My C2E2 2024 Retrospective

The discussions I attended at this year's C2E2 (and the friends I made along the way)

Hello! I was hoping to post this while the Comics Book Club discussed Superman Smashes the Klan, but time got away from me. Now that it’s been a little over a month, I’m overdue to write about the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2). Did I make it to all the panels I had bookmarked? Absolutely not! But I had a wonderful time.

If the weekend had a theme for me personally, it was that it revolved more around conversations than the comics I bought or the panels I attended. I got a chance to reconnect with old friends and introduce myself to several new ones. I wasn’t nearly as anxious as I’d been years prior, and I think a lot of that came down to finally starting to feel like a professional comics creator.

Friday, April 26

The opening day of C2E2 was mainly about picking up my badge. I even negotiated with my boss to leave my day job half an hour early so I could make it before will call closed. This was a smart decision, because I made it with half an hour to spare, but who knows if I’d left in the middle of rush hour?

I had less than ten minutes to walk around Artist Alley, so I tried to get the lay of the land. This was the only time I saw

Chip Zdarsky

at his Artist Alley table when he wasn’t besieged by people, and I will regret not approaching him for the rest of my life. We read the first two volumes of Sex Criminals for the Comics Book Club! Everyone really enjoyed them! Multiple people finished the whole series, myself included!

I ended up running into some friends at the Arc bar in the Hyatt Regency. We traded C2E2 stories, and they showed me some art they’d purchased. (Shout out to those who received the April/May newsletter while we were talking. Thanks again for subscribing!) One of those guys, Alex Breen, has a Kickstarter campaign with less than two weeks left at time of writing. Please support it!

Saturday, April 27

Before the pandemic, I would get to C2E2 by going downtown to have breakfast at a Panera Bread and take the shuttle bus to McCormick Place. Unfortunately, the shuttle buses have been discontinued, so this year I took two trains and walked twenty minutes before realizing I hadn’t had breakfast until I was on my way to security and passing a Starbucks with a line out the door. This is all a long way of saying I missed the first panel I wanted to attend. I don’t know why I thought I’d be able to make it to the front of that line and through security in half an hour. That was incredibly foolish of me. The woman behind me in line was wearing a very cool Captain America-themed dress and the friend who was with her complimented me on the pins on my bag, so it was a very pleasant experience overall.

I’ll admit to doing some old-man grousing about the lack of a printed program in favor of having everyone download an app, but I found the app surprisingly user friendly. A big complaint from last year was how haphazard everything appeared, with panels getting moved to different rooms or cancelled entirely, seemingly at the last minute, so I completely understand switching to an app that can be updated in real time instead of a program that may be outdated and incorrect immediately upon printing. I was concerned for anyone without a smart phone, but hopefully there’s a way to accommodate people in that regard.

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM: BREAKING [INTO] THE SOURCE WALL: How to Work for DC Comics

Moderated by editor Katie Kubert, this panel consisted of Jorge Jimenez (with a translation assist from his friend Pepe), Chip Zdarsky, Gene Ha, Jenny Frison, and Tim Seeley. It was a very friendly and funny time. I learned a lot about the people on the panel, even if I didn’t learn much new practical advice.

While Gene Ha gave out sketches to members of the audience, everyone broke down their personal long, strange journeys into comics. Everyone’s story was different, but there was a common theme that Katie Kubert eventually lit on: doing it yourself. Everyone had self-published or created their own work in some fashion before pitching to or being approached by DC Comics, with the occasional other pursuit, such as Chip Zdarsky’s brief foray into local politics.

Like I wrote in my schedule post, I’ve avoided “breaking into comics” panels for a while because of how homogenous they started to get for me. Maybe someday I’ll write more about the same three pieces of advice they tend to offer. I used to hear Mark Waid’s aphorism comparing breaking into comics to “breaking into a high-tech military complex” at least three times every convention. At least at this panel, that resulted in a good-natured back-and-forth between Gene Ha and Tim Seeley over whether it was originally “breaking out of prison” or not.

Afterwards, I met up with

Nandor Fox Shaffer

, who has created some really cool comics of his own, and Joe Corallo, whom I hadn’t seen in years. We chatted, and this wasn’t the last time the three of us got to talk. It was great seeing people in person with whom I’ve largely interacted online.

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM: Asian American Stories Are About More Than Representation

This panel served as an unofficial sequel for the last time four-fifths of this panel met, covering a lot of the advancements (and setbacks) made in Asian American representation since then. It touched on deep and loaded topics, including intersectionality, performative change, and both experienced and internalized racism.

Moderated by five-time Hugo Award winner Michi Trota, the panel included first-time panelist Asna Qureshi; Mark Martell, who teaches about superheroes and cultural identity at UIC; Dawn Xiana Moon, founder of Raks Geek and producer of the Defiant Silk Festival; and comics creator Wesley Sun. After brief introductions, Michi prompted everyone to discuss “what comes after” representation and “how do we approach telling and consuming stories?”

