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"I'll Have A Hawkman Turkey Panini" – That Was C2E2 That Was

Published Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:48:18 -0500

Or C2E2TW2. It's being ripped down this minute. So how was the show?

Well, unlike San Diego or New York, this is a show that you can realistically "do" in the allocated timeframe. There's a lot to be said for leaving them wanting me, but here you can pretty much see everyone and everything you want and are left with a nice satisfied feeling , evebn if the end of Sunday feels a little empty.

Like WizardWorld Chicago last year, Artists' Alley seems to do better with sales than the publishers, with the likes of Jum Zubavich and Dirk Manning selling out of all their stock on the Saturday. On these economic problematic times, people seem to emphasise and preserve the personal touch, a one to one with a creator they can develop year after year and Artists Alley just lines them up, quite literally.

Oh and Prism sold out of Homo Superior bags lickety split.

Steampunk comics seem to be going through rather the revival right now, with Lady Mekanika continuing to be a hit of the show, with retailers mopping up excess demand with the Joe Kelly/Chris Bachalo Steampunk book. Publishers? More steampunk now…

The presence of the Big Two here did make a difference, an excitement, a belief that both the show and the attendees mattered. And publisher Archaia showed that with the right presence and product you can totally step up to the big guys. On Saturday the show hummed and buzzed along, with cosplay to delight and titillate, while music and movies made a backdrop, this was undoubtedly a comic show. You walk in – and it's comics across your peripheries. Sure you can find everything else, but you've got to get through the comics first.

And if Friday showed that Chicago loved DC, on Saturday it was Marvel's turn spearheaded by Brian Bendis, local boy and making C2E2 his last convention for quite some time. This was your last chance to get something signed, or make eye contact or just brush past hoping to get a little Bendis mojo in his wake.

I even managed to find little love myself, from some who may have shunned me in years gone by. Bleeding Cool seems to be coming an institution in its own right and, if nothing else, I'm the devil you know. Ask Joe Quesada, he knows all about dealing with the devil. The Awards were a storming success, funny, frivolous, fast with presenters from Nick Spencer to Ben Templesmith to Jamal Igle to Charles Brownstein and with wonderful audience participation, especially one Matthew Sardo. It put me on an adrenaline high that I'm only coming down from as well. We've been asked to do it next year and we will – only with completely different categories. The awards will, however, still be edible.

The Hyatt bar was full to busting, even as DC and Marvel parties happened elsewhere. If not, there would have been problems. And while the convention centre was getting into the swing of things with the canteen changing the names of all its food items in honour of the show, though I did decline a West Coast Avengers burger, the bar staff at the Hyatt seemed to be of the type who would love their job if not for the people.

And as Saturday was as busy as they come, Sunday was a more sedate affair. Less crowds, more space to spread, giving you the chance to make those one on one connections last longer. Which, for me, meant Geoff Darrow. And an age spent looking at his Shaolin Monk pages, the only place you;ll find them for some time.

And now everything is packed and the airport waits. There's no con ennui here (connui?) just a relaxed smile in my gut and the desire to see my girls.

I'll be back in the US for San Diego this summer of course. But this time I'm bringing my Brendon.