C2E2

McCormick Place is sooooo big....one feels like a tiny ant crawling over a marble floor as you trudge from massive hall to massive hall. We turned on our GPS yesterday and logged more than 2 miles in no time. Today's distance was probably more like 5 or 6 miles as we took it easy. C2E2 is definitely in a crucial year. The first two years underperformed, but advance ticket sales are way up this year, so maybe this will be the time that the show draws the massive crowds that everyone thinks are possible. Saturday is going to be the big day.

How to get around McCormick, with notable locales and suggestions for stress-free nooks and crannies.

Heading towards C2E2 this weekend? Here's how to get there!

Day Zero at C2E2, Part One!

Speaking of C2E2, the website uses a particular kind of format so you can search for programming...but can't see it all in one place, which makes it hard to see who's who on what panel until you get there and get the program. The organizers have graciously given us the whole document, so you can see if one of your favorite creators or entertainers is appearing on a panel and at what time:

You can see the titles for all the shows in this link. The list doesn't appear to be complete quite yet, as there are no panels listed for DC, but it does look like a lively show. C2E2 kicks off in a few short weeks, from April 13-15. The Beat will be there!

On Thursday, March 17, Diamond hosted their "Dialogue with Diamond" panel as part of the Diamond Retailer Summit. Roger Fletcher, Diamond VP-Sales & Marketing, and Bill Schanes, VP-Purchasing, fielded questions and feedback from retailers. Before taking questions from retailers, some data from 2010 was presented.

We'll have our full report in tomorrow's PW Comics Week, but for now, a few notes:

The show was much improved from last year's; rough attendance is about 34,000, according to Lance Fensterman, definitely up from last year.

This was a fun, well run show without a lot of bells and whistles. There wasn't any one thing that made it stand out, but it was definitely a good show with all the elements that achieved "con." The crowd was young and energetic and seemed to be having the time they expected out of a comic-con, (a supposition backed up by happy tweets).

Although The Beat had a sensible evening spent filing stories and getting some sleep, many of the folks gathered in Chicago took advantage of the St. Patrick's Day holiday and had themselves a good...

Day 0 at the second edition of C2E2 found retailers confabbing, and early arrivals checking out the new location for the show. Following last year's inaugural show in the Lakeside hall set on the banks...

Over at MediumAtLarge.net, the official ReedPop blog, pictures of comics invading the Valhallan halls of McCormick Place in Chicago are already circulating. There's lots of news and notes about the show on recent blog posts, but for the socially inclined, there's news of a special C2E2 brew!

WOW, The Beat is so far behind in everything. If you've emailed or called or anything we apologize for being in radio silence. There is just not enough time in the day. But even so, we'll be headed to C2E2 tomorrow, first for the Diamond retail event and then the regular show. Good times! We'll have a who's where later -- please send links and party poop. BTW, were the editors of TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED obsessed with the color green? That WAS unexpected.