Left to right: Michi Trota, Asna Qureshi, Mark Martell, Dawn Xiana Moon, Wesley Sun

Michi and Dawn dug into the term authenticity and how that doesn’t equate to trauma. “I can tell what stories I want,” Dawn explained, without having to “relive trauma.” Wesley chimed in that he feels the same way and illustrated how all of the comics he publishes with his brother are representative and authentic, regardless of subject matter.

Though heavy at times, the panel was far from humorless. A highlight was Wesley shouting, “Ron Lim!” after several minutes of failing to recall the name of the Asian American artist who had co-created Thanos while reassuring everyone that he knew who Jim Starlin was.

Mark spoke on experiences he’s had with his students, including how they create superheroes based around their identities. Asna shared that she “doesn’t have to like something just because a Brown person wrote it,” while Mark said, “it’s important to critique things.” Towards the end, Michi summed up the purpose of the panel well, saying, “Representation is not liberation; it is not the end point.”

I spoke with Mark for a bit after the panel was done. He invited me out to eat, but I wasn’t able to make it. I was a little bummed about that, but we’ve known each other for almost a decade and hang out regularly. XD Instead, I went right to my next panel.

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM: Mad Cave’s 10th Anniversary Celebration

I was about five or ten minutes late, but I think I only missed the introductions and a video message. I recognized Joe Corallo, and eventually pieced together that Mad Cave EVP and Editor in Chief Mike Marts was the moderator. The rest of the panelists included Senior Editor Chas! Pangburn and writers Jordan Thomas and Anthony Cleveland.

The panelists alternately talked about how they had discovered Mad Cave and what comics they were publishing through Mad Cave. I’ve long been a promoter of indie comics, and Mad Cave clearly fosters creativity and collaboration among the talent they attract. There were lots of great stories, such as Anthony talking about creating Show’s End with Mad Cave Talent Search winner Jef Sadzinski (who was also the artist of my first-ever completed comics work). ATTABOY originally being sold on Etsy by creator Tony McMillen was also discussed, and Chas! said it had made him cry when he first read it. Everyone mentioned an unprecedented level of support, friendliness, and a desire for something different from editors and others in charge at Mad Cave Studios.

I ended up talking with a couple of the panelists and a few of the friends from Friday night for more than an hour about licensed comics, favorite tv shows growing up, our own projects, and lots more. A few of those present write for

Comic Book Yeti

, which has an excellent podcast. Chas! recognized the letterer I’ve worked with, Buddy Beaudoin, and we expressed mutual admiration for his work. If I’m being completely honest, I was a bundle of nerves and anxiety for most of it, but it was an incredibly fun conversation. :)

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM: Comic Collaborator Connection

As expected, this had more artists than writers, but the people running it did a great job making sure everyone participating always had someone to talk to. I gathered a lot of business cards and contact information and almost ran out of all the bookmarks I’d brought to provide my contact information and connect people to this newsletter.

On my way out, I ducked into the Pride Lounge. It was an all-ages space mainly focused on video games with display tables lining one wall to showcase some of the LGBTQ+ artists in Artists Alley. It was wonderful to see.

I ended up talking with someone about nonprofit work, the larger queer community, and a mutual love for Adventure Time. I had to go when I started getting anxious texts from my husband asking if I’d eaten dinner, but I hope to reconnect with this person. It can be hard to make new friends as an adult. Lol

I did not go straight to the train station, but popped into the Fatpour that was on the way after getting waved down by other attendees from the Collaborator Connection who had headed there to follow up with each other. There was no room for me to sit and everyone was already getting their checks, but I got the chance to talk to a couple of artists again and ran into Nandor and a couple people from Artist Alley.

Sunday, April 28

I had clocked a Starbucks on the way to McCormick Place heading home the night before, so breakfast was easier to come by and took way less time. Shout out to the trio dressed as Rogue, Dark Phoenix, and X-23 who held the door for me as I made my way out.

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM: YA Book Buzz: Coming of Age with Graphic Novels!

As mentioned, I’ve been a fan of Jennie Wood for several years. I honestly wasn’t sure if they would even recognize me, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, but even with several years and two masks between us, they ran up and gave me a hug as I made my way up the aisle. It was lovely to see them again.

Left to right: Maya Lopez, Richard Ashley Hamilton, Jennie Wood, Joe Corallo

Mad Cave Marketing Manager Maya Lopez served as moderator, while Richard Ashley Hamilton and Joe Corallo rounded out the panel. Maya started things off by polling the audience to see how many of us had heard of Maverick, then gave a brief overview of YA fiction and coming-of-age stories as characters “learning to be who they are.” Everyone introduced themselves and talked about their Maverick comics.

