C2E2 at McCormick Place.

[C2E2 2016] brought droves of Comic fans to Chicago

Chicago’s answer to San Diego’s Comic-Con and New York’s NYCC gets bigger each year. Chicago’s C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo), held over three days at McCormick Place, drew droves of fans eager to attend the star-studded panels and participate in cosplay showcasing.

Guests arrived donning their best costumes, many of them homemade, embodying their favorite pop culture icons. It’s easy to lose yourself in a crowd of passionate fans as you see costumed heroes like ‘Batman’ and ‘Deadpool’ walking around you.

Chicago’s own actor John Cusack took to the stage the first day to talk with fans about his influential films, Better off Dead, High Fidelity, and Say Anything. Fans were also able to pose for photo ops with Cusack and other guests.

C2E2 at McCormick Place.
Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh at C2E2 in McCormick Place.
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Photo: Jesus J. Montero

The second day was highlighted by the Crown Championships of Cosplay, with participants competing for over ten thousand dollars in cash prizes. The second day also featured panels from Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh. They took to the stage answering fans' questions as the new faces of women in the comic universe. Check out our photos below of Benoist and Leigh. 

The final day ended with a bang as Golden Globe winner, Oscar winner, and Chicago Native Rhymefest performed from his Man in the Mirror 2.0 album, a tribute to Michael Jackson. Rhymefest also debuted his exclusive cover of the International Iron Man #1 comic issue based on his cover for the album, designed by Marco D'Alfonso has a part of Marvel's hip-hop variant cover series.

C2E2 is set to return to McCormick Place April 21-23, 2017.