C2E2 Friday

I am back from C2E2 and I am ready to share! I was going to post after each day at the convention, but I was so tired after each day, I thought it would be more beneficial if I waited to write when I was actually awake. So this is the first of a four post series about C2E2.

I had a pro pass for C2E2 this year. Because I work at a library, I qualified for a professional pass and took advantage of it. I was able to enter the floor a hour early because of my special status. I took a picture of the line next to the early entrance area. This was the line were all of the people who bought a normal 3 day pass waited:

The first thing I noticed was how spacious everything seemed. I felt like there was a lot more room between rows and that was super nice. Heres a picture:

After I walked the floor and was on my way to my first panel, I snapped this awesome shot of the floor:

It was pretty neat to see the crowds of people swarming the floor from above. They allowed waves of people in at a time. The C2E2 staff handled the entrance each day really well.

The first panel I attended was "How to start a free comic book day in your library." This was a really great panel. The panel consisted of a librarian from Chippewa River District Library in Michigan, a representative from Diamond Distributors, and the owner of Comix Revolution. The librarian hosted a wildly successful free comic book day at her library a year ago that had 300 attendees. She planned events such as board games and photo ops with her local 501st Legion (it was on May 4th). Diamond Distributors talked a bit about price and about contacting them as early as December to get materials for your library. The owner of Comix Revolution talked about his experience with free comic book day and libraries. He really encouraged partnerships between comic book stores and libraries for the event. Here's their website: http://www.online-revolution.com

The second panel I attended was Yaya Han's cosplay Q&A. She was really great about answering everyone's questions. Almost all of the questions were about how to go about cosplay and different techniques. I asked about molding and casting and Yaya suggested this website: http://www.smooth-on.com. Hopefully I will be able to order a starter kit to try out soon.

My favorite panel of all C2E2 was the Eve Myles Panel. She was amazing! She was so adorable and so kind to anyone who asked questions. Like all the fans, she also wants another season or 10 of Torchwood. Elliot Serrano from Chicago RedEye was a great moderator. I saw him moderate a few panels and he handle each really well. Eve said her favorite episode was "Countryside." She shared a few John Barrowmen stories, but they are a little risqué to share here. Eve Myles was so gracious and said many things which she thought she may regret, but were hilarious. This was such a great panel and it was so nice to see someone so gracious, but famous speak.

The last panel I attended on Friday was The Game of Thrones panel with Kristian Nairn and Natalia Tena (Hodor and Osha/ Tonks). This was also a good panel. The narrator was not my favorite. Natalia and Kristian were great and really wanted to answer the fans' questions. They both discussed the future of their characters. Natalia had read the books, but Kristian had not so the difference in their answers was interesting. This was a good panel and I was happy I attended even though I was exhausted at this point. 

I had a really great time at C2E2 on Friday. I traveled down to Chicago that morning by myself by train and it was a lot of fun. People were really friendly and I never felt out of place. I met a lot of cool people from fellow librarians to aspiring cosplayers to comic shop owners. I would for sure travel to C2E2 alone again if need be. More to come about Saturday, The Crown Championships of Cosplay, and Sunday. Feel free to comment and ask questions!