Joe talked about King Arthur and the Knights of Justice, which I did not realize was based on a cartoon from the 90s; Richard about Scoop, Volume 1: #BreakingNews; and Jennie talked about Paper Planes. This was a very personal panel, and everyone talked about how their lives informed their work and sometimes vice versa.

Jennie spoke about how all of their projects have been “an exploration of gender” and how writing Paper Planes helped them realize they were nonbinary. Richard shared about his first day as an intern at CNN, the day of Gianni Versace’s murder. Joe discussed his love of comics and graphic novels as a medium and what makes them so unique.

Recurring themes in the discussion were the universality of specificity and how important it was to speak from experience. The panel ended with everyone sharing their YA comics recommendations, including Fun Home, Three Shadows, Blankets, New Kid, This One Summer, and American Born Chinese.

I followed Jennie to the Mad Cave booth, catching up the whole way on what we’d been up to. Of course, I bought myself a copy of Paper Planes, along with Scoop and ATTABOY. I got to talk with Richard while I got my copy of his comic signed, and we commiserated about the state of modern journalism. Maya complimented the tattoo on my left arm, and we chatted about comics, Tarot cards, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

An old friend’s daughter was at the convention to meet Maya Hawke, so I joined her on line for a bit. From there, I met an artist I met at last year’s Collaborator Connection. We’re working on a long-term project that I’ve mentioned a couple of times here, and about which I’ll be able to talk more freely next year. It took us longer than it should have to coordinate because of my inability to realize for far too long that there were two food court areas next to each other in between the show floor and Artist Alley.

Artist Alley

There were so many people I wanted to talk to, and some of it is kind of a blur. Here’s a rundown of some of those interactions, in no particular order.

At the top of the list was Derek Kirk Kim. I’ve been a fan of his since the early days of the internet, when visiting his website was sometimes the best part of my week while I worked a terrible job and navigated a really dark time in my life. I did the best I could to communicate some of this to him while trying not to stammer too much. I was so nervous, I forgot to introduce myself and had to go back to get my autographed World Book Night copy of Same Difference personalized.

I was sad to have missed Jim Terry’s panel on Friday, but was so happy to see his name listed among those in Artist Alley. I let him know we’d recently read his autobiographical comic, Come Home, Indio, here at the Comics Book Club and how much it had affected some of us. I also told him about the work of Whitney “Sober Rabbit” Wasson, another local cartoonist.

I don’t normally mention that I’m from New Jersey and I bristle whenever anyone else brings it up, but when talking to Greg Lockard I discovered that his dad worked at the university where I went to college and he knew one of my favorite professors. I picked up a copy of Liebestrasse, which I should have done years ago, and his new comic, Trick Pony.

I met Minerva Fox in person for the first time last year, but I’d been a fan and frequent commenter on her YouTube channel for a while before that. It was great seeing her again and getting to buy more of her books. She’s part of a Kickstarter campaign that has less than two days to go at time of writing. Please support it!

Local artist Winston Gambro is another person for whom I’m always on the lookout. I made sure to buy the collected edition of his webcomic Gumshoe City, which taught me that my detective name is “Gizmo Bones.” I forgot to pick up a physical copy of Lights in the Sky, thus saving him postage (sorry, Winston!), and learned that my copy of The Blank is a collector’s item, since some of the practical effects on the artwork were not feasible for a larger print run. I still recommend picking up that book for its experimental qualities.

I spoke to Melissa Capriglione because I’d seen her interview with Comix Wellspring. She said I wasn’t the first person to mention it, which seemed to surprise her, but it was a good interview. I got to tell her about the LGBTQ+ Comic Creator Panel I moderated last year for the Chicago Public Library, and bought her comic Basil and Oregano.

Jimmy Kucaj and I follow each other on Instagram, but I know I’m hardly unique in that situation. They were at the Comics Collaborator Connection the day before, and I relayed how successful these meetups have been for me.

I had missed the opportunity to support the Kickstarter campaign for Dirk Manning’s Write or Wrong, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about how helpful it is for comics writers. I made sure to visit his booth and get myself a copy, and he was very friendly.

I was introduced to the work of local creator Coleton Mastick through an odd bit of happenstance. A British creator featured his work on his YouTube channel, and at the end of the video mentioned Coleton was from Chicago. This prompted me to seek out his Instagram, and I’ve made sure to visit his booths at C2E2 and CAKE ever since. I forgot to get my copy of We Call Them Myths signed by his collaborator, Kristian Herrera, but hopefully I’ll have another chance someday.

That’s everything! Thanks for your patience. I’m sorry if I glossed over anyone or anything. Let me know if you’ve been to C2E2 in the comments. How was your experience? Is there anything I’ve described here that you’d like me to expand on? The next convention I’ll be attending will be CAKE in August, though that’s a much less structured affair and I won’t have nearly as much to share. Lol

The Comics Book Club will be meeting again on June 19 to discuss Bitter Root, Volume 1: Family Business. Take care, everyone!