My anticipation for C2E2 (Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo) was elevated this year thanks to my renewed interest in comic books. Last year’s hunt for the “Svengoolie: Lost in Time” variant covers led to excavating my old collection and now taking regular trips to the local comic book shop. Instead of being brand loyal to MARVEL (as I was back in the ’80s and ’90s) I’ve now started dabbling with other publishers such as Image Comics, IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, to name a few. But more on that later. The main draw for C2E2, for me, was Svengoolie whom I’d been brought on to assist.

I arrived at McCormick Place ahead of the Sven crew and waited at the main entrance. The place is huge but, thankfully, it was the same spot we met up last year so I had no trouble finding it. After reaching my destination, a man dressed as Svengoolie (but with green facepaint) called out my name. It took me a few moments to realize it was Chris Connolly from the Mr. C. Dives-In YouTube Channel. I was confused by the green facepaint; thinking perhaps it might be a Svengoolie/Frankenstein mashup until he explained he was portraying the now classic Chris Jones image of Sven. If this was a strategy to gain favor with Jones (also in attendance at this event) it paid off as he’d later agree to appear in a future Dives-In show. Kudos to the crafty Mr. C!

In another throwback to last year, MeTV’s social media specialist, Briana Janczy, also arrived ahead of the crew and we used our remaining free time to check out the cosplay.

Svengoolie arrived with his crew = Producer, Jim Roche, Associate Producer, Jane Borim, Director, Chris Faulkner, and cameraman, Patrick Payne; immediately whisking Briana and me downstairs to get our passes. Svengoolie’s badge listed him as “Talent” while ours were labeled “Panelists” – which sounds a heckuva lot better than Talent-less.” 

2024 is a special year for C2E2 as it celebrates its 15th anniversary just as Svengoolie his 45th. This veteran television icon has appeared at most of C2E2’s 15 shows so, consequently, we knew exactly where to go after passing through the checkpoint. A quick walk through the front portion of the main hall and through black curtains takes us to the private lounge area and a large, round table with chairs I’ll be referring to as “base camp” for blogging purposes, En route behind the scenes, we bumped into Kevin Smith whose face lit up when he saw the host and yelled, “Svengoolie!” The two discussed getting together to film an interview for the show but, unfortunately, Smith was only at the event for a short time and it never happened.

 Svengoolie’s first order of business was his Friday 12:30 PM Photo Op and this year the C2E2 staff did something they’d never done before – offered us a golf cart so Sven wouldn’t have to walk the distance. While Chris and Patrick headed out to the floor to obtain B-roll footage for the show, Svengoolie, Jim, and I drove off for the photos. 

We got there early and stayed in the cart chatting while casually watching Feddy Prinze Jr. and Rachel Leigh Cook breeze past for their She’s All That (1999) photo op. We took it all in stride but had it been Freddy Prinze Jr’s wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar, who’d walked past us instead, this Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan would have lost his GD mind! 

When it was Svengoolie’s turn, Jim and I sat to the side and observed. There were a couple of technical hiccups but, like most fan-related photo ops, it went quickly. 

Due to C2E2’s extensive guest list, Svengoolie’s Friday signing was scheduled for only one hour from 1-2 PM. Having assisted many Svengoolie/C2E2 signings and knowing how many people turn out, I thought this was lunacy. Briana and Jane set up the table and got the merchandise ready while Patrick attached Svengoolie’s microphone.  During the signing, his job would be to hover around with hopes of capturing any interesting fans and banter. 

The signing went without a hitch. Jane sold shirts, Jim worked the crowd, and I took pictures of fans using their own phones and cameras.  

One new addition to the signing was free Svengoolie stickers. I’m guessing this wasn’t Sven’s idea because as guests were leaving he’d say, “Here…take a couple of these cheap stickers.” I grabbed one myself and it’s on standby to decorate my new, future laptop.

One of the most memorable moments was when a little boy presented Svengoolie with a series of special horror host merit badges. Attached to each badge was a small card explaining their requirements. He then asked Sven to raise his right hand and led him into a recitation of the horror host oath. It was adorable and the kid’s delivery was flawless. My eldest son is an Eagle Scout and got a kick out of this story when I shared it with him. Hopefully, Patrick captured it all for an upcoming “Svengoolie on the Road” segment. 

Something that’s already been seen on TV was a fan-made Svengoolie rubber duckling (I guess after 45 years, chickens have become passe’?) which the creators brought along to show Svengoolie in person. Though its image was shared on a past mail segment, perhaps it will grace an upcoming C2E2 clip as well.

Despite C2E2’s tight schedule, nobody showed up to replace Svengoolie at the booth, so he signed over his allotted time and accommodated all of his guests. This included one straggler who had him add his signature to her Svengoolie arm tattoo so she could permanently tattoo over after the show.

 

With Sven’s scheduled Friday responsibilities complete, we walked into the main hall and to Artist’s Alley to see Chris Jones.

The two friends talked a bit before filming.  Jones took Sven’s rubber chicken and hilariously petted it affectionately over his shoulder. “This is my emotional support chicken,” he said. 

As Svengoolie and crew worked their way through the crowds and back to the main entrance to leave, they visited Tara Strong. She was busy but agreed to interview the following day, Saturday, first thing in the morning. More on that in my next post.

By 3 PM, Svengoolie and crew departed and I was free to walk the convention floor alone.

While I was walking the convention hall, I saw actor, Christopher Lloyd, being transported for a DeLorean photo op (more on the “Back to the Future” car in my next post).

C2E2 is a great event but, in my opinion, not as grandiose as it was in its pre-pandemic days. Back then it was carpeted and all the big comic book companies (like MARVEL and DC) had huge displays and activities. Specific fandoms such as STAR WARS even had special convention spaces for fans to snap pictures with cosplayers and wandering Astromech droids. Not that there weren’t any of those around. I did spot a few droids including this neat Midcentury modern design.

I noticed during my wanderings that the line to see the acclaimed comic book writer, Chip Zdarsky was long. I decided to find my place at the end before it got worse. In my shoulder bag was Chip Zdarsky’s Spider-Man hardcover omnibus that was released late last year. Even though I’ve only recently returned to collecting comics, I’ve always been interested in MARVEL’s hardcover omnibus collections. Right now, I have about sixty of them and try to read at least one comic story a day (currently Silver Age Amazing Spider-Man). Zdarsky’s autographs were $10 raw, $30 CGC, or free if you wanted it personalized – which most collectors or resellers do not want. Since it’s an omnibus and I have no interest in reselling, I went with the free option. 

The line lasted two hours and I was ready to go home. By this time it was 6 pm and, having not eaten all day, had a ferocious craving for Aurelios Pizza (a Chicago South Suburbs thing). My son had it delivered just before I got home and just in time to watch Joe Bob’s Last Drive-in Show on Shudder. Despite his presenting an excellent movie – The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) (which I blogged about back in the day) I fell asleep after the first hour.

Coming up…Svengoolie Saturday at C2E2!

~Dave