. WTF. "C2E2", "Amy Pond", and "David Tennant" are all trending nationally. As in across the entire United States. Process that for a minute.

Note, neither Tennant or Ms. Pond are related to C2E2. (I tried.) They're lighting up Twitter because of Red Nose Day in the UK. Google it.

But, again, C2E2 is trending nationally.

Oh, and here's a picture of Godzilla.

Editor's  Note: Peter, proofread your entries. <3s - Cole

P.S. Sign out of blogger while on my skull throne.

Chicago At Large: Two Sugars

Cole's midafternoon coffee break.

Chicago At Large: Behind These Doors

Rick Bayless and C.B. Cebulski. Bri's got some awesome photos we'll be sharing later.

Chicago At Large: There's A Firefly Joke In Here Somewhere

C2E2 Chalk Artist Eric Maruscak's fingers. Day One.