Always after C2E2 we pack up the car and hit the road. Paying no attention to the bill from the hotel for parking and the stay.
Then we come down to Boystown and walk up to Joy’s. It’s a tradition!
C2E2: Joy’s Noodle Shop
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Category Archives: Comics
C2E2: That’s a Wrap!
It’s 5pm on Sunday. C2E2 is officially over! It was a great convention, my days were packed. So many great panels. Bought a few things, Scott commissioned some artwork, and I had a chance to meet my grand niece. All in all very much a solid win!
C2E2: McCormick Field Fire
It appears as though Chicago is setting itself on fire. Presumably a cry for help.
It burned before. Nothing to see here. LOL.
C2E2: Will I Be On Camera?
Spotted this gem this morning. There’s something in the tall grass here at C2E2:
The paragraph covering “Will I Be On Camera?” has us scratching our noggins. What does it mean? It could mean facial tracking technology and data sales between customer flow in the exhibitors hall and their subsequent selections on the app for their fandoms. And since all our demographic data is online with ReedPOP, the managing company, they’d have to be dullards to not take advantage of this in all the ways I can think of. So, pinnacle of corruption and deep-cut privacy violations galore! But hey, we all accepted it and frankly my dear, nobody cares or even is worried over it. So I am going to be, in perpetuity (heh heh) the only Watchman shaking his canary cage.
It’s all good. I expect nothing less. Companies are corrupt, all the way to the core. That’s what they are. That is their basic nature. Paging Marcus Aurelius, and Dr. Lecter.
Moo goes the cow. Baa goes the sheep.
C2E2: Movies EVERYONE Disagrees With You On
This movie panel is jammed packed. It’s a Q&A and the fans flocked to the open Mic. Like half the room got up and went to stand in line.
1941, X-Men: The Last Stand, Spiderman 3, La La Land, Thor Ragnarok, Santa Claus : The Movie, Oceans 11, You Dont Mess With The Zohan, Logan, Alien 3, Fantastic Four, Where The Wild Things Are, Greatest Showman, Batman v Superman, Murder Party, Lion King, Up, Hudson Hawk.
Lots of groans, hilarious!
Interludes: Ironic Occupation
The irony of any con as a non-specialized fan is the doubt that you’ll find enough to keep you occupied. The fear that you won’t get your admission value, that in won’t be worth it.
And then it starts and you have that odd twist that you have to sacrifice a panel because you are hungry. I carry several meals with me during the con, and now I’m taking a break to find a table so I can settle down and have lunch.
At least I’m logging serious mileage, cons are good for cardio in that respect.
C2E2: Love In Color / LGBTQ+ Romance in Comics and YA Literature
Next panel, the LGBTQ+ panel. The culture appears to be open and very accepting of any sort of topic exploration, nobody seems to be declining or saying no or setting artificial limits or out-of-bounds work.
People should start writing works that start exploring more about gay life beyond the dramatic parts surrounding coming out. That there is more to tell, more to explore.
Authors respond about teen readers responding to their work, that folks are surprisingly accepting. That the fans are the source of a lot of the pleasure and reasons why some of these authors keep on writing. That the fan responses are treasured. There are other experiences of youth being given the books to read to possibly start a conversation for the kids and their parents. That’s really quite a novel reaction that I wasn’t expecting.
There is a curiosity and almost a pressure to steer away from Romance and towards the more mundane and simpler explorations of relationships without love, sex, or romance. Stories that feature more about friendships and living beyond the, cliche(?) of stories about sex and lust.
This panel is full, which is both surprising and very gratifying. These sorts of panels in the past have not had such populations in a room like this one. It’s nice to see that it filled up enough to earn a “panel full” alert on the con app.
Writing these books not only cement the culture into history and through time, but also raise the opportunity for people to experience the diversity of stories in our world that may not have been available for different groups, about other groups so they can see life from expanded perspectives. These YA books are increasing the exposure and availability of these kinds of new ideas in segments of the population that otherwise would never have access to them, either from the prevailing culture that surrounds them or limits from their circumstances or family.
People who write books should embrace their courage and publish what they want to say. It’s important to not get convinced that your book won’t sell, publish anyways, and the results will likely shock you at how much of a market exists for what you are trying to sell. In ways, you will always miss the shots you don’t take.
Interlude: Social Justice Warriors
The end of the Doctor Who panel had a thick conversational thread strongly tied to classic social justice warrior monologue. I did write about it, but then I self-censored my writing because it is not a topic that is open for discussion. It is violently dangerous and maximally hazardous. Right up there with abortion. It is flight worthy.
So there won’t be a post, or any writing about SJW. There is nothing to say. It is too dangerous, too hazardous for even any commentary. It makes jihad look disneyesque. There is no room in that magic kingdom for anything but blood and bloody ashes.
So, no comment. Nothing. Just stand up and run away. As fast as you can.
C2E2: Sorting Fair Play / Doctor Who & Inclusion
First sit down panel of the day. The inclusion drama surrounding Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor.
Series 11 has been characterized as a great new refreshing experience from the white male dominating position that the series has previously been known for popularly. I would definitely agree that Series 11 has really worked for us. The series is also very episodic, with less season-long meta which is definitely a change of pace.
The Rosa Parks episode seems to have attracted a lot of attention for the panelists. The previous series of the show rarely trotted our storylines that let the fans talk about racism in the framework of Doctor Who.
The definite signal in this panel is that they like the fresh direction of Chibnall, but not Chibnall himself.
And that’s it folks!
C2E2: Lanyards?
Usually there are open containers of programs and lanyards at the con. This year? They were adjacent to registration which I totally skipped. It’s actually too much of a pain to go back across and through security again, which is fine. I’m going to find a vendor selling lanyards instead. Those are always so much better anyways. The con is like juggling jello. You get some things knocked out of the park, and you drop other things. It won’t be perfect. I doubt it could be.