Svengoolie’s Celebrity C2E2 Saturday

Svengoolie’s Saturday morning at C2E2 matched Friday, though things didn’t go as smoothly with the autographs. A convention crew member erred in capping the line, inadvertently creating two separate ones. Once discovered, it was impossible to distinguish late arrivals from the new ones, leaving us no choice but to alternate between the two. Fortunately, this only angered a couple of people, which I consider a minor miracle. 

Assisting Svengoolie & Waiting for Chip Zdarsky at C2E2!

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. Continue reading

Paul Rudd takes on C2E2…and Wins!

Paul Rudd C2E2 Banner

Who doesn’t love Paul Rudd? The seemingly ageless actor has been inspiring laughter for nearly two decades; long before joining the Avengers as Ant-Man. My family and I try meeting as many  MARVEL stars as we can so when C2E2 (Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo) announced Rudd as one of their featured guests it was one happy day at the Fuentes household. I immediately started working the necessary overtime while hovering over their website waiting for the tickets to go on sale. My diligence paid off and I bought ours (both photo op and autograph) just before they completely sold out. C2E2 would eventually add an additional day and I believe those were gobbled up as well. Was it worth paying more than a car payment to meet Paul Rudd? 

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Svengoolie and the Superheroes at C2E2!

It was Friday afternoon when MeTV’s horror host sensation, Svengoolie, arrived at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2). As soon as I was alerted of this by his Producer, Jim Roche, I rushed outside to meet them. It’s rather surreal seeing Svengoolie in broad daylight but there he was; patiently waiting as Jim and his Director/cameraman, Chris Faulkner, prepared their supplies and equipment. C2E2 is always a frenetic experience for the crew and this year they were adding merchandise sales to the mix (T-shirts and posters). I’ve had a bit of experience selling Svengoolie shirts at past appearances such as Flashback Weekend and Nightmare on Chicago Street but this would be a lot more demanding. Consequently, I’d be “knighted” as temporary paid staff for his Friday signing. With Svengoolie armaments in tow, it was time to kick-off his two-day appearance at C2E2.

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“Nothing can stop the (C2E2) Juggernaut!”

What a time for comic book fans to be alive! Just this past week, the female-driven Captain Marvel joined the billion-dollar club while SHAZAM (the original “Captain Marvel”) hit theaters in his own fabulous film. In other news, Netflix’s binge-worthy “Umbrella Academy” got renewed for a second season while the creepy, yet original Joker trailer also dropped. Perhaps the biggest news in nerdom was how presale tickets for the much-anticipated Avengers: Endgame managed to shut down movie sites unable to keep up with demand. So whenever you hear someone mention the phrase “superhero fatigue,” don’t say anything. Just casually walk away…and laugh.  Continue reading

The Daredevil You Know: Spotlight on Charlie Cox at C2E2!

The following Q&A is from The Daredevil You Know: Spotlight on Charlie Cox panel at Chicago Comic Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on Sunday, April 8, 2018. My original intention was to squeeze this into my final post of the series last Thursday but, even after skimming off the less interesting stuff, felt it warranted its own. The panel was hosted by Clare Kramer a.k.a. Glory from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ran an hour. The auditorium was huge and the panel photos here were all taken by me – thanks to a great telephoto lens. I have to say that so far as celebrity panels go, Cox was one actor who’s really in tune with his character. He not only provided interesting behind the scenes tidbits (at least as far as what Marvel allows) as well as insights on Daredevil, himself. But don’t take my word for it, read for yourself… Continue reading